Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents my concern about the lines "bull's too black/ I want my money back" in a number of examples of "Oh Ah, I Wanna Piece Of Pie", "ABC, It's Easy As 1,2,3", "Winstons Taste Good", and children's recreational rhymes with other titles.
This post also presents some examples of these recreational rhymes that have alternative lines to "the bull's too black/ I want my money back".
The Addendum to this post presents a few examples of these rhymes that have trading verses*, but include any mention of a bull.
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
*Trading verses are verses in rhymes or songs in which one item is found to be defective or doesn't serve the purpose it was intended for and is therefore exchanged (traded) for another item. This pattern repeats itself throughout the rhyme or the song. A familiar example of a "trading verse" song is "Hush Little Baby" ("Don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mocking bird.").
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iii-examples-of-ooh-ah-i-wanna.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "Part III- Examples Of "Ooh Ah! I Wanna Piece Of Pie", "ABC, It's Easy As 1, 2, 3", & Similarly Titled Children's Recreational Rhymes From The Late 1960s-2015". The links to other parts of that three part series are included in that pos.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
"1967" or "the late 1960s" are the earliest dates that I have come across for adults recalling chanting the "bull's too black, I want my money back" lines in "Oh Ah, I Wanna Piece Of Pie", "ABC, It's Easy As 1,2,3", "Winstons Taste Good", and children's recreational rhymes with other titles. However, these rhymes existed before the late 1960s. The earliest documented date for these rhymes is 1938. (Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-i-short-story-excerpt-and-youtube.html for information about and sources for these rhymes)
Here are two example of the "bull's too black" lines:
Example #1
"Shake, shake, shake
Eeny meeny
That's a queeny
Ooh ba Thumbalina
Ah cha ca che Liberace
Oh baby I love you
Yes I do.
Take a peach
Take a plum
Take a piece of bubble gum
No peach
No plum
Just a piece of bubble gum
Oooshe ahshe
Oooshe ahshe
I want a piece of pie
The pie too sweet
I want a piece of meat
The meat too tough
I want to ride the bus
The bus too full
I want to ride the bull
The bull too black
I want my money back
The money too green
I want a diamond ring.
-Barbara Michels, Bettye White, Apples On A Stick, The Folklore of Black Children (Houston, Texas) 1983, p. 17}
**
Pancocojams Editor's Note: In this second example. the "bull's too black" line is followed by another line instead of "I want my money back".]
Example #2
"The version I remember is sung to the old Winston cigarette jingle.
Winston taste good like. A cigarette should . Winston taste. Like ahh I want a. A piece of Pie. Pie too sweet. Want a piece of . meat. meat too tough. Want to ride the bus. . bus too full. Want to ride a bull. Bull too black Want to go back to my old Cadillac. Bonk Bonk.
We sang this along with clapping like patty cake. And I learned this version sometime between 1971 & 1973, when I was in the 5th and 6th grade."
-Sandra, July 25, 2018, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-want-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/ "Mamalisa.com: Are you familiar with want to read a book book done read"
-snip-
I haven't come across that subsequent line in any other examples of this rhyme. However, I think that the lines in both of those examples could be interpreted to state or imply that there's something wrong with something (and, by extension), someone being black.
****
I've rarely come across any opinion about the "bull's too black" I want my money back" line. However, I recall reading a comment about these lines in a Black American discussion thread (such as the still active website "Lipstick Alley" or the no longer active discussion threads such as "black girls hair" about memories of childhood rhymes that "even the bull's too black". Unfortunately, although I remember archiving that comment, I can't find it now.
Perhaps because the line "bull's too black/I want my money back" can be interpreted as indicating or implying that there's something wrong with something or someone being Black or being dark skinned, it appears that by at least the early 2000s some other alternative lines began to be chanted instead of :bull's too black". However, the "bull too black/I want my money back" was still the most commonly used lines in these "Ooh Ah! I want a piece of pie" verses and appears to remain the go to line in rhymes that mention a bull.
As of the publication date of this post (November 5, 2025), I've come across the following alternatives for "bull's too black" (These are given in no particular order.)
-Bull's too fat
--Car too black
-bull's not black
-Bull's too fast
-Bull's too white
-Bread's too brown
-Bull's too mean
****
I have the same concerns or very similar concerns about these alternatives as I have about the "bull's too black/ I want my money back" lines i.e. these lines indicate that the animal or item being described is defective or isn't "as good" as another animal or item because of that descriptor. In the case of the bull's not black" line, the bull that is another color other than black isn't as good as the black bull. Given the history and current conditions of race and ethnicity in the United States and elsewhere in the world, these "too black", "not black", not white", and "too brown" lines appear to me to be just asking for problems. Ditto the 'too fat" line, if not the other lines in this list. It's easy to say that none of these lines refer to people and their race/ethnicity or weight, but children being children, these lines could be ripe for insults or psychological stress.
Maybe because of those concerns, some examples of these "Ooh Ah! I Wanna Piece Of Pie" that completely skip any reference to a bull. The Addendum below presents a few of those examples.
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Here are a few examples of these alternatives to "the bull's too black" in "Ooh Ah! I Wanna Piece Of Pie" rhymes. Only one or two examples are included for each entry because of space concerns.
These alternatives are given here in no particular order because I haven't studied what I consider to be a sufficiently large sample to determine their order. However, it appears to me that the "bull too fat" appears to be most frequently used line apart from "bull's too black" .
These focus lines are written in italics for highlighting purposes only.
****
THE BULL'S TOO FAT
Example #1:
"abc is easy as 123 my mama takes care of me my daddy watches MTV
oh my
i wanna piece of pie
pie too sweet, wanna piece of meat
meat too tough, wanna ride a bus
bus too full, wanna ride a bull
bull too fat, want my money back
money too green, wanna jelleybean
jelly bean not cooked, wanna read a book
book not read, wanna go to bed
bed not made, want some lemonade
lemonade too sour, wanna take a shower
shower too cool, wanna go to school
school too dumb, wanna suck my thumb
thumb to dirty, wanna ride a birdy
birdy to slow, and thats all i know
so close your eyes and count to ten
and if you mess up, start all over again!
-Jessie, August 6th, 2006, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-want-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/
****
Example #2
"Near Memphis, TN in the mid 2000s
Hershey bar tastes good just like a
Candy bar should just like a
Ooh, ah! I want a piece of pie
Pie to sweet, I want a piece of meat
Meat too tough, I wanna ride a bus
Bus too full, I wanna ride a bull
Bull too fat, I want my money back
Money back too green, I want a jelly bean
Jelly bean too red, I wanna go to bed
Bed not made, I want some lemonade
Lemonade too sour, we got the power
To close our eyes and count to ten
If we mess up, start all over again
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!"...
-GUEST,Lavender, : 11 Sep 23, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926&page=2, Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie
****
CAR TOO BLACK
"I learned it at summer camp as a clapping game:
Winston tastes good just like a cigarette should
Just like an - ooh, ah, I want a piece of pie
Pie too sweet, I want a piece of meat
Meat too brown, I want to go to town
Town too far, I'll have to take a car
Car too black, I want my money back
Money too green, I want a limosine
..... I want some lemonade
Lemonade too sour, by now we have the power
To close our eyes and count to ten
Whoever messes up has to do it again.
And at this point, the clapping pattern got more complicated and the players closed their eyes and counted to ten."
-Guest, Chocolate Pi; https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926, "Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie", October 10, 2000
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BULL TOO WHITE
"ew ah i want a piece of pie,
the pie to sweet i want a piece or meat,
the meat to tough,
so ill just ride the bus,
the buss to fulll.ill just ride a bull,
if the bulls to black i want my money back,
if the bull is to white i want it out of sight,
if the bull is to yellow,
then its not mellow,
the bull to green,
then its not clean,
the bull to purple,
it looks like erkle,
the bull to red,
its now done and said!"
- GUEST,Dezzy Short chicka, 25 Sep 10 https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926 Oh my, I want a piece of pie
-snip-
This is the second version of a very long example of this rhyme that this commenter shared. The first version of this rhyme includes the line "the bull too black/I want my money back" and also includes the lines "the car's too black/I want my money back" and the bread's too brown/I want to go to town".
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BULLS TOO FAST
"abc! as easy as do re me my mama take care of me oo ahh i
wanna piece of pie pie too sweet i wanna piece of meat meat too tough i wanna
ride the bus bus too full i wanna ride a bull bull too fast i want my money
back money too green i want jellybean jelly bean to red i wanna go to bed
bed not made i want some lemonade lemonade too sour but i got the power to
close my eyes and count to ten whoever messes up starts all over again
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10"
-GUEST, 09 Dec 09, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926, Oh my, I want a piece of pie
****
BULL'S TOO MEAN
"123 my mama takes care of me
my daddy sings do re me
oh ah i wanna piece of pie
pie too sweet i wanna piece of meat
meat too tough i wanna ride a bus
bus too full i wanna ride a bull
bull too mean i wanna jelly bean
jelly bean too red i wanna go to bed
bed not made i want some lemonade
lemonade too sour i wanna take a shower
shower to cold i wanna piece of gold
gold too pretty i wanna kiss a kitty
kittty too fat and thats the end of that
hey tomboy hey tomboy meet me on the corner on a saturday
night
we can wiggle we can jiggle we can dance all night
close your eyes and count to 10 and if u mess up start over
again
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10"
-GUEST,sophie, 04 Apr 09 https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926, Oh my, I want a piece of pie
****
BULLS NOT BLACK
Example #1
"I learned it like this...
Winston tastes good just like a
Cigarette just like a
Ooo ah I wanna piece of pie
Pie to sweet I wanna piece of meat
Meat to tough I wanna ride a bus
Bus to full I wanna ride a bull
Bull not black I want my money back
Money back to green I wanna jelly bean
Jelly bean not cooked I wanna read a book
Book not read I wanna go to bed
Bed not made I want some lemonade
Lemonade to sour I wanna take a shower
Shower to cold I wanna piece of gold
Gold to shiny I wanna kiss a heinie
Heinie too dirty I wanna count to thirty
Thirty too high I wanna say goodbye
Goodbye too sad I wanna call my dad
Dad too tall I wanna go to the mall
Mall not cheap I wanna say beep beep
Close your eyes
Count to ten
Whoever messes up starts all over again so
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
We didn't mess up so that's the end
-GUEST, 05 Aug 17, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926&messages=61&page=2, Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie
****
Example #2
"Winston tastes good just like a piece of pie
Just like a ohh ahh I wanna piece of pie
pie to sweet, I wanna piece of meat
meat to tough, I wanna ride a bus
bus too full, I wanna ride a bull
bull not black, want my money back
money not green, I wanna a jelly bean
jellybean not cooked, I wanna read a book
book not read, I wanna go to bed
bed not made, I want some lemonade
lemonade too sour, we've got the power to count to ten
who ever messes up starts over again
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
we didn't mess up so thats the end
-Kat, 19 March 2018, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-want-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/feed/
****
ADDENDUM- EXAMPLES OF THESE RHYMES THAT DON'T MENTION A BULL
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. All of these examples are from https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926&messages=61&page=2 "Lyr
Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie"
Example #1
"ABC, it's easy as 123 --
My momma takes care of me. My poppa says,
Oooh, Aye, I wanna piece of pie.
Pie's too sweet, I wanna piece of meat.
Meat's too red, I wanna go to bed.
Bed's not made, I want some lemonade.
Lemonade's too sour, I wanna take a shower.
Shower's too cool, I wanna go to school.
School's not done, I wanna suck my thumb.
Thumb's too dirty, I wanna ride a birdy.
Bird's too slow, and that's all I know!"
-GUEST,Montreal Bancroft School Grade2., 29 Jun 13
-snip-
This school is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
****
Example #2
"This is so late but I was searching everywhere for a version
like I learned it. And a few comments up is the only person who's is basically
the same as mine.
ABC it's easy as 123
My mommy drinks cold coffee, my daddy takes care of me (I
think I switched them)
Ooh Aah I wanna piece of pie
Pie too sweet I wanna piece of meat
Meat too red I wanna go to bed
Bed unmade I want some lemonade
Lemonade too sour I wanna take a shower
Shower too cold I want a pot of gold
Gold too shiny I wanna kick ya hiney
Hiney too smelly I wanna jar of jelly (I believe I added
both hiney parts)
Jelly too sticky- *pause* boy you're picky
Close your eyes and count to 10 whoever messes up will start
over again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10"
-GUEST,Kitty, 31 May 19
****
Example #3
"I know it like this:
Ooh, ah, I wanna piece o' pie.
Pie too sweet, I want a piece of meat
Meat too red, wanna go to bed
be[d] not made I want some lemonade
lemonade to sour, I wanna take a shower
Shower too cold, I want some gold
gold too dirty, I want to ride a birdy
Birdy wanna sleep, I wanna ride a jeep
Jeep goes..
BEEP BEEP!!!!!!"
- GUEST,Guest, 03 Jan 23
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Example #4
"ABC it's easy as 123
My momma takes care of me, my daddy drinks cold coffee
Ooh, aah, I wanna piece of pie
Pie too sweet, I wanna piece of meat
Meat too red, I wanna go to bed
Bed not made, I want some lemonade
Lemonade too sour, I wanna take a shower
Shower too cold, I want a piece of gold
Gold too shiny, I wanna kick ya heinie
Heinie too fat and that's the end of that
Now close your eyes and count to 10
Whoever messes up has to start all over again
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10"
-GUEST, 01 Jul 24
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