Sharon Humes Aug 31, 2014
Old school game! Y'all remember this (tweet tweet)!
-snip-
This hand clap routine is performed to Michael Jackson's 1972 record "Rockin Robin."
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision - April 7, 2025
This pancocojams post showcases four YouTube examples of the hand game "Rockin Robin" (also known as "Twee Lee Lee" or similar forms of that word.
Three of these videos demonstrate how this hand game is performed by four people (two sets of partners) and one of these hand games demonstrates how this hand game is performed by two people.
In two of these videos of "Rockin Robin" ("Twee Lee Lee") the people perform the hand clap routine to Michael Jackson's 1972 record "Rockin Robin". In the other two videos the people perform a hand clap routine while chanting a version of the "Rockin Robin" ("Twee lee lee") hand clap rhyme. I've included my transcriptions of those words. Additions and corrections are welcome.
The content of this post is presented for cultural and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Leon René who used the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas for writing the song "Rockin Robin". Thanks also to singer Bobby Day for his 1958 recording of "Rockin Robin and thanks to singer Michael Jackson for his 1972 recording of "Rockin Robin" Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html for the 2012 pancocojams post entitled "Rockin Robin (Tweeleelee) - Analysis, Performance Activity, & Text Examples".
Also, note the "Twee Lee Lee" ("Rockin Robin") hand game can also be performed by three people who form a triangle and take turns clapping each other's hands.
****
VIDEO #2- Twee-Lee-Lee (Rockin Robin) Hand Game
Girl Conductor,
Learn how to play this awesome childhood game Twee-Lee-Lee from Girl Conductor, Maria A
Ellis. Use this game to teach Improvement, rhythm, pitch and more!!
-snip-
These words to this hand game where chanted during the instruction of the hand game's movements: (given without the claps and other movements)
Twee Lee Lee [title]
He's rockin in the tree top
All day long
Huffin and buffin
And singin his song
All the little birds on jay bird street
Love to hear the robin go
Tweet tweet tweet
Rockin robin
Tweet Tweet Lee Lee
Rockin robin
Tweet Tweet Lee Lee
****
VIDEO #3 - Old School Hand Game - Rockin Robin
Ms. CD, March 16, 2016
Fun hand games
-snip-
This hand clap routine is performed to Michael Jackson's 1972 record "Rockin Robin."
****
VIDEO #4-Twill lil lee old school v. new school
Scovadis howard, May 27, 2017
-snip-
Here's my transcription of this hand clap rhyme:
Twill Lil Lee [title]
Twill lil lee
Twill lil twill da lee
Twill lik lee
Tree top
Twill lil lee
Twill lil lee
Twill lil lee
Popsicle Popsicle
Ya breathe stinks
Mama's in the kitchen all night long
A huffin and a buffin
And ah singin that song
All the little birds on jay bird street
Love to hear the robin go
Tweet tweet tweet
Rockin robin
Tweet Tweet da lee
Rockin robin
Tweet Tweet da lee
Baby rolled over and banged his head
Baby felt sick and peed in the bed
Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said
[Stop performing the hand clap routine]
Let's get the rhythm of the head
Ding dong!
We got the rhythm of the head
Ding dong! [Shake head from side to side]
Let's get the rhythm of the clap
Clap clap! [Clap their hands two times]
We got the rhythm of the clap
Clap clap!
Let's get the rhythm of the feet
Stomp stomp! [Stomp their feet two times.]
We got the rhythm of the feet
Stomp stomp!
Let's get the rhythm of the Ho-ot dog
[Perform a slow rhythmic circular gyration of their hips ]
We got the rhythm of the Ho-ot dog
[Perform a slow rhythmic circular gyration of their hips ]
Put it all together and what do you got
Ding dong
Clap Clap
Stomp stomp
Ho-ot dog.
-snip-
I wrote these words in italics to indicate that I'm uncertain if my transcription of these words is correct. If you don't agree with this transcription, please share what you think these words are. Thanks!
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Here are some comments from the discussion thread for the first video that is embedded in this pancocojams post:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPHPgM4RhcI&t=1s&ab_channel=SharonHumes
1.debba9802, 2017
"Love this! My 8 year old daughter just taught me some of her hand clap games so I had to find a video to show her what we used to do back in the 80s."
**
2. Jenna, 2017
"my teacher just taught me and my 3 friends how to play it today and it was fun"
**
3. Scenic Butterfly, 2018
"Wow! I wonder how long they practiced to get it on point and on beat."
**
Reply
3. Sharon Humes, 2019
"No practice...turned on the recorder and did it.."
**
4. Lisa Longo, 2019
"I did this as a little girl in the 70s at day camp
-snip-
This commenter’s photograph appears to be of a White woman.
Here are some comments from the discussion thread for the third video that is embedded in this post:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uP38jUEhF8&t=18s&ab_channel=Ms.CD
1. Rayna Thompson, 2016
"Wonderful! I wanted to show my husband how we did the Rockin' Robin clapping game in grade school. After watching several simplified versions online, this was the closest I could find to our early 70s west side Detroit version. My husband and I think you made a great video. Thanks!"
**
2. Jean Coco, 2017
"The black girls taught us this clap game during the first year of integration in third grade. That was in 1969, in a small town in Louisiana. I count clap games as one of the many fabulous lessons I learned from the desegregation of our public schools."
**
3. Bricks Montana, 2018
"Yep thats the version we did here in St. Louis MO!!! Wish they did the 4 way we used to do at summercamp"
**
4. LifeWorks, ndh enterprises,llc., 2019
"I'm coming from the Bronx and there was a nasty verison of that hand game. but I really loved this one so swinging and all together,just use your hand like miss Mary mack."
Here's my transcription of the verse at 1:49 in the video that is given as #3 in this post (Additions and corrections are very welcome.)
ReplyDelete"I went downtown
to see James Brown
He gave me a nickel
to buy me a pickle
The pickle was sour
He gave me a flower
To take in the shower
Rockin Robin…"
-snip-
This verse is chanted by the Black woman who is leading the classroom training for "Rockin Robin" ("Twee Lee Lee"). The other three women respond with some interjections like "un hun" which isn't an authentic part of playground rhymes though it is an authentic part of call & response singing/chanting.
Another "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") rhyme that includes a slightly different version of "I went downtown to see James Brown/He gave me a nickel to buy a pickle" verse can be found in the discussion thread for the 2012 pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html "Rockin Robin (Tweeleelee) - Analysis, Performance Activity, & Text Examples".
There are a lot of "dirty" versions of "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") that mention James Brown. A relatively sanitized form of that dirty verse can be found in a version of Tweeleelee that is included in my cocojams2 blog post http://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/10/hand-clap-and-jump-rope-rhymes-q-r.html.