Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about the folk songs "Old Shoe Boots And Leggings", That song is also known as "The Crazy Bald Headed Chinese" and other titles.
Three examples of that song are included in this post along with two examples of long forms of the contemporary children's recreational rhyme "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat "[or similar titles.]
Portions of the "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" examples that are written in italics in this post remind me of the textual structure and some of the words in those "Old Shoe Boots And Leggings", That song is also known as "The Crazy Bald Headed Chinese" songs.
I'm interested in knowing if anyone else sees the resemblances between these songs and rhymes.
The content of this post is presented for historical and folkloric information.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
Hat tip to Anonymous whose April 27, 2022 comment about this song reminded me about the 2013 pancocojams post entitled Racially Derogatory Variants Of The Song "Old Shoe Boots And Leggings"http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/racially-derogatory-variants-of-old.html ".
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "OLD SHOE BOOTS AND LEGGINGS"
Excerpt #1
From http://web.spsp.net/jbealle/bullfrog/Bullfrogtext.html [ I retrieved this excerpt in 2013. Unfortunately, this link is no longer viable.]
"Introduction:
Bullfrog Jumped: The Long and Short Histories of Songs on the CD by Joyce Cauthen
"Bullfrog Jumped is a CD of children’s songs that were
recorded across Alabama in 1947
Among the many variants, there are a few narrative strategies that commonly recur. Callie Craven's version follows a well-known course: at the mother's insistence, a hapless suitor is offered chances at courtship; the dutiful daughter seems to have little hope of avoiding marriage; but the man spoils the courtship with his ridiculous and crude behavior.
Although there some versions by male singers, this song is
chiefly a women's song"...
****
Excerpt #2
From https://www.lizlyle.lofgrens.org/RmOlSngs/RTOS-OldShoes.html Remembering The Old Songs:
OLD SHOES AND LEGGINGS by Lyle Lofgren
(Originally published: Inside Bluegrass, July 2007)
..."This month's song perhaps originated in Scotland.
It first appeared in print in the early 1700s, and has remained popular in
British oral tradition under such titles as An Old Man Came O'er The Lea or
With His Grey Beard Newly Shaven. American versions tend to emphasize foot and
leg wear. If you want to see classic leggings, look at a photo of WWI soldiers.
The long cloth strips wrapped around their lower legs protected pants from mud
and burrs. The old man in the song has overshoes and leggings because he has to
walk through the mud and brush, being too poor to ride. His clothes and shoes
are protected. The only problem is that he doesn't bother to take them off when
he's in the house.
Alan Lomax once pointed out that a traditional song has to
have something that appeals to young people, or it will die out after only one
generation. In typical Lomax fashion, he extended this axiom into a hypothesis
that all folk songs are children's songs. I won't go that far, but it does seem
that the staying power of this song has to do with some juvenile aspects: it
ridicules old men, people of one's parents' generation; and the repetitive
format and rhyme scheme are like some other children's songs.
I think of this one as being sung by teenaged girls. To hear it that way, you need to find an obscure field recording, My Mother Told Me, (Gant Family, Austin TX, 1936; Library of Congress Archive of Folk Song 645B4). You can listen to the version given here on Smithsonian-Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music. (Eck Dunford of Galax, VA; recorded 1928; originally released as Victor V40060). The record label said Old Shoes and Leggins, but Eck clearly sings "overshoes." The song structure encourages invention, even of the unconscious type. For example, I've sung a "I hung up his coat and it smelled like a goat" verse for many years, and I was surprised when I listened to the song and found it isn't on the record."...
-snip-
Notice that European versions of this song (or early American versions?) don't include the offensive references to Chinese that are found in later American (United States) versions.
That excerpt continues with the lyrics for a version of this song (given as Example #1 immediately below).
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THREE EXAMPLES OF THE SONGS KNOWN AS "OLD SHOE BOOTS AND LEGGINGS", THE CRAZY BALD HEADED CHINESE
Example #1
Complete Lyrics:
A man that was old came a-courting one day,
And the girls wouldn't have him.
He come down the lane on his walking cane
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
My mother she told me to give him a chair,
For the girls wouldn't have him.
I give him a chair and he looked mighty queer,
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
My mother she told me to hang up his hat,
For the girls wouldn't have him.
I hung up his hat and he kicked at the cat
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
My mother she told me to give him some meat
For the girls wouldn't have him.
I give him some meat, and oh how he did eat
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
My mother she told me to give him the hoe
For the girls wouldn't have him.
I give him the hoe and he jumped Jim Crow
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
My mother she told me to give him the saw
For the girls wouldn't have him.
I give him the saw and he played "Rye Straw,"
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
My mother she told me to put him to bed
For the girls wouldn't have him.
I put him to bed and he stood on his head
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
My mother she told me to send him away
For the girls wouldn't have him.
I sent him away and he left Christmas Day
With his overshoes on and his leggings.
****
THE CRAZY BALD HEADED CHINESE, Example #2
My mother she told me to open the door.
The little bald headed Chinese nese nese.
I opened the door.
He fell on the floor.
The little bald-headed Chinese nese nese.
My mother she told me to get him a drink.
The little bald headed Chinese nese nese.
I gave him a drink.
He peed in the sink.
The little bald headed Chinese nese nese.
My mother she told me to give him a dance.
The little bald headed Chinese nese nese.
I gave him a dance.
He pulled down his pants.
The little bald headed Chinese nese nese.
-Azizi Powell, African American; childhood memories, Atlantic City, New Jersey, mid 1950s
THE CRAZY OLD MAN FROM CHINA Example #3
I was taught a version of this song in 2000-2001 in the Girl Scouts in rural northwest Connecticut. I'm Mexican-American, but the town I live in is 97% non-hispanic white. My mother recorded the lyrics in a word document around the time, which I recently uncovered. It disturbs me now that Girl Scouts were singing this in the 21st century. Here's the lyrics directly from the document (though I distinctly remember that "wanna" was sung as opposed to "want to"):
My mother she told me to open the door. I did not want to. I opened the door and he fell on the floor. The crazy old man from China.
My mother she told me to give him a drink. I did not want to. I gave him a drink and he fell in the sink. The crazy old man from China.
My mother she told me to take him to town. I did not want to. I took him to town and he walked upside-down. The crazy old man from China.
My mother she told me to take him to France. I did not want to. I took him to France and he pulled down his pants. The crazy old man from China.
My mother she told me to take him to bed. I did not want to. I took him to bed and he chopped off his head. The crazy old man from China.
My mother she told me to bury him deep. I did not want to. I buried him deep and he stuck out his feet. The crazy old man from China.
-Anonymous, April 27, 2022, http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/racially-derogatory-variants-of-old.html Racially Derogatory Variants Of The Song "Old Shoe Boots And Leggings" [comment]
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TWO EXAMPLES OF "MISS SUSIE HAD A STEAMBOAT"
I've used italics to highlight the lines that I believe may have been somewhat based on the structure of and some lines from "Old Shoe Boots And Leggings" ("The Crazy Bald Headed Chinese" and similar titles) songs.
Example #1
Miss Susie had a steamboat,
The steamboat had a bell,
The steamboat went to heaven,
Miss Susie went to
Hell-o 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,
Flies- are in the city,
Bees are in the park,
(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,
Half way through Hawaii
he ran into my dad,
The good girls go to heaven,
So the bad girls go to,
Hell-o operator,
Give me number ten,
And if you disconnect me, I'll sing this song again!
-Elle F., Cocojams, 11/18/2006
-snip-
"cocojams" was the name of my cultural website that was active from
January 2001 to Nov. 2014. A lot of children and teenagers used that website's
easy feature for posting examples of rhymes and cheers.
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Example #2
Kids Dont jump rope to this song im in the fourth grade and
we just sing it we dont do any movements to the song
Miss Suzie had a steam boat
The Steamboat had a bell
Mrs.Suzie went to heaven
The steamboat went to
Hello Operator
Give me number 9
if you disconnect me
I'll kick you from
Behind the refrigerator
there was a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it
And broke her little
Ask me no more questions
ill tell you no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
Zipping down their
Flies are in the meadow
Bees are in the grass
The boys and girls
Are kissing in the
D-A-R-K D-A-R-K
Darker than the ocean
Darker than the sea
Darker than the black boy
That's chasing after me
Dark is like a movie
A movie is like a show
A show is like a T.V. set
And that is all I...
Know my dad is a robber
I know my mom is a spy
I know that I'm the little brat that
Told the F.B.I.
My mom gave me a nickel
My dad gave me a dime
My sis' gave me a girlfriend
And I know she's is witch
she made me wash the dishes
she made me wash the floor
she made me wash her underwear
So I kicked her out the door
I kicked her over London
I kicked her over France
I kicked her to Hawaii
Where she did the Hoola Dance!
-GUEST, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=90418&messages=26 "Folklore:
Lady's alligator purse? Her own thread", February 27, 2011
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