Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision - January 10, 2024
This pancocojams post showcase one video example and presents text (word only) examples of Jamaican versions of "Rockin Robin" ("Twee Twee Twee").
The content of this post is presented for cultural and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
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Michael Jackson recorded "Rockin Robin" in 1972. That was Michael Jackson's second solo record independent of his singing with his siblings The Jackson 5. The "tweeleelee" title and refrain for "Rockin Robin" recreational rhymes mimics the "tweeting" sound that robins and other birds make.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/07/some-rockin-robin-twee-lee-lee-rhymes.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series that presents text (word only) examples of "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") rhymes. With the exception of the two examples that are showcased in this January 9, 2024 pancocojams post, all of the examples in that pancocojams series are from African Americans.
Also, click the "Rockin Robin" tag below for additional pancocojams post of that recreational rhyme.
These examples are given in no particular order.
Example #1. [This is my transcription of the first rhyme that is chanted in the embedded video. Additions and corrections are welcome.]
TWEET TWEET TWEET
Tweet tweet tweet
and away we go
Rockin in the treetop
All day long
Rockin and talkin and singing this song
All the little girls from JBC
Like to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet
Go wash your body
Tweet TweetTweetTweet
Go wash your body
Tweet TweetTweetTweet
Mother in the kitchen
Cookin rice and chicken
Father upstairs drinkin milk
Drinkin milk is a very good thing
So when I run out
You run in
When I count to twenty
The room must be empty
5, 10, fifteen, twenty
Video description: A Black woman and a Black girl are shown standing outside and performing a partner handclap routine while chanting this rhyme.
The Jamaican custom of chanting "Rockin Robin" as a recreational rhyme almost certainly was adopted from the United States.
The words beginning with "So when I run out" document that this was originally chanted as a jump rope rhyme. It's likely that "Rockin Robin" was also originally chanted as a jump rope rhyme in the United States before the performance activity changed (like so many other recreational rhymes in the 1970s) to doing hand clap routines while chanting.
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Example #2
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,
March 2012 ; [ comment in discussion thread for] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpexeCmzKjM Jamaican Children Playing, published by Josh Christenson, Feb. 11, 2010
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This example was given as a comment in this YouTube video's discussion thread. Unfortunately, all comments are now deleted.
"bruk"= broke
"colgrate"= misspelling of the American toothpaste
brand "Colgate"
Do you know any examples of "Rockin Robin" ("Twee Twee Twee") from Jamaica or any other countries outside of the United States? If so, please add to the folkloric record by sharing the words to example/s that you know in the comment section below. Please remember to add demographic information (where you learned that version, when you learned it, and how you performed it i.e. hand clap rhymes, jump rope rhyme etc.) Thanks!
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