Introductory Words Or NumbersThat Are Chanted Before Actual Children's Hand Clap Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision - July 15, 2022

This pancocojams post presents a partial list of introductory words or numbers that are chanted in English language hand clap rhymes before the actual rhyme. 

The content of this post is presented for folkloric purposes.

Click the "introductory lines in children's recreational rhymes" tag found below for other pancocojams posts on this subject. Also, click the titles of rhymes that are mentioned in these notes to find pancocojams posts that include examples of these rhymes.  

DISCLAIMER: This is not meant to be a complete list of these introductory lines. Please add to this collection by sharing the introductory lines you know and which rhymes/cheers they are most often associated with. Thanks in advance.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Introductory words or numbers refer to those words, a word, letters, or numbers  that are chanted before the actual recreational rhyme or foot stomping cheer. Sometimes these introductory words or numbers are given as the title of that rhyme. However, I usually consider the line or part of the line immediately after the introductory words or numbers to be the title of that rhyme.  For the purpose of this post, I use "introductory lines" as a shortened referent for "introductory words or numbers". 

Certain introductory lines have become associated with specific rhymes/cheers more than others. For example, the introductory words "Shame Shame Shame" have been associated with the rhyme "I Don't Want To Go To Mexico" so often, that among many African Americans, the word "Shame" or the words "Shame Shame Shame" has/have become the title of that rhyme.

I've also noticed that different clapping pattern is sometimes (often? usually?) performed for these introductory wordus or letters than the hand clap pattern that is performed during the actual rhyme.

"SOSOS", "Esoso" and "XOXOX" are examples of what I refer to as an "introductory" line that is chanted before the actual rhyme begins. These letters may have "literal" meanings apart from these rhymes i.e. "SOS" might be the now traditional morse code for distress (help); "esoso" might be a folk processed form of "SOS"; and "XOXOX" might be the colloquial representation for "hugs and kisses".

However, in the context of children's hand clap rhymes and cheers, I believe that these examples and the other examples of introductory lines, the literal meanings of the introductory lines are usually not important. Instead, these introductory lines such as "Shame", or  "shame shame shame", or  "Wooble Wooble Wooble and the deep blue sea" to name a few) are usually chanted by rote memory, with the chanters not giving any thought to their meaning or their reason for being a part of that rhyme.

From my informal collection of children's recreational rhymes, it appears to me that introductory lines are much more characteristic of African American children's recreational rhymes* than non-African American children's rhymes. However, this doesn't mean that all or most of African American composed rhymes begin with an introductory line. 

I believe that the purpose of these introductory lines is to alert chanters that the game is getting ready to begin. This announcement is intended to remind chanters that they must concentrate in order to do the performance activity the right way. A common introductory line for foot stomping cheers is "1. 2.3 Hit It!". For foot stomping cheers (also known as "step") these introductory words are chanted to make sure that chanters "get on beat". In both cases, these introductory letters, words, or numbers serve the same function as tthe "Ready, set, go" and "Ah one and ah two and you know what to do" sayings do for other children's recreational games.

I believe that few children or others know or care what these introductory lines mean. Children chant those introductory lines because that's the way they learned those rhymes or cheers. 
-snip-
 Here's what I mean by "African American recreational rhymes"
1. those examples which were/are chanted by African Americans as well as by children & youth of other races, but may have been composed by non-African Americans.

2. those examples that seemed likely to have been composed by African Americans given documentation that those rhymes appear/ed to be mostly chanted by African Americans, and/or given the content (subject matter, words & phrases, and/or structure of those rhymes).

3. those examples whose contributors self-identified as African American or whose contributors indicated that they learned those examples from one or more African Americans also fit in that category.

I believe that a person's race or ethnicity (with "ethnicity" in the USA meaning Latino/Hispanic) can influence what types of rhymes and/or what versions of a particular rhyme a person knows, how that rhyme is chanted or performed, and whether the person understands certain vernacular words in that rhyme.

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PARTIAL LISTS OF INTRODUCTORY LINES FOR HAND CLAP RHYMES

A, B

 A.B.C. Hit it!
-snip-
This introductory line (with both parts) appears to most often be associated with "That's The Way I Like It" rhymes.

"ABC" here is different from the lines "ABC , it's easy as 123/my momma takes care of me/" etc. rhymes that are part of verses in "Ooh Aah I Wanna Piece Of Pie"  rhymes. 

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Ace of spades goes
-snip-
This phrase is a variant form of "the spades go". 

This phrase appears to most often be associated with "Tulips" (Two Lips" rhymes

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C, D
ching ching ching to the rythm to the beat
-snip-
I've come across this introductory phrase in an example of "Rockin Robin" ("Tweedleelee").
 
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E, F
esso esso esso ess
-snip-
This introductory line is a folk processed form of "SOSOS" and is associated with "My Mother And Your Mother Live Across The Street" rhymes 

G, H

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I, J

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K, L

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M.N

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O, P
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Q, R

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S, T

Sea sea sea at the bottom of the sea
-snip-
This introductory line is often used in the rhyme “I am A Little First Grader”. I've also come across some examples of this introductory line that end with the words "Hey Hey".

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Shake, shake, shake
-snip-
This introductory line appears to most be often associated with "Take A Peach Take A Plum" (Ooh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie" rhyme.  My guess is that "Ooh Ah" is a variant form of  "Oh my". As such, I don't consider "Ooh Ah" (or variant forms such as "Osche Ashe" to be an introductory phrase. 

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Shame
-snip-

This introductory line appears to most often be associated with "I Don't Want To Go To Mexico" rhymes. Howver, it is also used for "That's the way I Like It" and other hand clap rhymes.  

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Shame, shame, shame
-snip-
This introductory line appears to most often be associated with "I Don't Want To Go To Mexico" rhymes. Howver, it is also used for "That's the way I Like It" and other hand clap rhymes.  

My guess is that the word "shame" and the words "shame shame shame" may have been first used to mean "Aren't you ashamed?". 

Rhymes that begin with "Shame" or with "Shame shame shame" sometimes end with the word "Shame" or with the words "Shut the door". 

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Sin Sin Sin
-snip-
I came across this introductory line in a version of "The Simpsons" rhyme. This introductory line is probably a folk processed form of the words "Shame Shame Shame". 
SOSOS
-snip-
This introductory line is most often associated with "My Mother And Your Mother Live Across The Street" rhymes

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Snickers is good,
just like a candy bar should be
-snip-
This introductory phrase is a variant form on the introductory line "Winston taste good like a cigarette should."

Like the "Winston taste good" line, this "Snickers taste good" line is most often found in the "Take A Peach Take A Plum/Ooh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie" rhymes. 

Swing Swing Swing to the USA Hey Hey
-snip-
This introductory phrase (with or without the words Hey Hey) appears to be associated with "I Am A Pretty First Grader".

I've also come across this phrase (with or without the "Hey Hey" words) as introductions to "Rockin Robin" ("Tweedleelee") rhymes  

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The saints go
-snip-
This introductory line appears to most often be associated with "Down Down Baby" rhymes.

I believe that this phrase is a folk processed form of  "the spades goes"

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The space goes
-snip-
This introductory line appears to most often be associated with "Down Down Baby" rhymes.

I believe that this phrase is a folk processed form of  "the spades goes"

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The spades go
-snip-
This introductory phrase appears to most often be associated with "Down Down Baby" rhymes.

I've also come across "the spades go" as an introduction to the "Tulips" (Two Lips") rhyme.  

I believe that "the spades" in an often considered pejorative referent for "Black people". However, I don't believe that "the spades" in this rhyme is meant to be offensive.  The introductory phrase  that means " Black people do or say [this rhyme] this way". However, I don't think that most chanters are aware that this is what these words mean. 

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Tweedleelee
Treetop
Tweedleelee
My Prop
Tweedleelee
Popsicle, popsicle, Your butt stinks  
-snip-
These introductory lines (and others like it that include the word Tweedleelee or similar spellings) is associated with the Rockin Robin" rhymes. Those rhymes are often known as "Tweedleelee" or similar spellings.

This "twee lee lee" phrase has its source in the introduction to Michael Jackson's "Rockin Robin" song
"Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet"
-end of quote- https://genius.com/Michael-jackson-rockin-robin-lyrics
  
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tweedle tweedle dee
treetop
tweedle tweedle dee
treetop
tweet baby tweet baby
your mama says
-snip- 
-snip-
These introductory lines (and others like it that include the word Tweedleelee or similar spellings) is associated with the Rockin Robin" rhymes. Those rhymes are often known as "Tweedleelee" or similar spellings.

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tweet baby
tweet baby
you're butt [or "your breath"] stinks
-snip-
-snip-
These introductory lines (and others like it that include the word Tweedleelee or similar spellings) is associated with the Rockin Robin" rhymes. Those rhymes are often known as "Tweedleelee" or similar spellings.    

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U, V
Uno dos ee ay say
Said east west
-snip-
This is one folk processed form of the folk processed introductory line "un dos siesta". Read that entry immediately below. 

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Uno, dos, siesta
I said a-east, a-west
-snip-
"Siesta" is a folk processed form of the Spanish word "tres" meaning "three". In English "uno dos tres" = "one, two, three".

These introductory lines appear to most closely be associated with "I Met My Boyfriend At The Candy Store" rhymes. However, I've come across it as the introduction for a racialized version of "I Love Coffee I Like Tea".

The line "uno, dos, siesta" may be chanted without the "I said a-east, a west" line.

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W, X
Winston tastes good just like a cigarette should
-snip-
This introductory line appears to most often be associated with "Take A Peach Take A Plum" ("Ooh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie") rhymes.

 This line comes from the slogan for "Winston brand cigarettes.

"Winston tastes good like a cigarette should" is an advertising slogan that appeared in newspaper, magazine, radio, and television advertisements for Winston cigarettes, manufactured by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Reynolds used the slogan from Winston's introduction in 1954 until 1972. It is one of the best-known American tobacco advertising campaigns. In 1999, Advertising Age included the "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should" jingle in its list of the 10 best radio and television jingles in the United States during the 20th century."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_tastes_good_like_a_cigarette_should

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Winston taste good just like a coconut
-snip-
This is a variant form of the introductory line "Winston taste good just like a cigarette should".
  This introductory line appears to most often be associated with "Take A Peach Take A Plum" ("Ooh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie") rhymes.

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Wooble wooble and the deep blue sea
-snip-
This introductory phrase appears to be most often associated with "I Am A Pretty First Grader" rhymes. 

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XOXOX
-snip-
This introductory line appears to most often be associated with "My Mother And Your Mother Live Across The Street" rhymes

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Y, Z
Zing Zing Zing at the bottom of the sea.
-snip-
This introductory phrase appears to be most often associated with "I Am A Pretty First Grader" rhymes. 

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Zing zing like a washing machine -snip-
This introductory phrase appears to be most often associated with "Rockin Robin" ("Tweedleelee") rhymes. It is often followed by the lines "popsicle popsicle your butt (or "your breathe") stinks."

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Ziz Zag zag
-snip-
I came across this phrase in an example of "Take A Peach Take A Plum" (Ooh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie" rhymes.

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