Examples Of "U-G-L-Y (You Ain't Got No Alibi)"Taunting Rhymes/Cheers Before 2000

Ebola Entertainment, July 27, 2009

The best Cheerleaders on earth are from the movie "Wildcats" starring Goldie Hawn. They are my heroes.

**** Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents some remembrances and examples of the children's taunting rhyme "U-G-L-Y (You ain't got no alibi)" before the year 2000.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, recreational, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube and thanks to all those who are featured in that video.

**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE "U-G-L-Y (You Ain't Got No Alibi)" is a children's taunting rhyme/cheer. This rhyme/cheer is probably of African American origin, based on its wording and its close similarity to other African American

taunting customs such as "the dozens"/Yo Mama" taunts, including the children's rhyme "Yo Mamas Don't Wear No Drawers."

The earliest dates that I have come across for this rhyme/cheer are the 1970s, and particularly 'the late 1970s". However, it's possible that "U-G-L-Y (You Ain't Got No Alibi)" is older than that. 

Please add to the historical and folkloric records by sharing remembrances and examples of "U-G-L-Y (You Ain't Got No Alibi)" before the year 2000 in the comment section of this pancocojams post. Thanks!

**** SELECTED COMMENTS/EXAMPLES

The sources for these comments and/or examples are numbered for referencing purposes only.

With the exception of the version of "U-G-L-Y (You Ain't Got No Alibi)" from the Wildcats movie, the comments/examples for this taunting rhyme/cheer that are cited in this pancocojams post are given in relative chronological order (with the earliest date remembrances/examples presented first).

The dates and the geographical location, if cited, are given in bold in that comment, or the date is written in bold in the entry for a YouTube video.

Note: These examples are usually known as "U-G-L-Y" and those letters are chanted in the beginning of this rhyme/cheer and in other iterations of that verse. Additional verses for this rhyme/cheer begin with spelled out words (such as "M-O-M-M-A" or "D-A-D-D-Y' which are also chanted.

SOURCE #1

Lyrics for the version of 'U.G.L.Y (You Ain't Got No Alibi) from Wildcat (1986 Movie)

[Video on the top of this pancocojams post.]

[Central High School Cheerleaders]

"U-G-L-Y No, you ain't got no alibi You ugly Hey, Hey You ugly.

M-A-M-A How you think you got that way Yo Momma Hey Hey Your momma [in another clip of the cheerleaders performing this cheer]

"You Oogly! Yo mama said you Oogly!" -snip- "Oogly" is a rarely used, made up form of the word "ugly". "Oogly" means 'very ugly".

**** SOURCE #2 From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350&messages=262&page=2

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber. You're Glue: Children's Rhymes From: GUEST, Spain Date: 30 May 06

"Teaching English is Spain and my students love these types of rhymes the best. Originally from Boston surprised not to see:

U - G - L - Y You ain't got no alibi you're ugly that's right you're ugly

There is a second phrase about "your momma", but I don't remember it."

-snip- Here's a second comment from Guest, Spain about this same rhyme/cheer.

from https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350&messages=262&page=3

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber. You're Glue: Children's Rhymes From: GUEST, Spain Date: 30 May 06

"I heard the "ugly" chant in Boston in various summer camps in the late 70s. I've always assumed its even older than that. There was also the street Rockin Robin that I heard/played in the same

camps."... -snip- Guest Spain wrote this in response to my question asking for demographic information. That comment continued with the words to an example of children's rhyme "Rockin Robin", also known as "Tweeleelee" or similar titles.

**** SOURCE #3 From https://www.reddit.com/r/answers/comments/3scway/ugly_you_aint_got_no_alibi_what_is_the_origin_of/ "U.G.L.Y. You Ain't Got No Alibi!!! What is the Origin of this Phrase!?"

[Pancocojams Editor: Alphabetical numbers preface these comments for referencing purposes only, and the comment with the earliest date for this taunting rhyme/cheer is given first.]

a) Moldycoolwhip, 2021 "I know this is an old thread but when the movie Bring It on came out and my mom heard them using this chant she was shocked. According to her, she and her cheering squad came up with it in middle school (1979 ish). She sang the chant and several other verses with it that I had never heard. So if she is correct it originated in Indianapolis, IN in the late 70’s." -snip- A very brief instrumental version of "U-G-L-Y "You ain't got no alibi)" is heard as background to two cheerleading teams doing their routines in the 2000 movie Bring It On.

** b) LatteLocoMafia, 2021 “This was being used at high school football amd basketball games in Connecticut back in the early 80’s. At least 5 or 6 years prior to the movie." -snip- "The movie" refers to the 1986 Wildcat movie.

** c) Eringosomewhere, 2016 "M-A-M-A I know how you got that way yo mama, yeah yeah yo mama. This was our answer to that cheer when I cheered in the mid 80's early 90's"

**** SOURCE #4 From https://littlehead-dh3.angelfire.com/hymnal/words/yougly.htm  Created: 2004 October 16 Modified: 2004 October 26; 2005 October 2; November 11, 24; 2006 January 28; 2009, October 14: 2010 February 24 Author: Jeff "Little Head" Hutchinson

"Yo' Momma Says Yo' Ugly!

Tune: None

Feet down! Ass up! That's the way we like to ___* Yo' mama, yo' mama. Yo' mama says you ugly.

U-G-L-Y You ain't got no alibi Yo' ugly, yo' ugly. Yo' mama says you ugly.

1-2-3-4 I can't look at you no more Yo' ugly, yo' ugly. Yo' mama says you ugly.

5-6-7-8 I can't even concentrate

Yo' ugly, yo' ugly. Yo' mama says you ugly.

D-A-DD-Y You don't even know that guy. Yo' ugly, yo' ugly. Yo' daddy says you ugly

U-N-CL-E He is really your daddy

Yo' uncle, yo' uncle,

Yo' uncle is yo' daddy

CO-U-SI-N

That's who you'll be marryin'

Yo' cousin, yo' cousin,

Yo' cousin says you ugly

IN-B-RE-D That's what your kids'll be

Yo'r inbred, yo'r inbred,

Yo'r kids all say you ugly

Drink it down, down, down, down

I learned this cheer at the 2004 Colorado InviHASHional atWinter Pork. Several people have told me that this cheer (or some reasonable facsimile) was in the movies Wildcats (1986) and Bring It On (2000). However, it's not original in either. Magically Delicious tells me that she heard this from her high school's cheerleaders in Alabama in the late ‘70's.

Poopa Trooper taught me the sixth verse in September 2005.

And Just Mars taught us the third and fourth verses at a Hash in January 2006. I put them in this particular order. -snip- *Profanity deleted for this pancocojams post.

**** SOURCE #5 From https://genius.com/Fishbone-ugly-lyrics

Also, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrcjV8UzSoY for a sound file of this 1985 Ska/Rock record.

[...]

"[Chorus]

U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ugly Cross my heart, hope to die Stick a needle in my eye, you're just ugly U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ugly U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ug-ugly, ugly! U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ugly

U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ugly U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ugly U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you're just ug-ugly ugly!"

-snip- The mostly African American Ska, Rock, R&B musical group Fishbone released the earliest recording of "U-G-L-Y You ain't got no alibi" in 1985. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishbone for information about Fishbone.

**** SOURCE #6 From - Janell H (African American woman), from her memories of high school cheerleader cheers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid to late 1980s; collected by Azizi Powell in 2003

"U-G-L-Y You ain’t got no alibi You're ugly What? What? You’re ugly.

M-O-M-M-A That is how you got that way Your Momma Yeah yeah Your Momma"

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