Latest revision: December 10, 2023
WARNING: This pancocojams post includes the pejorative word "fag".
This pancocojams post showcases examples of children's rhymes which mention Michael Jackson and which include an "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse.
This post is divided into two sections:
A. Examples from "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" hand clap rhymes.
and
B. Examples rhat aren't from "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes.
Information and my comments about these rhymes are included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on examples of children's recreational rhymes that include the name of pop star Michael Jackson.
This post is also part of an ongoing pancocojams series that presents examples of rhymes from the large family of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes.
Click the tags below for more posts in these series.
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson for information about Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009).
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Since 2010, I have collected a number of children's recreational rhymes from online sources and particularly from the comment sections of YouTube children's rhyme videos and from my now inactive cocojams cultural website.
I decided to re-visit my files on children's rhymes after learning that on February 28, 2019 YouTube had disallowed comments from most videos that feature children under 13 years. That policy resulted in the deletion of all comments from those affected videos.
This post presents only a portion of the online children's rhymes that include a "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse which mention Michael Jackson. Some of the examples that are featured in this post have been included in previously published pancocojams posts.
By "children's rhymes" I mean recreational rhymes that are may or may not have been composed by children, but are documented as being chanted by children while playing hand clap games, jumping rope, or recited as taunting rhymes or parodies, or used as counting out strategies.
Most of the examples that are included in this post contain no information about how the rhyme is performed. However, my guess is that most of these examples are either partner hand clap rhymes o group circle hand slapping rhymes.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/11/my-comments-about-youtubes-policy.html for this closely related pancocojams post entitled "Information & My Comments About YouTube's Policy Enacted February 2019 Which Disallows Comments For Most YouTube Children's Videos".
Also, click the tags given below for more examples of YouTube comments from children's rhyme videos.
****
WHAT IS THE "I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG" VERSE?
"I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" is a two line rhyming verse that begins with the words "I pledge allegiance to the flag". The second line is composed of seven syllables. That line almost always begins with the words "Michael Jackson [or some other celebrity] is a [insert a word that rhymes or near rhymes with the word "flag"].
As of December 10, 2023, here are the words that I have come across that have been used as the last word in that second line of "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verse:
gag: "Michael Jackson makes me gag". [This is the word that I've come across most often in these rhymes.]
fag: "Michael Jackson is a fag.
bad: "Michael Jackson sings so bad," ; "Michael Jackson stinks so bad."
dad: "Michael Jackson is my dad" [I first came across this usage in 2009, but based on my internet searches of this rhyme, it appears to be quite common since at least 2019, almost overtaking the first place word "gag" and definitely overtaking the word "fag". Read additional comments below about the use of the word "dad" in these rhymes.]
drag: "Michael Jackson is a drag."
mad: "Michael Jackson makes me mad."
fad: "Michael Jackson is a fad."
fag: "Michael Jackson is a fag.
bad: "Michael Jackson sings so bad," ; "Michael Jackson stinks so bad."
dad: "Michael Jackson is my dad" [I first came across this usage in 2009, but based on my internet searches of this rhyme, it appears to be quite common since at least 2019, almost overtaking the first place word "gag" and definitely overtaking the word "fag". Read additional comments below about the use of the word "dad" in these rhymes.]
drag: "Michael Jackson is a drag."
mad: "Michael Jackson makes me mad."
fad: "Michael Jackson is a fad."
I've come across one example that uses the word "rad" [given later in this post.] I've also come across the line "Michael Jackson is so fat". The word "fat" is even further away from being a rhyme with the word "flag" than the word "dad". Since Michael Jackson wasn't ever fat, my guess is that the word "fat" in that "I pledge allegiance to the flag" line is a folk processed form of the word "fag" or "fad" (due to mishearing or misremembering).
After Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, the names of a small subset of certain kinds of celebrities have sometimes replaced his name in these "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verses. That same celebrity's name may also replace Michael Jackson's name or the name of a brand name of soda (such as "Coca Cola" in the "Coca Cola came to town" verses that usually are chanted immediately after the "I pledge allegiance verse" in some long forms of the "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes.
This subset of celebrities are Pop singers who are disliked for one reason or another by a faction of the public. As of December 2023 (in the order that I have found them), those celebrities whose names have been used in "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verse are Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, or Lady Gaga. The word "gag" is the most often used word that I've found for these "replacement celebrities" in the second line of "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verses: i.e. "Miley Cyrus makes me gag". I haven't come across any examples of this rhyme featuring celebrities other than Michael Jackson that includes the pejorative word "fag".
I have also found Michael Jordan's name used instead of Michael Jackson. However, I believe that basketball star's name is used in those rhymes because it has been confused with the name of the Pop/R&B singer.
This subset of celebrities are Pop singers who are disliked for one reason or another by a faction of the public. As of December 2023 (in the order that I have found them), those celebrities whose names have been used in "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verse are Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, or Lady Gaga. The word "gag" is the most often used word that I've found for these "replacement celebrities" in the second line of "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verses: i.e. "Miley Cyrus makes me gag". I haven't come across any examples of this rhyme featuring celebrities other than Michael Jackson that includes the pejorative word "fag".
I have also found Michael Jordan's name used instead of Michael Jackson. However, I believe that basketball star's name is used in those rhymes because it has been confused with the name of the Pop/R&B singer.
****
As mentioned above, the "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verse is usually followed by re-worked forms of the older "Coca Cola Came To Town" (also given as "Coca Cola Went To Town") or "Michael Jackson Came (or "Went" To Town".
Here's an example of "Coca Cola Came To Town"
I believe that the "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse was initially a put down ("rip", "diss") on Pop icon Michael Jackson whose once stellar reputation suffered for a number of reasons. The "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse usually introduces the beginning of "trading rhymes" that replace one beverage after another. The pattern for these "trading rhymes" often begins with an indirect reference to Michael Jackson's hair on fire accident which occurred while he was singing his song "Billie Jean" during the filming of a Pepsi Cola television commercial.
Here's a basic example of that rhyme:
Example:
"Pepsi Cola burned him up
Now he's drinking 7-Up
7-Up has no caffeine
Now he's drinking Listerine"...
Examples:
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson sings so rad
and
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson is my dad.
-snip-
The use of the word "dad" as the not really a near rhyme for the word "flag" could be interpreted to mean that the chanters don't know who Michael Jackson was. However, even if its true that children, teens, and young adults born after King of Pop music Michael Jackson's death don't know who he was, they certainly know that he's not their dad.
I wonder if the use of the word "dad" as the end word in that verse could begun as a camp counselor or some other adult prompted way of getting children to avoid chanting the socially unacceptable word "fag" and the insulting word "gag". We may never know why that end word "dad" started being used for these rhymes, but judging from examples I have come across online, it sure seems as though it has really grown in use since at least 2000.
****
****
REFERENCES TO THE "COLA WARS" IN THESE RHYMES
Many of the children's rhymes that mention Michael Jackson obliquely refer to what has been called "the cola wars" in the United States. Here's some information about the "cola wars" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola_wars
"The long-time rival soft drink producers The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo have engaged mutually-targeted marketing campaigns for the direct competition between each company's product lines, especially their flagship colas, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Beginning in the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the intensity of these campaigns have led to them, and the competition in general, being known as the cola wars.[1]
[...]
During the peak of the cola wars, as Coca-Cola saw its flagship product losing market share to Pepsi, as well as to Diet Coke and competitors' products, the company considered a change to the beverage's formula and flavor. In April 1985, The Coca-Cola Company introduced its new formula for Coca-Cola, which became popularly known as "New Coke". Consumer backlash to the change led to the company making a strategic retreat on July 11, 1985, announcing its plans to bring back the previous formula under the name "Coca-Cola Classic".[2]"...
-snip-
Given the words of that "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse, my guess is that the earliest examples of these rhymes were chanted in 1984 or 1985, after Michael Jackson burned his hair while filming a Pepsi Cola commercial. Read some of the comments in Part I (immediately below) that also reach the conclusion that the earliest versions of "Michael Jackson Came To Town" rhymes (with or without that "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag") are from the mid 1980s.
I believe that it's unlikely that many children who recite/d "Coca Cola Came To Town" rhymes (including "Michael Jackson Came To Town" know anything about the mid 1980s "Cola wars" except that Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola are rival brands of soda ("pop"; "soft drinks") and some people prefer Cocal Cola while other people prefer Pepsi Cola.
These examples are divided into two sections and are numbered in no particular order within those categories. The line with Michael Jackson's name is given in italics in these examples to highlight that line.
The online source for each example is given after the rhyme.
1.
"Michael Jackson (alternate version):
I pledge allegience to the flag; Michael Jackson is a fag.
Pepsi Cola burnt him up- now he's drinking 7UP!
7UP has no caffiene; Now he's singing Billie Jean.
Billie Jean was not his lover and his nose is made of rubber!
Rubberface, but don't repeat it- now his dance steps are to Beat It.
Beat It now & don't you tell her this fine tale about the Thriller."
-http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml
**
2. My friends play it like this:
Down by the bank by the hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jumps from bank to bank
We're sayin ep op ep op op
skiddle diddle kernal pop!
I pledge alligence to the flag
Micheal Jackson makes me gag
Coca Cola messed him up
now we're drinking 7up
7up has no caffine
now we're drinking gassoline
Gassoline not good for you
now we're drinking Mt. Dew
Mt. Dew fell off the Mt.
now we're drinking from a fountain
The fountain broke
and now we're back to drinking coke
-Guest, 17 Mar 08, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034, Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
**
3. "Down by the banks of the hanky panky.
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank. Say As Es Is Os ees I did it.
Bing Bong your daddy smells like King Kong.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson makes me gag.
Coca-cola burnt him up
Now we're talkin 7 up
7 up has no caffeine
Now we're talking Billy Jean
Billy jean went out of style.
Now we're talking Bobby Brown.
B-o-b-b-y B-r-o-w-n went out of town
GUEST,amy in Kentucky, 01 May 14; http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034, Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
**
4. "I learned it like this:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
saying e, i, o, u, chilly willy ding dong
lets play a game of ping pong,
i pledge alligence to the flag
Michael Jackson dances rad,
coca cola bust it up,
now were talking 7 up,
7 up has no caffiene,
now were talking billie jean,
billie jean ran out of sight,
now were talking bobby brown
had a big frown
-marymuch, http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A, November 2011
**
5. "I learned it as "Down by the banks of the hanky pank, where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank, saying ees, ise, opps, oops. East side dally ding-dong. Pledge allegiance to the the flag, Michael Jackson is a fag [I didn't know what this word was when I was 5...]. Coca-cola burned his butt, now he's drinking 7-up. 7-up has no caffeine, now he's drinking gasoline. Gasoline has no flavor, no he's eating Life Savors."
-xeCh0x, 2010, comment in "Down on the Banks of the Hanky PankyM", published by Erin Schmidt, Sep 14, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC8INeM0w5A
**
6. "I learned it "down by the banks of the hanky banky where the bull frog jumps from bank to bankie sayin eeps ipse ooope oops i pledge allegence to the flag michael Jackson makes me gag cococola burns me up now were talking 7-up. 7-up has no caffene now were talking billy jean. billy jean is out of sight now were talking dynamite.10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1"
- hyperpyper10, 2010, comment in "Down on the Banks of the Hanky PankyM", published by Erin Schmidt, Sep 14, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC8INeM0w5A
**
7. "Down by the river with the hanky panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
Singing E, I, O, U, your mama stinks and so do you
King Kong, Donkey Kong, went to school with nothing on
Asked the teacher what to wear, polka dotted underwear!
Not too big and not too small, just the size of Broward Mall
I pledge allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson makes me gag
Pepsi cola burnt him up, now we’re drinking 7-up
7-up has no caffeine, now we’re singing Billy Jean
Billy Jean is out of sight, now we’re talking dynamite
Dynamite blew up the school, now we’re talking really cool
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Whoever was clapped on one was I guess out. Actually I remember that my first ever exposure to Michael Jackson was through these rhymes, I remember quite a few featured him. We also had a lot of songs about killing our teachers and burning down the school, you know, innocent schoolyard games!...
-Elle, October 3, 2009, https://kateharding.net/2009/10/02/miss-lucy-had-friday-fluff/
**
8. "i learned: down by the bay with the hanky panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank sayin eap op skiitle dittle kernal pop i pledge alligence to the flag micheal jackson makes me gag coke coala has caffine now we are talkin jelly beans"
-Chianne Wallace, 2010, [comment] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqhvCN0Uvfk
**
9. "I learned it as "Down by the river of hanky pank, a bulldog jumped from bank to bank. Said eese peese, inky bunny Bing bong. Momma smells like King Kong. Pledge Allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson is my dad. Coca-Cola burn it up, now I'm talking 7-Up. 7-Up has no caffeine, now I'm talking Billy Jean. Billy Jean went out of style, Now I'm talking dynamite. Dynamite blew up the school, Now I'm talking really cool. 10, 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!
-Meghan Satterfield, 2014; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zoMAvwKGfk&feature=emb_logo
"Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" Game at the Roslin Orphanage; published by Karina Vancsura, Aug 2, 2012
**
10.
"I thought it was down by the bay by the hanky play where the bullfrog jumped from bay to bay I say east i`s o's Isabella ding dong yo mama smell like king Kong all the way from long Wong pledge allegiance to the flag Michael Jackson makes me mad coca colla burn in up now I'm drinking 7up 7up has more cafeen now I'm drinking gasoline.gasoline is bad for you now I'm drinking mountain dew 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 outt"
Joa Vega, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zoMAvwKGfk&feature=emb_logo
"Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" Game at the Roslin Orphanage; published by Karina Vancsura, Aug 2, 2012
**
11.
As mentioned above, the "I pledge allegiance to the flag" verse is usually followed by re-worked forms of the older "Coca Cola Came To Town" (also given as "Coca Cola Went To Town") or "Michael Jackson Came (or "Went" To Town".
Here's an example of "Coca Cola Came To Town"
I believe that the "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse was initially a put down ("rip", "diss") on Pop icon Michael Jackson whose once stellar reputation suffered for a number of reasons. The "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse usually introduces the beginning of "trading rhymes" that replace one beverage after another. The pattern for these "trading rhymes" often begins with an indirect reference to Michael Jackson's hair on fire accident which occurred while he was singing his song "Billie Jean" during the filming of a Pepsi Cola television commercial.
Here's a basic example of that rhyme:
Example:
"Pepsi Cola burned him up
Now he's drinking 7-Up
7-Up has no caffeine
Now he's drinking Listerine"...
****
Some examples of tne "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse aren't put downs. I believe that these are later versions of that "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse.
Some examples of tne "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse aren't put downs. I believe that these are later versions of that "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse.
Examples:
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson sings so rad
and
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson is my dad.
-snip-
The use of the word "dad" as the not really a near rhyme for the word "flag" could be interpreted to mean that the chanters don't know who Michael Jackson was. However, even if its true that children, teens, and young adults born after King of Pop music Michael Jackson's death don't know who he was, they certainly know that he's not their dad.
I wonder if the use of the word "dad" as the end word in that verse could begun as a camp counselor or some other adult prompted way of getting children to avoid chanting the socially unacceptable word "fag" and the insulting word "gag". We may never know why that end word "dad" started being used for these rhymes, but judging from examples I have come across online, it sure seems as though it has really grown in use since at least 2000.
****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE USE OF THE PEJORATIVE WORD "FAG" IN THESE RHYMES
As mentioned above, the word "fag" is used in these rhymes as a near rhyme with the word "flag". As is the case with most of the other words that are used in these examples to rhyme or near rhyme with the word "flag", "fag" is considered to be an insult. That said, I've come across some comments that are included in examples of this rhyme where the contributors share that they didn't know what "fag" meant when they first chanted that rhyme. (Read Part I, example #5 and Part 1, #11 below.)
I've included examples of these rhymes that include the word "fag" for the folkloric record. However, the word "fag" is an offensive referent for people who are homosexual, and shouldn't be used.
As mentioned above, the word "fag" is used in these rhymes as a near rhyme with the word "flag". As is the case with most of the other words that are used in these examples to rhyme or near rhyme with the word "flag", "fag" is considered to be an insult. That said, I've come across some comments that are included in examples of this rhyme where the contributors share that they didn't know what "fag" meant when they first chanted that rhyme. (Read Part I, example #5 and Part 1, #11 below.)
I've included examples of these rhymes that include the word "fag" for the folkloric record. However, the word "fag" is an offensive referent for people who are homosexual, and shouldn't be used.
Click https://home.bt.com/news/on-this-day/january-27-1984-michael-jacksons-hair-catches-fire-during-pepsi-commercial-11363957678904 for an article about Michael Jackson's hair burning accident.
****
REFERENCES TO THE "COLA WARS" IN THESE RHYMES
Many of the children's rhymes that mention Michael Jackson obliquely refer to what has been called "the cola wars" in the United States. Here's some information about the "cola wars" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola_wars
"The long-time rival soft drink producers The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo have engaged mutually-targeted marketing campaigns for the direct competition between each company's product lines, especially their flagship colas, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Beginning in the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the intensity of these campaigns have led to them, and the competition in general, being known as the cola wars.[1]
[...]
During the peak of the cola wars, as Coca-Cola saw its flagship product losing market share to Pepsi, as well as to Diet Coke and competitors' products, the company considered a change to the beverage's formula and flavor. In April 1985, The Coca-Cola Company introduced its new formula for Coca-Cola, which became popularly known as "New Coke". Consumer backlash to the change led to the company making a strategic retreat on July 11, 1985, announcing its plans to bring back the previous formula under the name "Coca-Cola Classic".[2]"...
-snip-
Given the words of that "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" verse, my guess is that the earliest examples of these rhymes were chanted in 1984 or 1985, after Michael Jackson burned his hair while filming a Pepsi Cola commercial. Read some of the comments in Part I (immediately below) that also reach the conclusion that the earliest versions of "Michael Jackson Came To Town" rhymes (with or without that "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag") are from the mid 1980s.
I believe that it's unlikely that many children who recite/d "Coca Cola Came To Town" rhymes (including "Michael Jackson Came To Town" know anything about the mid 1980s "Cola wars" except that Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola are rival brands of soda ("pop"; "soft drinks") and some people prefer Cocal Cola while other people prefer Pepsi Cola.
****
PART I : EXAMPLES OF "DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKY" RHYMES THAT MENTION MICHAEL JACKSON & INCLUDE "I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG" LINESThese examples are divided into two sections and are numbered in no particular order within those categories. The line with Michael Jackson's name is given in italics in these examples to highlight that line.
The online source for each example is given after the rhyme.
1.
"Michael Jackson (alternate version):
I pledge allegience to the flag; Michael Jackson is a fag.
Pepsi Cola burnt him up- now he's drinking 7UP!
7UP has no caffiene; Now he's singing Billie Jean.
Billie Jean was not his lover and his nose is made of rubber!
Rubberface, but don't repeat it- now his dance steps are to Beat It.
Beat It now & don't you tell her this fine tale about the Thriller."
-http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml
**
2. My friends play it like this:
Down by the bank by the hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jumps from bank to bank
We're sayin ep op ep op op
skiddle diddle kernal pop!
I pledge alligence to the flag
Micheal Jackson makes me gag
Coca Cola messed him up
now we're drinking 7up
7up has no caffine
now we're drinking gassoline
Gassoline not good for you
now we're drinking Mt. Dew
Mt. Dew fell off the Mt.
now we're drinking from a fountain
The fountain broke
and now we're back to drinking coke
-Guest, 17 Mar 08, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034, Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
**
3. "Down by the banks of the hanky panky.
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank. Say As Es Is Os ees I did it.
Bing Bong your daddy smells like King Kong.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson makes me gag.
Coca-cola burnt him up
Now we're talkin 7 up
7 up has no caffeine
Now we're talking Billy Jean
Billy jean went out of style.
Now we're talking Bobby Brown.
B-o-b-b-y B-r-o-w-n went out of town
GUEST,amy in Kentucky, 01 May 14; http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034, Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
**
4. "I learned it like this:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
saying e, i, o, u, chilly willy ding dong
lets play a game of ping pong,
i pledge alligence to the flag
Michael Jackson dances rad,
coca cola bust it up,
now were talking 7 up,
7 up has no caffiene,
now were talking billie jean,
billie jean ran out of sight,
now were talking bobby brown
had a big frown
-marymuch, http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A, November 2011
**
5. "I learned it as "Down by the banks of the hanky pank, where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank, saying ees, ise, opps, oops. East side dally ding-dong. Pledge allegiance to the the flag, Michael Jackson is a fag [I didn't know what this word was when I was 5...]. Coca-cola burned his butt, now he's drinking 7-up. 7-up has no caffeine, now he's drinking gasoline. Gasoline has no flavor, no he's eating Life Savors."
-xeCh0x, 2010, comment in "Down on the Banks of the Hanky PankyM", published by Erin Schmidt, Sep 14, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC8INeM0w5A
**
6. "I learned it "down by the banks of the hanky banky where the bull frog jumps from bank to bankie sayin eeps ipse ooope oops i pledge allegence to the flag michael Jackson makes me gag cococola burns me up now were talking 7-up. 7-up has no caffene now were talking billy jean. billy jean is out of sight now were talking dynamite.10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1"
- hyperpyper10, 2010, comment in "Down on the Banks of the Hanky PankyM", published by Erin Schmidt, Sep 14, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC8INeM0w5A
**
7. "Down by the river with the hanky panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
Singing E, I, O, U, your mama stinks and so do you
King Kong, Donkey Kong, went to school with nothing on
Asked the teacher what to wear, polka dotted underwear!
Not too big and not too small, just the size of Broward Mall
I pledge allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson makes me gag
Pepsi cola burnt him up, now we’re drinking 7-up
7-up has no caffeine, now we’re singing Billy Jean
Billy Jean is out of sight, now we’re talking dynamite
Dynamite blew up the school, now we’re talking really cool
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Whoever was clapped on one was I guess out. Actually I remember that my first ever exposure to Michael Jackson was through these rhymes, I remember quite a few featured him. We also had a lot of songs about killing our teachers and burning down the school, you know, innocent schoolyard games!...
-Elle, October 3, 2009, https://kateharding.net/2009/10/02/miss-lucy-had-friday-fluff/
**
8. "i learned: down by the bay with the hanky panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank sayin eap op skiitle dittle kernal pop i pledge alligence to the flag micheal jackson makes me gag coke coala has caffine now we are talkin jelly beans"
-Chianne Wallace, 2010, [comment] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqhvCN0Uvfk
**
9. "I learned it as "Down by the river of hanky pank, a bulldog jumped from bank to bank. Said eese peese, inky bunny Bing bong. Momma smells like King Kong. Pledge Allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson is my dad. Coca-Cola burn it up, now I'm talking 7-Up. 7-Up has no caffeine, now I'm talking Billy Jean. Billy Jean went out of style, Now I'm talking dynamite. Dynamite blew up the school, Now I'm talking really cool. 10, 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!
-Meghan Satterfield, 2014; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zoMAvwKGfk&feature=emb_logo
"Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" Game at the Roslin Orphanage; published by Karina Vancsura, Aug 2, 2012
**
10.
"I thought it was down by the bay by the hanky play where the bullfrog jumped from bay to bay I say east i`s o's Isabella ding dong yo mama smell like king Kong all the way from long Wong pledge allegiance to the flag Michael Jackson makes me mad coca colla burn in up now I'm drinking 7up 7up has more cafeen now I'm drinking gasoline.gasoline is bad for you now I'm drinking mountain dew 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 outt"
Joa Vega, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zoMAvwKGfk&feature=emb_logo
"Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" Game at the Roslin Orphanage; published by Karina Vancsura, Aug 2, 2012
**
11.
We used to do this all the time at school and at camp,
sometimes we freshmen still do it before gym class starts when we're all
sitting around. You sit in a circle with your left hand on top of someone
else's right and your right hand under someone else's left, and you go in a
circle smacking each other's hands as you sing the song:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
Singing eep, op, eep-op-op
bubblegum and soda pop
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson is a fag
Coca-cola brought him up
Now we're drinking 7-up
7-up has no caffeine
Now we're wearing Levi jeans
Levi jeans are out of style
Now we're talking for a while
skiddle diddle piddle bop
bubblegum and soda POP!
and whoever's hand is hit on the last 'pop' is out. Then you repeat the song getting faster and faster until somebody finally wins.
Sadly we really did and still do sing the line about Michael
Jackson being a fag. In elementary and middle school we also had a similar
rhyme ("I pledge allegiance to the flag and Michael Jackson is a fag. He
used to play with little toys but now he plays with little boys.") and I
can remember saying it at a very young age, before I had any idea what a 'fag'
was. It was meant to be innocent and not offensive to anybody. Also, since
Michael Jackson's death (may he R.I.P.) many people have substituted Lady Gaga
or Miley Cyrus for Michael Jackson or changed that line to "Michael
Jackson makes me gag". My particular group of friends has done both
("Lady Gaga makes me gag") and I think it's kind of a nice modern
version of the song."
-GUEST, guest Mandy age 14, 24 Dec 10, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034&page=6 Origins Down
By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky
****
PART II: EXAMPLES OF "I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG" RHYMES THAT MENTION MICHAEL JACKSON BUT DON'T INCLUDE "DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKY" VERSES
Although this isn't noted in these excerpts, these examples may be excerpts of longer rhymes, including "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes
1. "Here’s a reader submission that the contributor first heard in 1984 in Placentia, CA. It would probably get kids in a lot more trouble now than it did back then.
I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Michael Jackson is a fag.
Pepsi Cola burnt him up,
now he’s drinking 7-UP.
The rhyme circulated a lot, and appeared in at least three scholarly works on children’s folklore in the mid-late 80s, and there’s a 1994 book about black identity in popular culture which identifies it as a jump rope rhyme. When I heard it (circa the spring of 1992 in Des Moines), there were two more lines:
7-UP made him pee,
now he’s drinking Pepsi Free.
-http://playgroundjungle.com/2011/01/michael-jackson-and-the-pledge-of-allegiance.html
-snip-
The book that is mentioned in the comments for this example is Ceramic Uncles & Celluloid Mammies: Black Images and Their Influence on Culture by Patricia A. Turner (Anchor Books, 1994, Page 94)
**
2. "I was reading along with my kids and laughing at ones I remember from when I was little... I particularly liked the one with Michael Jackson in it - it also asked if there were different versions we could share... I lived in Hawaii in 1984 when the "commercial accident" occurred and this was the version I learned: I pledge allegiance to the flag Michael Jackson makes me gag Pepsi-Cola burned him up And now he's drinking 7-Up!"
-Rhonda; Cocojams, 6/28/2007
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Although this isn't noted in these excerpts, these examples may be excerpts of longer rhymes, including "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes
1. "Here’s a reader submission that the contributor first heard in 1984 in Placentia, CA. It would probably get kids in a lot more trouble now than it did back then.
I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Michael Jackson is a fag.
Pepsi Cola burnt him up,
now he’s drinking 7-UP.
The rhyme circulated a lot, and appeared in at least three scholarly works on children’s folklore in the mid-late 80s, and there’s a 1994 book about black identity in popular culture which identifies it as a jump rope rhyme. When I heard it (circa the spring of 1992 in Des Moines), there were two more lines:
7-UP made him pee,
now he’s drinking Pepsi Free.
-http://playgroundjungle.com/2011/01/michael-jackson-and-the-pledge-of-allegiance.html
-snip-
The book that is mentioned in the comments for this example is Ceramic Uncles & Celluloid Mammies: Black Images and Their Influence on Culture by Patricia A. Turner (Anchor Books, 1994, Page 94)
**
2. "I was reading along with my kids and laughing at ones I remember from when I was little... I particularly liked the one with Michael Jackson in it - it also asked if there were different versions we could share... I lived in Hawaii in 1984 when the "commercial accident" occurred and this was the version I learned: I pledge allegiance to the flag Michael Jackson makes me gag Pepsi-Cola burned him up And now he's drinking 7-Up!"
-Rhonda; Cocojams, 6/28/2007
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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