Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that presents an alphabetical list of some* English language children's recreational rhymes that mention "father".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/01/some-english-language-hand-clap-other.html for Part I of this pancocojams series that features examples (A-L)
The content of this post is presented for folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
*Because pancocojams is a family centered blog, I'm not including examples in this collection of sexualized ("nasty") rhymes that mention "father". However, some examples of those rhymes such as "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" are included in a pancocojams post whose purpose is to document and share some examples of those rhymes.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
There are far more English language hand clap rhymes and other children's recreational rhymes that mention mother ("mama", "ma", "grandma" etc. ) than those that mention "father" ("daddy", "papa", "grandpa" etc.).
This collection isn't meant to include all the examples of this sub category of hand clap & other children's recreational rhymes.
Some examples that are considered part of the same rhyme family have different titles. In that case, all of the examples from that rhyme family are given under the title that I believe is most commonly associated with that rhyme (at this time in the United States). Also, some verses may be found in more than one rhyme example.
The online or offline source for each rhyme is given after each example.
These rhymes are given without performance instructions or any explanatory notes from me. I've given the line/s that include "father" in each rhyme in italics to highlight those lines. The italic font doesn't mean that that line is emphasized when it is chanted.
I'm interested in documenting other ["clean"] rhymes that mention father that are from other rhyme families that aren't included in this collection. Please add the version that you know in the comment section for this post. Please remember to include demographic information, particularly where (geographic location) and when (year or decade) that you remember first chanting or hearing this rhyme. Thanks in advance!
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SOME CHILDREN'S HAND CLAP & OTHER CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES THAT MENTION "FATHER"
M, N
MAMA'S HAVING A BABY (Example #1)
Does anyone remember that handslapping game that went something like this:
"Mama's having a baby...daddy's going crazy...if it's a boy, I'll give it a toy. If it's a girl, I'll give it a curl. If it's two twins, I'll wrap it up in toilet paper...send it down the elevator...first floor STOP! Second Floor STOP! Third Floor STOP! Don't stop 'til your hands get hot!"
Then, you would keep handclapping as fast as you could until you got tired....LOL
-Pretty Petite ( ATL, GA by way of Miami, FL),
http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=3 , "Childhood chants and games", 12/30'2000
**
MOMMY'S HAVING A BABY (Example #2)
Two African American girls behind me on the 86B bus were happily chanting:
Oh My! Don't Cry! Mommy's having a baby!
Daddy's going crazy!
If it's a boy I'll give it a toy!
And if it's a girl! I'll give it a curl!
wrap it up in toilet paper! send it down the escalator.
It was accompanied with clapping and gestures. There was also some discussion of wrapping babies in toilet paper, the conclusion being that this would not be a good idea.
-LadyJean, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097, "Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?", 22 Sept. 03
MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA (Example #1)
Miss Sue
Miss Sue from Alabama
Hey you,
scooby do
your Mama's got the measles
Your papa's got the flu
magic measles
magic flu
Take an a b c d e f g
Take an h i j k l.m.n.o.p.
Take a smooth shot
Take a smooth shot
and now freeze.
-Eleanor Fulton, Pat Smith: Let's Slice The Ice, (Magnamusic-Baton, 1978; St. Louis, Mo.; p 16)
MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA (Example #2)
Miss Sue
Miss Sue from Alabama
Someone is in your garden
Miss Sue
Miss Sue
Someone is in your garden
Miss Sue from Alabama
Show me what you can do
Miss Sue
Miss Sue
Show me what you can do
Miss sue from Alabama
Is this the way you do
Miss Sue
Miss Sue
Is this the way you do
Miss Sue from Alabama
Hey Hey
A doobie-do-wah
Your mama's broke
And your papa's broke
Turn to the east
Turn to the west
Turn to the very one you love the best
Milk in the pitcher
The butter's in the bowl
Can't catch a sweetheart
To save your soul
I think this is the way we sang this game in Northern
Mississippi cira 1965. -GUEST,nanasallthat, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097, "Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?", 11
Dec 07
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MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA (Example #3)
Miss Sue, (clap, clap)
Miss Sue (clap, clap)
Miss Sue from Alabama,
Let's make a movie,
Sittin' in a rocker,
Eatin' Betty Crocker,
Hey wise girl,
Whatcha gonna do,
When your mama's at work,
Baby's got the flu,
Daddy's got the chicken pox,
And so do you?
Take an a b c d e f g,
Take an h i j k l m n o p,
Take a booty shot,
take a booty shot,
And FREEZE!!
**
MISS SUSIE HAD A STEAMBOAT (Example #1)
Miss Susie had a steamboat. The steamboat had a bell.
The steamboat went to heaven. Miss Susie went to ——.
Hello, operator. Give me number nine,
And if you disconnect me, I'll chop off your ——.
Behind the refrigerator, There was a piece of glass.
Miss Suzie sat upon it, and cut her little ——.
Ass-k me any question, I tell no lies.
The boys are in the girl's bathroom, Zipping down their ——.
(Friend's name) and her (his) boy (girl) friend, Are kissing
in the D-a-r-k, D-a-r-k, D-a-r-k, dark, dark, dark.
The dark is like the movies. The movies like the show.
The show is like the TV set, and that is all I know.
I know I know my ma. I know I know my pa.
I know I know my sister with the forty-acre bra.
My mother is Godzilla. My father is King Kong.
My brother is the stupid one who taught me this song.
My mother gave me a nickel. My father gave me a dime.
My sister gave me her old boyfriend. His name was
Frankenstein.
He made me do the dishes. He made me wash the floors.
He made me clean his underwear, so I kicked him out the
door.
I kicked him over London. I kicked him over France.
I kicked him over Hawaii where he learned the hula dance.
He swam across the ocean. He swam across the sea.
He swam across the tub just to get to me.
I flushed him down the tub. I drained the water good.
I kicked him out just like my mama said I should.
In Hawaii, he met the good girls. In Hawaii, he met the bad.
Halfway through Hawaii he ran into my dad.
The good girls go to heaven, So the bad girls go to ——.
Hello, operator. Give me number ten,
And if you disconnect me, I'll sing this song again!
-Elle F.; cocojams.com,
November 18, 2006
MISS SUZIE HAD A STEAMBOAT (Example #2)
Miss Suzie had a steamboat,
her steamboat had a bell (ding ding),
Miss Suzie went to heaven,
her steamboat went to...
HELL...o operator
please give me number nine,
And if you disconnect me
I'll cut off your...
Behind the refridgerator
there lay a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it and cut her big fat...
Ask me no more questions,
I'll tell you now more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
zipping up their..
Flies are in the meadow,
the bees are in the park,
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend
are kissing in the...
D-a-r-k, d-a-r-k, dark dark dark.
The dark is like the movies,
the movies' like the show,
The show is like tv
and that is all I know...
Know know,
I know I know my ma
I know I know my pa,
I know I know my sister
with the 80 meter bra.
My mother is Godzilla,
my father is King Kong.
My sister is the idiot
who made up this dumb song.
My mother gave me a nickle,
my father gave me a dime
My sister gave me a boyfriend,
his name was Frankenstein.
He made me do the dishes,
he made me wash the floor
He made we wash his underpants
and I kicked him out the door!
I kicked him over London,
I kicked him over France,
I kicked him over Hollywoood
and he lost his underpants.
Miss Suzie had a baby,
she named him Tiny Tim.
She put him in the bathtub
to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
he ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub
but it wouldn't fit down his throat.
Miss Suzie called the doctor,
Miss Suzie called the nurse
Miss Suzie called the lady
with the alligator purse.
Chicken pox said the doctor,
measles said the nurse
Nothing said the lady
with the alligator purse.
Pennicillan said the doctor,
caster oil said the nurse.
Pizzia said the lady
with the alligator purse!
Miss Suzie knocked the doctor.
Miss Suzie punched the nurse.
Miss Suzie paid the lady with the alligator purse!
-http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml
**
MY FATHER IS A BUTCHER (Example #1)
I can't believe I've never contributed to this thread. Oh well.
Just the other day I recalled this one, to the tune of "Lulu Had a
Steamboat," etc.
My mother cuts the meat,
And I'm a little hot dog
That runs around the street.
-Cool Beans,
MY MOTHER IS A BUTCHER (given as Example #2 of "My Father Is A Butcher)
My mother is a butcher.
My father cuts the meat.
I'm a little hot dog
Running down the street.
Source: Abrahams (1969),
Solomon (1980)
- https://mudcat.org/jumprope/jumprope_display.cfm?rhyme_number=184
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MY MOTHER AND YOUR MOTHER LIVE ACROSS THE STREET IExample #1)
My
mother your
mother live across the street 18, 19 blueberry street every time when it is
night the kids come out and start to fight: Boys are rotten made outta cotton,
girls are sexy made out of pepsi, boys go to jupiter to get more stupider,
girls go to college to get more knowledge. Wrap it up in toilet paper, send it
down the escalator. 1st floor stop by your mama, 2nd floor stop by your papa,
3rd floor said you better watch out for the s s the t t the o o the p p
spellssss stop. (And they pause to see who moves first)
-GUEST,KLC, (East Harlem, New York), http://awe.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097&desc=yes , "Folklore:
Do kids still do clapping rhymes?"
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MY MOTHER AND YOUR MOTHER LIVE ACROSS THE STREET (Example #2)
My mother, your father lived across the street
Eighteen, nineteen Broadway street
Every time they had a fight this is what they said st night
Boys are rotten made out of cotton
Girls are sexy made out of pespi
Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider
Girls go to college to get more knowledge
Mumble mumble clap clap
Mumble mumble stomp stomp
Mumble mumble kick kick
Mumble mumble jump jump
Mumble mumble freeze
5,6,7,8
To the front
To the back
To the side
To the Side
Front
Back
Side to side
Let me see you butterfly
Turn around
Touch the ground
Let me see you break it down
This of course looks so much better with the
hand movements!!!!
-GUEST,Shelby, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 , "Children's
Street Songs", 27 Nov. 08
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MY MOTHER SAID I SHOULD NEVER PLAY WITH THE GYPSIES IN THE WOOD
In answer to Kat90tlf:
"Not very politically correct, but my childhood was 25 years
ago.
My mother said I never should
Play with the gypsy's in the wood
If I did she would say
Naughty girl to disobey.
For teaching it to my daughter I have changed gypsy's to strangers.
Also do 'a sailor went to sea sea sea' which someone else
has already said above"
There's more to it. I quite like the childish escape fantasy at the end:
My mother said I never should
Play with the gypsies in the wood;
If I did, she would say,
'Naughty girl to disobey.
Your hair shan’t curl and your shoes shan’t shine,
You gypsy girl, you shan’t be mine.'
My father said that if I did
He’d bang my head with the teapot-lid.
The wood was dark, the grass was green
Along came Sally with a tambourine.
I went to the river, no ship to get across,
I paid ten shillings for a blind white horse.
I up on his back
And was off on a crack,
Sally tell my mother I will never come back.
-Sara S, https://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/being-mum-794/parenting-advice-192/434766-playground-clapping-rhymes-your-childhood-3.html "Playground Clapping Rhymes From Your Childhood, 31/07/2014
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MY MUMMY IS A BAKER
Whenever I used to go over to my cousins house, me and my
two cousins always used to do this one clapping game,
My mummy is a baker, yummy yummy big fat tummy,
My daddy is a dustbin man, smelly, smelly, smelly, smelly,
My sister is a show off, how'd ya like it?, how'd ya like
it?
My brother is a cowboy, BANG BANG. You're dead fifty bullets
in your head
My doggy is a singer, singing aye aye ippy pipe aye, Apple
pie, singing aye aye ippy ippy aye, Apple pie, singing aye aye pipe the Germans
stole our chippy, singing aye aye pip yippee aye.
The are actions as well:
you rub your tummy for 'yummy yummy big fat tummy'
You hold your nose for 'smelly smelly...'
You put your hand on your head for 'how'd ya like it...'
You fake a gun for 'BANG BANG...'
You link arms and dance in a circle in partners
and swap around for the 'aye aye ippy...' Part
- Tre55dhb, https://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/being-mum-794/parenting-advice-192/434766-playground-clapping-rhymes-your-childhood-3.html "Playground Clapping Rhymes From Your Childhood, 19/08/2014
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O, P
OLD MARY MACK
Hi, When I was growing up, we learned Old Mary Mack a little differently. The first 4 lines were the same, the remaining lines went like this:
She cannot read read read
She cannot write write write
But she can smoke smoke smoke
Her father's pipe pipe pipe
Not very PC, (politically correct) but what do you expect from a kid from Boston! (grin) Take care.
-Judy, Cocojams, 6/2/2007
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Q, R
ROCKIN ROBIN (also known as Tweedleelee or similar spelling) Example #1
There was also the street Rockin Robin that I heard/played
in the same [Boston summer] camps.
Tweedily diddly dee(3x)
tweet tweet, your breath stinks.
Rockin' in the treetop all day long
huffin' and a puffin' just singin' that song
all the little birdies on jail bird street
love to hear the birdies go tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin tweet tweet tweet
All the little birdies on jail bird street tonight
tweet tweet tweet
Momma's in the kitchen, cookin' rice
Daddy's on the corner, shootin' dice
Brother's in jail, raisin' hell
Sister's on the corner selling fruit cock tail
Rockin' robin tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin tweet tweet tweet
All the little birdies on jail bird street tonight
tweet tweet tweet
-Guest, Spain (Boston, Mass);
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350&messages=221. "I'm Rubber.
You're Glue: Children's Rhymes", 5/30/2006
**
TWEE TWEE TWEE (Example #2 of "Rockin Robin")
twee twee twee, and the way we go,
so rocking in the tree top,
all the days long,
rocking and puffing and singing the song,
all the little girls from JBC,
like to here the robin go twee twee twee,
go wash bagie,
twee twee twee
jonny and i went to the beach
jonny bruk a bottle and throw it on me,
mom told dad,
dad told mom,
mom got a beaten with a mmm stick,
so freezy american cheese,
don't skin your dirty teeth
colgrate is very cheap.
-babygirl200922 (Jamaica), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpexeCmzKjM&context=C4073e20ADvjVQa1PpcFPnnebeReOtf8G_6F2ZCR3a9Rl0MRFFkRc= ,March 2012
**
ROCKIN ROBIN (Example #3)
The version I grew up with in the 90s was very similar to
yours. I grew up in West Philly so this one includes places around there.
Swing Swing Swing to the river stream ( referring to
the Schuylkill River)
Hey hey clap 2x
Rocking in the tree top all day long
Huffin n puffin
And singing that song
All the little girls on Cambridge street
like to hear the Robin going tweet tweet tweet
Rockin Robin tweet tweet tweedle 2x
I woke up Saturday morning
Looked up on the wall
I saw a gang of roaches playing basketball
1, 2, tweet tweet tweet
Chorus
Mama's in the kitchen cooking rice
Daddy's outside shooting dice
Brothers in jail rasing hell
Sisters outside selling fruit cocktail
Chorus
I woke up...
-
S, T
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UNDER THE BRAMBLE BUSHES
We did the same as Karen P, but with a few (regional?)
differences probably:
Under the sea
Boom boom boom
True love for you my darling
True love for me
And when we mar-rreeee
We'll raise a family
A girl for you
A boy for me
Johnny broke a saucer & blamed it on me
I told Mama
Mama told Papa
And Johnny got a spanking
So ha ha ha!
-
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W, X
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Y, Z
YOUR MAMA, YOUR DADDY, YOUR GREASY GREASY GRANNY (Example #1)
your mama,
your daddy,
your greasy greasy granny
with the hole in her panties,
with a big behind,
like frankenstein-
going beep beep beep
down sesame street!
-AMY!, cocojams.com, 6/28/2007
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YOUR MAMA, YOUR DADDY, YOUR GREASY GRANNY (Example #2)
Your mama, your daddy Your greasy granny got a hole in her panty
Got a big behind like Frankenstein
Going beep-beep-beep down Sesame Street
Toot-toot-toot wearing army boots
In your ear with a can of beer & Up your butt with a coconut.
-kidavalanche, https://kidavalanche.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/potty-mouth-playground/ , March 6, 2010
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This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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