"Eye Shoe Anna" ("Died In The Fish Shop") British Playground Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision -November 11, 2025

This pancocojams post presents examples of British playground rhymes "Eye Shoe Anna"/"Died In A Fish Shop" (or similar titles) and/or "My Mother Died In The Fish Shop" (or similar titles.

This post also includes my analysis of these rhymes. 

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who shared examples of these rhymes.
-snip
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/04/examples-of-united-kingdom-playground.html. "Examples Of The United Kingdom Playground Rhyme "Eye Shoe Anna"/"Died In A Fish Shop" (And Similar Titles)" for a 2022 post that includes some of the content in this 2025 post.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT PANCOCOJAMS POSTS ABOUT CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES
The core mission of pancocojams is to showcase the cultures of African Americans or of other people of Black descent throughout the world.

The rhymes that are featured in this particular pancocojams post come from Great Britain. Like the United States, Great Britain is a majority White nation with a multi-racial population. As such, it is possible that these rhymes may not have been chanted in the past, or may not be chanted now by any people of Black descent in Great Britain or elsewhere.

I recognize that race, ethnicity, and/or nationality can be factor/s that help determine which recreational rhymes and singing games children play, which versions of rhymes they play, and/or how they play them. Furthermore, race, ethnicity, and/or nationality can and often does provide information about the vernacular meanings of words or phrases and other content in  rhymes or singing games. 

However, I publish pancocojams posts about children's rhymes regardless of their origin or who chants them to document, study, and I share those compositions from folkloric and socio-cultural perspectives because I'm interested in and like this subject. 

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MY SUMMARY OF "EYE SHOE ANNA"/"DIED IN THE FISH SHOP' RHYMES AND OTHER PANCOCOJAMS EDITORS COMMENTS ABOUT THESE RHYMES
What I'm calling "Eye Shoe Anna" rhymes are those that focus on a girl who is named "Eye Shoe Anna" (or a similarly pronounced name). That girl attracts attention from boys at her school who ask her about her mother (or her father). That question leads to the "died in the fish shop" (or "the chip shop") lines.

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I haven't found any information about the history of "Eye Shoe Anna" rhymes. However, I remember reading online that may have originally been spoken in (the) Cockney (accent). Here's some information about "Cockney" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney
"Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners from working-class and lower-middle-class families. The term Cockney is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End,[1][2][3] or, traditionally, born within earshot of Bow Bells.[4][5][6]"...
-end of quote-
Here's some information bout the "Bow Bells" from AI Overview:
"St. Mary-le-Bow: The bells, also known as the "Great Bell of Bow," are a significant part of London's history and a key marker of the traditional Cockney identity.

The legend: The folklore is that a true Cockney is born within the hearing distance of these bells"...
-end of quote-
Unfortunately, I didn't archive the online reference I read about these "Eye Shoe Anna" rhymes originating in the East End of London. However, another song "Knees Up Mother Brown" is attributed to the East End of London. The earliest lyrics for that song were written by Harris Weston & Bert Lee in 1938 and the last line of that song which is given in Cockney "Ow's yer farver? All right!". In standard English, that line is "How's your father? All right!"

That line (often with "mother" substituted for "father") is a core part of the "Eye Shoe Anna" ("Died In A Fish Shop" rhymes. That line being at the end of the "Knees Up Mother Brown" song may suggest that that song may have had additional lyrics that have been lost or it may be an acknowledgement of (or a "nod to" or a "shout out to) another familiar or popular East End song. Either way, I believe that the inclusion of the "Ow's yer farver? All right!" line in the 1938 "Knees Up Mother Brown" song means that "Eye Shoe Anna" rhymes were known in 1938.   

I also believe that the title and name "Eye Shoe Anna" and the other similar words in these examples are the way that the greeting word "Hi" and the way that certain female names were (or "are) pronounced in Cockney (i.e.the names  "Susanna"  or the female double name-two female names used together as one name "Susie Anna" or "Sue Ella".

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In my study of the "Eye Shoe Anna" rhymes that I've come across, I'm struck by how often the girl who is featured girl in these rhymes is referred to as a member of a multicultural population (i.e. "Gypsy girl ", "Irish girl", "Dutch girl", and "Indian" girl) .

I've also come across some examples that refer to "Eye Shoe Anna" as a "dustbin girl" (meaning her father is a garbage collector. This might be a derogatory reference or might be a statement of fact regarding one occupation that people in the East End of London England had (have).

I've also come across one example of this rhyme in which "Eye Sho Anna" (or a girl with a similar name) is referred to as "a little English girl."

Initially, my view was that the multicultural or low economic descriptors of Eye Shoe Anna" were putdowns and explained why all the boys were eager to speak to that girl (i.e. because they considered her as being easy [an easy catch for sexual favors). However,  I've rejected that position and now think that those multicultural and low income references were a way of describing the population of the East End of London without any derogatory implications about the girl or her family (including no implications about how sexually easy that girl might be).  

**
"Eye Shoe Anna" rhymes (and "Died In The Fish Shop" rhymes that are found without those "Eye Shoe Anna" lines) appear to have originally been chanted while skipping rope (jumping rope). However, as was the case with most skipping rope rhymes, the preferred accompanying activity for these rhymes eventually changed to playing partner hand clapping games. If either of these rhymes are still chanted in 2025, they are probably performed as partner hand clapping rhymes.

The "died in a fish shop" lines may have been (or may be) chanted by themselves without the "Eye Shoe Anna" verse or they may be chanted in combination with other children's recreational rhymes such as "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" (or similar titles) and "My Name Is Elvis Presley".

Also, the "Eye Sue Anna"/"Died In The Fish Shop" verse are strikingly similar to certain African American folk verses such as Aunt Jenny (or "The Postman") Died" and one shave and a hair cut rhyme. Read my comments in this pancocojams post's discussion thread below for those examples.

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EXAMPLES OF "EYE SHOE-ANNA" AND SIMILARLY TITLED RHYMES
These examples are given in chronological order based on the comment/example's publishing date or based on the copyright date for the page when no publishing date was given.

EXAMPLE #1- HIGH SHOE HANNAH 
Clapping Rhymes (Nicola Harvey & Dalena Davis)

I know a girl called High Shoe Hannah
The boys in the football team go H.S.H.
How's your mother
All right, White
Died in the fish shop
Last night,
What did she die of?
Raw fish,
How did she die?
Like this,
-https://www.mkheritage.org.uk/sga/games/glance-at-today.html "Games used in Cedars Middle School [United Kingdom] tat the present time (1990)

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EXAMPLE #2: EYE SHOE-ANNA
"I am a primary school teacher in the UK and as my final year dissertation of my teaching degree (18 months ago) I produced a dissertation entitled "Can Children's Playground Culture Affect Their Classroom Experience". This dissertation covered all aspects of children's playground rhymes (clapping, skipping and dipping).

[…]

Below is a collection of rhymes I have collected during my research.

[...]

Clapping Rhyme Eye-Shoe-Anna

I met a little dustbin girl
Called Eye-Shoe-Anna
All the boys in the football team
Said Eye-Shoe-Anna

How is your mother?
Alright
Died in the fish shop last night
What did she die of?
Raw fish
How did she die?
Like this".
-Mark, 1/25/97, https://groups.google.com/g/alt.culture.us.1970s/c/25GUvi8yqqo?pli=1
-snip-
Other rhymes from that contributor and from other contributors are included on that page for deactivated Google groups.

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EXAMPLE #3: HI SHOE ELLA
I know a little Dutch girl
Called
Hi
Shoe
Ella
All the boys at the football club say
Hi
Shoe
Ella
How is your father
All right
Died at the chip shop
Last night
What was he eating
Raw fish
How did it happen
Like this
-DevilBunny; February 13, 2003
 http://msgboard.snopes.com/message/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/95/t/000442/p/1.html Skipping and Clapping Rhymes.

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EXAMPLE #4: EYE, SHOE, SHARELLA
"You may not know these unless you went to school in the UK lol:

[...]

And then there's this one that I only remember part of...

Eye, shoe, sharella
And all the boys on the football pitch went
Eye, shoe, sharella
How is your mother?
Alright!
Died in the fish shop?
Last night!
What was she eating?
Raw fish!
How did she die?
Like this! *falls over*
-TYCP ShaMar 26, 2010, https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/jjb/did-you-play-clapping-games-as-a-kid-t607897.html

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EXAMPLE #5-EYE SHOE SHOELLA
I know a little Dutch girl
Called eye shoe shoella ( point at eye shoe and dance a little)
And all the boys in the football pitch called eye shoe shoella
How is your mother?
Alright
Died in the fish shop last night
What was she eating
Raw fish
How did she die
Liiiiike this! ( person faints on other person and is catched)
-Suuuum April 4, 2012, https://losemyway.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/hand-clapping-games/

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EXAMPLE #6-HIGH SHOE HANNAH
I know a girl called High Shoe Hannah
The boys in the football team go H.S.H
How's your mother
All right, White
Died in the fish shop
Last night,
What did she die of?
Raw fish,
How did she die?
Like this,"
-Bobby, 5/13/2012, http://www.inthe00s.com/archive/inthe80s/smf/1109960765.shtml in the 00s Those clapping songs

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EXAMPLE #7: HI SHOE-SHIRVANNA
There was a little gypsy girl called
Hi-Shoe-Shirvanna (no idea what that is lol!)
All the boys on the football team go
Hi-Shoe-Shirvanna
How is your Mother?
All right!
She died in the fish chop
Last night!
What was she eating?
Raw fish!
How did she die?
Liiiiiiiiiiike this!

*mimics dying*

God how morbid! This one had actions to go with it inbetween the claps to!
-Sheryl L(10), 15/06/2012; https://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/being-mum-794/parenting-advice-192/434766-playground-clapping-rhymes-your-childhood-2.html

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EXAMPLE #8: EYE SHOE SHALALALALA 
When I was younger me and my friends used to do:

I met a little Indian girl called eye, shoe, shalalalala
All the boys on the football pitch loved eye, shoe, shalalalala
How's your father (alright)
Died In the chip shop (last night)
What was he eating (raw fish)
How did he die?
Like this!! Then you fall in the others arms
-Tre55dhb, 27/05/2014,  https://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/being-mum-794/parenting-advice-192/434766-playground-clapping-rhymes-your-childhood-3.html

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EXAMPLE #9- HIGH HEEL TRANNER
One day I met an Irish girl
Called High Heel Tranner (stand on tiptoe, touch heel, show off wiggles)
All the boys t the football pitch
Said High Heel Tranner
How’s your mother
All right
Died in a fish shop
Last night.
What did she die of?
Rotten fish (wavy hand motion)
How did she die of
Like this (fall back in partner’s arms)
LETCHLADE, 2010

This rhyme has been around at least since the 1980s, when it began “I’m a little Dutch girl /Called Hi Susie Anna"...
-https://books.google.com, Steve Round, The Lore of the Playground: One hundred years of children's traditions , Clapping games [page] 323; 2010

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EXAMPLE #10 - HIGH HEEL SONIA
..."Primary school was great! There was another one (not so much dirty but mentions death) High Heel Sonia, that I don't remember all the words to:

I met a girl who lives on your street
Called High Heel Sonia

[Something, something, something else] (the line I can't remember)

High Heel Sonia.
How is your mother, alright?
Died in the fish shop, last night
What was she eating?
Raw fish
How did she die?
Like this eegghhh! (put hands around throat and make noise as if choking).
-Welshgirlie, 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/11zt1bh/your_favourite_dirty_playground_rhymego_for_it/  Casual UK Comments: "Your Favourite Dirty Playground Rhymes"...

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EXAMPLE #11 -EYE SHOE SHELILAH
The version I was taught is called "Eye shoe shelilah" and went;

I knew a little English girl called eye shoe shelilah
And all the boys on the football team called her eye shoe shelilah.
How is your father? (Alright)
Died in the fish shop (last night.)
What did he die of? (sawfish)(wavy hand motion)
How did he die? (Just like this) (trust fall)

After every eye you point at your eye and after every shoe you point at your feet.
-Anonymous, July 12, 2025,  https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/04/examples-of-united-kingdom-playground.html "Examples of United Kingdom Playground Rhymes"

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"DIED IN A FISH SHOP" VERSES WITHOUT THE "EYE SHOE ANNA" TYPE VERSE

Example #1: I WENT TO THE CHINESE RESTAURANT
My daughter, who is eight, is still doing clapping rhymes, though the ones she does are different from the ones I did in the 50s and 60s. (These, by the way, are in England). The one she seems to do mostly is:

I went to a Chinese restaurant
To buy me a loaf of bread, bread, bread.
He wrapped it up in a five pound note
And this is what he said, said, said:

My name is
Elvis Presley,
Girls are sexy
Sitting in the back seat
Drinking pepsi.

Where's your father?
Died in a fishtank..Last night
What did he die of?..Raw fish.
How did he die..Like this.

On the "Like this" they pull a strange face as of somebody dead. She says there are various versions of the rhyme. We used to do the first bit, but not the bit beginning with "Elvis Presley"
-MBSLynne, 21 Sept 03, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097  Do kid still do clapping rhymes?
-snip-
I wasn't a member of Mudcat folk music forum at this time, but I believe that MBSLynne indicated or someone else indicated that MBSLynne was from Great Britain. 

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EXAMPLE #2- I WENT TO A CHINESE RESTAURANT
i went to a Chinese restaurant, to buy a loaf of bread bread bread, He wrapped it up in a five pound note, and this is what he said, said, said"

"My name is Elvis Presley, Girls are sexy, Sitting in the back seat drinking pepsi,

...had a baby, named it Daisy,

(Insert unhinged change of tune)

"How is your father?" "Alright - died in the chip shop last night" "What did he die of?" "Raw fish" "What did he look like?" "Like this"

(And then make a dead face)

All while clapping hands together, but making a swigging motion for Pepsi and rocking a baby.
-blurredlynes, 2024. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1fnj0hp/what_were_some_weird_rhymes_you_used_to_sing_or/ "What were some weird rhymes you used to sing or hear at your school playground?  

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Example #3: MY NAME IS ELVIS PRESLEY
My name is,

Elvis Presley,
Girls are sexy,
Sitting in the back seat
Drinking Pepsi,
How is your mother?
All right!
Died in a fish shop,
Last night!
What did she die of?
Corned beef!
How did she die?
Like this (mimes death)

It makes no sense...
-username91207, 2008, https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=680317&page=3 the studentroom.com United Kingdom

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