Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision (title) - March 31, 2023
This pancocojams post showcases three YouTube examples of the African American originated children's singing game "All Around The Kitchen".
Three comments from the discussion thread for one of these YouTube example are included in this post. The lyrics for one version of this singing game is also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural and recreational purposes.
This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series that showcases children's recreational singing games where children don't touch each other.
[Added April 6, 2020] After the Covid-19 pandemic-when elementary schools are in session again, school music instructors and other adults are encouraged to still practice some social distancing safety rules. For instance, music instructors might teach follow the leader type singing games like "All Around The Kitchen". Teachers can also have more than one circle with students standing further apart when they present singing games where students don't hold hands, or hit or slap each other's hands, or otherwise touch another person.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and who are quoted in this post.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/04/examples-of-put-your-hand-on-your-hip.html for a 2020 pancocojams post entitled "Examples Of "Put Your Hand On Your Hip & Let Your Right Foot (or "Your Backbone) Slip" In African American Singing Games And In R&B Songs". Most of the content of that post is a reprint of a 2012 pancocojams post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SINGING GAME
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=104001&threadid=104001
Subject: RE: Folklore: all around the kitchen cock-a-doodle
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 08:54 AM
Hi all ... here's a little background for the song as far as I know it.
"All Around In the Kitchen" was its title when this ring game song was recorded in [1934]* by John A. and Ruby T. Lomax in the countryside near York, Alabama. I believe that is its first appearance, I don't know of any earlier version.
Ruth Crawford Seeger published it in American Folk Songs for Children in 1948, and it got into a lot of school music curriculums because that book was widely circulated among educators. She dropped the word "In" from the title for whatever reason.
Pete Seeger recorded it in the early 1950s on a Folkways album for children, also as "All Around the Kitchen." This gave it even more circulation. That's where I learned it. Hooray for LP records. :)
Bob
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*Guest, Bob Coltman gave the date "1940" in his comment. However, http://www.stephengriffith.com/folksongindex/all-around-the-kitchen/ includes a photograph of the Lomax's documentation with the date "1934" clearly seen.
That www.stephengriffith.com/folksongindex also includes this information:
"All Around the Kitchen
TITLE: All Around the Kitchen
AUTHOR: unknown
CATEGORY: traditional, public domain
KEYWORDS: kitchen, children
EARLIEST DATE: Recorded in 1934 by John A. and Ruby T. Lomax in the countryside near York, Alabama.
Ruth Crawford Seeger, in her [links broken] American Folksongs For Children [links broken] says, “Older children may like to play the game as it was played in Alabama. The children form a circle around a center child and “march or skip” while singing. Then they stand still while the singer in the center “makes a motion,” as her ingenuity dictates. She may kneel, prance, bow, dance a jig, or otherwise cavort. Sometimes the player chooses the motion and the others must follow her example, must “do it like this.”
OTHER TITLES AND VARIATIONS:
Around the Kitchen
Cocky Doodle Doodle Doo"
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Notice that "traditional" is given for this singing game. That is the citation that is usually given for this singing game (and for other African American singing games/children's rhymes). However, using the descriptor "traditional" doesn't answer the question "traditional to whom?" Since this singing game is part of African American culture, I prefer to use that citation.
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Dan Zanes-"All Around the Kitchen"
Kwbsystems, Oct 12, 2006
From the concert/video DVD entitled, All Around the Kitchen! on Festival Five Records.”…
Here are some comments from this discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Dianna Kennish, 2010
"OMG!!!! I remember singing this song in like 1st grade or kindergarten in music class lol. the teacher would have us walk in a circle making chicken wings while we sang this lol."
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2. H. Bomb, 2012
"That moment when u realize that the song from 100 years ago WAS real, and not your imagination...."
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3. Tarah Sawyer, 2019
People are all saying they heard this song on a Netflix series for the first time....my brother and I have had this song in and out of our memory for at least 30 years....our elementary music teacher use to song it with us. Lolol we though he made it up.....lol
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The comments that Tarah Sawyer referred to was the adult mini-series entitled "Unbelievable.... If I'm not mistaken, in episode #5, the woman recalls this singing game from her childhood and sings it while she's driving her car.
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Example #2: All around the Kitchen
Cathy Benedict, Sep 28, 2014
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Example #3: All Around the Kitchen
Pete Seeger – Topic, May 21, 2015
Provided to YouTube by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
All Around the Kitchen · Pete Seeger
American Folk, Game and Activity Songs
℗ 2000 Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Released on: 2000-01-25
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Here's the lyrics to this version of "All Around The Kitchen" from https://genius.com/Pete-seeger-all-around-the-kitchen-lyrics
"All around the kitchen! cocka-doodle-doodle doo
All around the kitchen! cocka-doodle-doodle doo
Now stop right still cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your hands on your hips cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And let your right foot slip cocka-doodle-doodle doo (repeat
chorus)
Now stop right still cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your hand on your head cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your other one on your toe cocka-doodle-doodle doo (repeat chorus)
Now stop right still cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your hand on your knee cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And wave your other hand high cocka-doodle-doodle doo (repeat chorus)
Now stop right still cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your hands on your belly cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And jump up and down cocka-doodle-doodle doo (repeat chorus)
Now stop right still cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your hands over your eyes cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And turn all around cocka-doodle-doodle doo (repeat chorus)
Now stop right still cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your hands on your shoulders cocka-doodle-doodle doo
And put your foot up in the air cocka-doodle-doodle doo (repeat chorus)"
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