Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents examples of the children's recreational chant "We Don't Stop For Nobody" and the children's recreational chant "Beware".
These two chants have a similar theme, intent, and performance activity as the more widely known children's recreational chant entitled "Hey Hey Get Out Of My Way. I Just Got Back From The USA". I refer to these three chants as "Get out of my way" children's recreational chants.
The Addendum to this post includes examples of a historically Black Greek letter fraternity chant and a mainstream children's cheerleader chant that are similar to the children's chant "We Don't Stop For Nobody".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who contributed examples of these two chants.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/12/hey-hey-get-out-of-my-way-childrens.html "Hey Hey Get Out Of My Way. I Just Got Back From The USA" Children's Chants (with geographic locations, decade chanted, & other demographic information)".
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITORIAL NOTES ABOUT THESE TWO "GET OUT OF MY WAY" CHILDREN'S CHANTS
The children's recreational chants "We Don't Stop For Nobody" and "Beware" are two of three children's chants that I refer to as "get out of my way" chants. The third "get out of my way" children's chants is "Hey Hey Get Out Of My Way", All of these chants have the same theme, intent, and performance activity. "Hey Hey Get Out Of My Way' which has been chanted in parts of the United States, Canada, and in a few other countries since the mid 1950s. In contrast, apart from what I believe is the relatively recent us of a form of "We Don't Stop For Nobody" as a mainstream children's cheerleader cheer, I've only come across a few examples of that chant and the "Beware" chant among African Americans in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I'm interested in collecting examples of these or any other "get out of my way" children's recreational chants. I'm also interested in your opinions of the possible source/s for these recreational chants.
Please remember to add demographic information with any example that you share in this pancocojams discussion thread (including race/ethnicity, geographical location, and age/gender of those people who chanted this rhyme. Also, please share whether this was chanted while doing hand clap routines. Thanks .
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WE DON'T STOP FOR NOBODY (Example #1)
We don't stop for nooobody
Can you dig it.
Woo!
Can you dig it.
(Children repeat these words continuously while linking arms and walking down the sidewalk)
The words "Can you dig it" was said as a
statement, not a question.
-Tazi Powell (African American), memories of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanian in the early 1980s,
collected by her mother Azizi Powell in 1997
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WE DON'T STOP FOR NOBODY (Example #2)
We don't stop for nooobody
Can you dig it.
Woo!
Are you with it.
(Children repeat these words continuously while linking arms and walking down the sidewalk)
-Toya Lattimore (African American), memories of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s, collected by Azizi Powell, 2001.
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During
that same interview, Toya's 8 year old son Montel unexpectedly joined his mother in reciting
this chant. His version was basically the same as his mother's. except that
Montel chanted the 2nd line as "Can you get it". Toya said that children said this chant while linking arms, walking down the sidewalk, and making people walking toward them move out of the way. I asked Montel if he and his friends did the same thing while chanting this, but he refused to admit that.
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BEWARE [title]
Beware.
Ready. Set. And go.
Beware.
We comin through.
No one can stop us.
Not even you
We have the power
to overall.
1-2-3.
So beware!
-two African American girls ages 7 & 9 years old, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania,
collected by Azizi Powell, 1998
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The girls said the words "Beware. Ready. Set. And Go. as if they were introductory statements. The rest of the words were chanted in a more sing songy manner.
The girls said that they said these words while crossing arms and walking down the sidewalk making people move out of their way.
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ADDENDUM- A HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTER FRATERNITY CHANT AND A MAINSTREAM CHILDREN'S CHEERLEADER CHANT THAT ARE SIMILAR TO "GET OUT OF MY WAY" CHILDREN'S CHANTS
MOVE OUT THE WAY AND LET THE QUES GO PAST [title]
"I said move out the way and let the Ques go past.
So get back.
The Ques are coming. The Ques are coming".
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbIpz95ndsM
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This chant begins at 2:15 in the video.
Omega Psi Phi, Inc (whose members are also known as "Ques") is a university based historically Black Greek letter fraternity. Members of that fraternity who served in the United States military or were serving in the military may have adapted that chant from a military cadences.
GET OUT OF MY WAY [title]
Hey hey you
Get out of my way
Because today is the day
We're goinna put you away.
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This cheerleader chant and the fraternity chant that is given above it have the same self-confident and aggressive themes as the "get out of the way" children's chants that are showcased in this post. However, the cheerleader cheer and the fraternity cheer aren't performed the same way (two or more people walking forward with their arms linked) as those "get out of the way" chants.
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