Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest update- December 9, 2025 [More examples added],
This pancocojams post presents some examples of a sub-category of foot stomping cheers that I refer to as "bragging and confrontational" foot stomping cheers.
"Bragging and confrontational" foot stomping cheers are the second largest sub-set of foot stomping cheers that I have found online and off-line. Chanters in these cheers brag about themselves or their group and speak in confrontational ways toward an unnamed person or persons.
As a reminder, based on their words, foot stomping cheers often fit into more than one category of cheers.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/some-examples-of-introduce-yourself-my.html for the pancocojams post whose title is "Some Examples of "Introduce Yourself (My Name Is ___" foot stomping cheers". [This is the largest sub-category of foot stomping cheers that I have come across,]
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/some-examples-of-dance-style-foot.html for the pancocojams post whose title is "Some Examples Of Dance Style Foot Stomping Cheers That Don’t Include Dance Names"
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/some-black-american-girls-ideas-about.html for the pancocojams post whose title is "Some Black American Girls' Ideas About & Expectations Of Romantic Relationships As Suggested By Certain Foot Stomping Cheers"
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/some-examples-of-dance-style-foot.html for the pancocojams post whose title is "Information About And A Video Of The Game "Tetherball" With Three Examples of "Tetherball" Foot stomping Cheers". Those cheers are examples of "sports and games" foot stomping cheers..
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, recreational. and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those whose memories of these foot stomping cheers are included in this compilation.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/foot-stomping-cheers-alphabetical-list.html for Part I (Numbers - C) for Part I of a five part alphabetized pancocojams series of foot stomping cheers that I have come across online and/or off-line. The links to the other parts of this series are given in each post.
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SUB-CATEGORIES OF FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
I've placed the foot stomping cheers that I've come across into these five different sub-categories:
-Introduce Yourself (My name is __) cheers
-Dance style foot stomping cheers
-Bragging/confrontational cheers
--Romantic relationships cheers
-Sports & games cheers
Most foot stomping cheers are combinations of more than one of these sub-categories.
****
SOME EXAMPLES OF BRAGGING AND CONFRONTATIONAL FOOT STOMPING CHEERS
These examples are presented in relative alphabetical order based on the first letter of the cheer's name.
This compilation doesn't include all of the small number of examples of this sub-category of foot stomping cheers that I have come across online or off-line.
A, B
AH RAH RAH AH BOOM TANG
Group: Ah Rah Rah Ah Boom Tang
Ah Rah Rah Ah Boom Tang
Ah Rah Rah Ah Boom Tang, baby
Ah Rah Rah Ah Boom Tang
Ah Rah Rah Ah Boom Tang
Soloist #1:My name is Renee
Group: Ah Boom Tang
Soloist # 1:They call me Nae
Group: Ah Boom Tang
Soloist #1: And when they see me
Group: Ah Boom Tang
Soloist #1: They say “Ah Rah Rah
You look good, baby.”
Soloist #2:My name is Jennifer
Group: Ah Boom Tang
Soloist # 2:They call me Jenay
Group: Ah Boom Tang
Soloist #2: And when they see me
Group: Ah Boom Tang
Soloist #2: They say “Ah Rah Rah
Twist it, baby.”
(Repeat entire cheer with new soloist until everyone has had a turn).
-Tazi M.Powell (African American female, from her memories of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s)
The words said as the last line in each soloist's turn may repeat what was previously said or may be different as long as the words stay on beat.
****
BANG BANG CHOO CHOO TRAIN (Example #1)
Group: Bang, Bang Choo Choo Train.
Watch Indonesia do her thang.
Soloist #1: I can’t.
Group: Why not?
Soloist #1: I can’t.
Group: Why not?
Soloist #1: Because my back is achin.
My bra’s too tight.
My hips keep movin’ from the left to the right.
Group: Her back is achin.
Her bra’s too tight.
Her hips keep movin from the left to the right.
(Repeat chant with the next soloist who gives her name or nickname. The cheer continues with this pattern until everyone has had one chance as soloist.)
-African American girls ages 7-12 years; (Alafia Children's Ensemble, Braddock, Pennsylvania), 10/1997; collected by Azizi Powell. 10/97; also collected by Azizi Powell from African American girls 7-12 years; Pittsburgh, PA (11/2001 & additional dates through 2005 as a hand clap rhyme)
-snip-
I believe that "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" originated as a foot stomping cheer. However, around 2005, "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" began to be performed as a partner hand clap rhyme.
"Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" is (was) often combined with the children's rhyme "Brick Wall Waterfall". These were by far the most popular recreational rhymes or cheers that were submitted to my cocojams.com website which was online from January 2001 to Oct. 2014.
A lot of children and preteens added examples of rhymes and cheers to that website by writing those examples on an easy to use page that didn't requite an email address. To protect underaged contributors, people who shared examples were asked to use either their first names only or their first name and the initial of their last name. ]
However, I've observed that "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" was (is?) usually performed since around 2005 as a hand clap rhyme and not as a foot stomping cheer. And, to my knowledge, "Brick Wall Waterfall" has never been performed as a foot stomping cheer.
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BOOM TICK TOCK
Boom tick tock
Look at that girl.
Boom tick tock
Look at that girl.
In the mini skirt.
You mess with her
You get your feelings hurt.
She knows karate
From the front to the back.
Jump ____* [Someone randomly calls out an action word; insert a girl's name] She's all that.
-Naijah S.; (African American female, 9 years old; Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; January 14, 2011; Collected by Azizi Powell
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C, D
CALL REPUTATION
this is a saying call reputation
my name is yonnqa
i'm number one
my reputation has just begun
so if you see me step a side
cause i don't take no jive
oh think she cool
correction baby i no i'm cool
i no karate
i no kunfu
you miss with me
i co it on you
rasasol o dazzo o ox2
-yaya ; 2/23/2007, cocojams.com
-snip-
This is a form of the "Hula Hula" cheer.
-snip-
"cocojams.com" is the name of my cultural website that was online from January 2001-November 2014 when I voluntarily de-activated it. Children, pre-teens, and teenagers contributed many of the examples of children's rhymes and cheers on that website via an easy to use webpage.
E,F
G, H
GATORS
All: Gaaators *
(clap two tines and stomp four times while turning around)
Gaaators
(clap two tines and stomp four times while turning around)
Soloist #1:
Gator’s aint wid it
So Homewood betta quit it **
All: Gaaators
(clap two tines and stomp four times while turning around)
Gaaators
(clap two times and stomp four times while turning around)
Soloist #2: Homewood betta chill out
cause I’ll put their tracks out. ***
Directions:
Repeat entire sequence two more times; start facing forward, first time you say it, you turn to your right while you are clapping two times, 2nd time on the beat, you turn to the back, 3rd time you turn to your left forth time, you turn to the front; then to the “chorus”. Continue the same pattern of the group reciting the first part while a new soloist recites a new different two line mocking or confrontational verse.
-Sha’ona and Conraya; (African American females, 11 years old; Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, collected by Azizi Powell, June 2008
*The Garfield Gators is the name of a community football team in the Garfield section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Garfield is a mostly African American working class neighborhood.
**Homewood is a nearby and rival mostly African American, working class Pittsburgh neighborhood.
***
"tracks" is another term for "(hair) weaves" - fake or real hair that is attached to a female's hair to lengthen it and/or give it more body
All:(including soloist named or nickname):
Ree Ree* has the power
to scream and shout.
But Deandre** has the power
to knock
you
out.
Say what?
To knock
you
out.
Okay.
[Repeat the entire cheer with another girl’s name or nickname or with another boy’s name or nickname]
-Riantai (*Ree Ree); African American female, age 8; Faison Primary School (Homewood area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 30, 2009; collected by Azizi Powell, October 30, 2009
* a nickname of a girl in your competitor' cheerleading squad’s name or nickname
** a name of a girl in your cheerleading squad
****
Hollywood rock swinging.
My name is Aniesha
I'm number one
My reputation is having fun
So if you see me just step aside
"Cause mighty Aniesha don't take no jive.
Hollywood rock swinging.
Hollywood rock swinging.
My name is katrina
I'm number two
My reputation is me and you
So if you see me just step on back
'Cause mighty Katrina don't take no slack.
Hollywood rock swinging.
Hollywood rock swinging.
My name is Natasha
I'm number twelve
My reputation is ringing that bell
So if you see me just step aside
"Cause mighty Aniesha don't take no jive
-Apples On A Stick: The Folklore Of Black Children by Barbara Michels and Bettye White (1983; p. 14);
-snip-
HOLLYWOOD GOES SWINGIN (Example #2)
All: Hollywood goes swingin
Hollywood goes ___swingin
Swingin for the good times
Swingin for the bad times
Soloist #1: My name is Zizi
I’m cool and the gang
Mess with me. I’ll do my thang
If you see me walkin down the street
You betta speak.
Long time, no see
Sexy as I wanna be
Some hittin me high
Some hittin me low
Some hittin me on my-
Don’t ask what
Group: What?
Soloist #1: My b-u-tt butt
That's what.
- Tazi M.Powell, (African American female, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1985-1986); also collected by Tazi Powell from African American girls, Pittsburgh [Lillian Taylor Camp], 1989 & 1990
-snip-
(Repeat from the beginning with the next soloist who says her name or nickname. Continue this pattern until every girl in the group has had one turn as the soloist)
* ___ pause for a beat
The group members decide the order of soloists by the fastest ones to shout out 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. They then form a line (or a half circle facing their usually imaginary audience) in that order. The girls begin stepping for a short while before they start saying the cheer. This is to make sure that everyone is "on beat". They keep doing the step routine when they begin chanting throughout the entire cheer. If someone "messes up the beat", the cheer must start all over again from the beginning using the same order of cheerleaders. At the end of the cheer, the entire cheer begins again with a new soloist. This pattern continues until everyone in the group has the same equal turn as the soloist.
****
All: Hollywood goes swingin;.
Swingin’ for the good times.
Swingin’ for the bad times.
Soloist #1: My name is Ebony.
(And) I’m cool and the gang.
You mess with me
And I’ll do my thang.
My sign is Libra
And that’s alright.
Cause all Libra’s
Are out of sight.
All: Hey you,
Check it out!
You! You!
Check it out!
-Tazi M Powell, Pittsburgh, PA, mid 1980s; Collected by Azizi Powell, 1996
-snip-
Repeat cheer with next soloist who gives her astrological sun sign.
The cheer continues until everyone has had one turn as the soloist.
****
When we were kids, what were some of your favorite hood
cheers? Post 'em here. Mine was "Hollywood Not Swingin'"
Hollywood not swingin', Hollywood not...swingin'
Hollywood not swingin', Hollywood not...swingin'
Well my name is Yella, my number's 1,
My reputation is havin' fun,
So if you see me just step aside,
Because this light chick don't take no jiiiiiiiiivvveeee.
-Cocaine,Aug 18, 2006, https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/hood-cheers.43158/ "Hood Cheers"
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HULA HULA (Example #1)
Group: Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Group: Hula Hula
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Well, I think I’m bad cause
Cara’s my name
and love is my game
I got this boy on my mind
and Lord knows he’s fine.
I got his name on my shirt
And don’t call it dirt.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s bad.
Soloist #1: Correction, baby I KNOW I’m
bad.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s fine.
Soloist #1:Fine enough to blow YOUR
mind.
-TMP.; Pittsburgh, PA, memories of mid. 1980s (cassette recorded in 1992 ; transcribed in 1996 by Azizi Powell)
-snip-
My guess is that the word "hula" in this cheer's title is a folk processed English form of the Spanish word "hola" meaning "hello". I believe that the "Hula Hula" title has nothing to do with the "hula hoop" exercise toy.
As is the case with all foot stomping cheers, this cheer continues without any breaks in the chanting/stepping until everyone has had one turn as soloist. If some one "messes up" (misses the beat or messes up the rhythm by hesitating in their solo part), the cheer has to begin again from the beginning. Consequently, if someone isn't sure that they know this cheer, they'll sit it out rather than attempt to perform it.
Foot stomping cheers always start with the right foot.
"Hula Hula’s" beat is stomp clap; stomp stomp clap. "Stomp clap; stomp stomp clap" appears to be the most often used foot stomping beat. Another beat is stomp clap, stomp clap).
HULA HULA (Example #2)
Hula Hula
Who thinks she's bad now
Hula Hula
Who thinks she's bad)
I think I'm bad
'Cause Shelly's my name
Black is my color
And love is my game
(Ooh, She think she bad)
[posturing] Ooh, I know I'm bad.
(Ooh, she think she bad)
Ooh, I know I'm bad
(Ooh, she think she bad)
Chile, go kiss my ass (or “Chile, your breath is bad” or “Chile go take a bath”)
repeat rhyme from the beginning.
-bublackberry (African American woman); Connecticut; emailed to Azizi Powell, 11/11/05 .
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HULA HULA (Example #3)
Hula Hula
Now who thinks they bad
Hula Hula
Now who thinks they bad
I think I'm bad
'Cause Acie my name
Take a sip of my potion
And dance in slow motion
Uh-huh
She think she bad
Baby baby don't make me mad
Uh-huh
She think she cool
Baby baby don't act a fool
Uh-huh
She think she sweet
Sweetest person you ever meet
Uh-huh
She think she fine
Baby baby I'll blow your mind
-Apples On A Stick: The Folklore Of Black Children by Barbara Michels and Bettye White (1983; p. 13); That book's preface indicates that Black children from Houston, Texas were the source of all of the examples in that book.
****
All: Hump De Danda
Hump Hump De Danda
Hump De Danda
Hump Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: (Well) My name is Toya.
Group: De Danda, Hump Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: I’m super cool.
Group: De Danda Hump, Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: You mess with me
Group: De Danda Hump, Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: and you’re a fool.
Group: De Danda Hump, Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: I’m goin down
Group: De Danda Hump, Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: to touch the ground.
Group: De Danda, Hump, Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: I’m comin up
Group: De Danda, Hump Hump De Danda
Soloist #1: to mess you up.
All: Humpty Dumpty
sat on ah wall
Humpty Dumpty
had a great fall.
Oosh, ain’t that funky now.
Oosh, aint that funky now.
Oosh, ain’t that, Oosh ain’t that
Oosh, ain’t that funky now.
(Repeat the entire cheer with the next soloist)
-African American girls (ages 6-12 years old; Lillian Taylor camp, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, collected by Tazi Powell, 1991 or 1992 (transcribed from audio tape by Azizi Powell, 1997)
****
I, J
Jump in the car
Put your foot on the gas
Jump back and let ___ pass
She got that whip, whop
Look at that booty
Whip, whop
Don't it look good
Whip, whop
I know you want some
Whip, whop
But you can't get none
-hotsunset28, August 18, 2006, https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/hood-cheers.43158/ "Hood cheers"
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K, L
LIKE THAT
One person from the group: Attention Attention 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3
Like that. Ready. Okay.
Soloist #1: My name is Tatayane
And I’m LIKE THAT.
Mess with me and you will get a __* KICK BACK.
All you haters talkin this and that.
I’ll pass it to my home girl Sydney
__ Like that.
Soloist #2 : My name is Sydney
And I’m LIKE THAT.
Mess with me and you will get a __ PUNCH BACK.
All you haters talkin this and that.
I’ll pass it to my home girl Jacquala
___Like that.
Soloist #3 : My name is Jacquala
And I’m LIKE THAT.
Mess with me and you will get a __ SLAP BACK.
All you haters talkin this and that.
I’ll pass it to my home girl Kristina
___ Like that.
-Muffin (African American female, age 10; Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;10/2007; Collected by Azizi Powell
-snip-
"___" indicates that you pause one beat before saying the next word.
****
M, N
I remembered this cheer from when I was little. (Say this with attitude) You say:
"My name is _________ and I'm a star you mess with me I'll take you far." Others say: "Woo, she thinks she's bad." You say: "Correction baby, I know I'm bad." Others say: "Woo, she thinks she's bad." You say: "Child, please!" (As you say the last line, you put your hand up as if motioning "stop") You repeat this cheer until everyone on the squad has had a turn.
-kelly, 9/27/2006, cocojams.com
MY NAME IS ___ (Example #6, Fragment)
My name is Shakeila and I’m number one
I step to the beat and I no it’s fun
all these haters go to hate like this so all
I got to do is left right left.
-Shakeila; age 11; Garfield neighborhood ,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 10/16/2007, [from a written survey that I gave out to students in after-school classes]
-snip-
Shakeila wrote "no" instead of "know".
****
MY NAME IS ____ (Example #7)
I learned this from my girl sara My name is (enter your name)
and as u can see i the finest chick in Albany
im rough and though cant touch my stuff m
fly like a butterflie i sting like a bee thats why all the boys
tell me break it down shawty
-Samantha; 11/25/2008, cocojams.com
NEICY THINKS SHE BAD*
Neicy think she bad yall
"Who me?"-Neicy
Neicy think she bad
Neicy- It aint me who think i'm bad its you who think you bad your underarms your in between, oh girl its killing me (while fanning nose)
One thing you should know is take a bath your dirty ho
Neicy think she bad yall
Neicy think she bad
A neighboring cheering squad is usually on the receiving end
of this and a fight will most likely break out by second verse
-NicoleBitchie, Aug 18, 2006 https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/hood-cheers.43158/
“Hood Cheers”
-snip-
*This cheer is a variant of "Hula Hula".
****
O, P
Q, R,
ROCK THE BOAT (Example #1)
Hey all! Did anyone do cheers? Me and my girls used to "battle" other groups of girls from different neighborhoods. My favorite:
rock, rock the boat
Rock the boat
rock rock the boat
My name is Mocha
(chorus sings) Rock the boat
I'm feeling fine
(chorus)Rock the boat
Just like my sign
(chorus)rock the boat
My sign is GEMINI
I say bang, bang choo-choo train
wind me up and I do my thang
Reeses Pieces, Butter cup
you mess with me and I'll F*ck you up
If my momma EVER knew I was cursing like that!!
-Sexy Mocha (Brooklyn, New York), http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=5627 Remember When, 7/31/2000
-snip-
This is the way this cheer was written in that comment.
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ROCK THE BOAT (Example #2)
We are the {school's mascot} rock the boat! We're feelin fine rock the boat! Mess with us rock the boat! We'll blow your mind rock the boat! I said a bing-bang choo-choo train come on {school's mascot} lets do our thang. our reeces peices our buttercup all you gotta do is warm us up! we know karate we know cungfu..mess with us and we'll use it on you!
-Kelley; 12/10/2006, cocojams.com
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ROCK THE BOAT [Example #3]
this is how we do it at my school:
rock the boat dont tip it over
rock the boat dont tip it over
my name is __
yeah!
im feelin fine!
yeah!
u mess with me
yeah!
ill blow ur mind
so bang bang choo choo train
u look at me and i do my thang
no recces pieces no butter cup
i kno karate i kno kung fu
u mess with ill mes with u!
i kno its tottaly off to wat everyone else is sayin but thats wat we sing on the bus all the time.
-slimeshady100, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QuTsAtQPY, 2010
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ROLL CALL
I learned this from Bring It On (awesome movie RECOMENED!) Roll Call! My name is (your name)(i am rough and tough,etc.) yeh ( and when i shake it Etc.)
yeah (The boys go I Mommy etc.) Whoo Roll call ( next person in line does the same thing until every one is done Every body all together - we are the (your team name) And we are tough And when once we've won we've kicked some but. Goooo (your team's name) I love your site it is one of my resources to get some new awesome cheers from all the great captains or not.
Luv ya
-K-del ; 6/11/2007, cocojams.com
-snip-
This is the way that comment was written on cocojams.com.
In the line "The boys go I Mommy", the word "I" is probably the still currently popular interjection "Aye" ("Ayye" and other similar spellings.). "Aye" means something like "Hey!".
Some African Americans and people of other races/ethnicities in the United States may informally refer to females who aren't adults (particularly elementary school age girls) as "mommy" or "little mama".
**
The words "we've kicked some but"= "butt" and mean something like "We really overpowered that other team".
****
S,T
This is a call and response chant from the late 70's early 80's Elkhart Indiana
All: Taba Taba Tab. First person: My name is Sonji.
Rest of Group: Tab. First person: I go to school.
Group: Tab. First person: I'm supercool.
Group: Tab I used to gamble. Group: Tab
First person: But now I don’t. Group: Tab
First person: And never will. Group: Tab
First person: Me and my man. Group: Tab
First person: In the van. Group: Tab
First person: Had a fight. Group: Tab
First person: Last night. Group: Tab
First person: He knocked me down.
Group: Tab. First person: I got back up
Group: Tab. First person: And kicked his butt childhood.
The chant starts over again with the next person in the group and so on.
-Sonjala A. (African American female); 3/15/2008, collected by Azizi Powell
-snip-
The term "childhood, in this example, is probably a folk processed form of the exclamation “chile please”.
****
My name is Mocha (Tell it, tell it)
I'm on the line (Tell it, tell it)
I wanna do it (tell it, tell it)
with Nas' sign (Tell it, tell it)
And you know what? (what?)
My man will rough you up.
Hey!!!
The alternate version said, "and you know what? My man don't do enough".
-Miss Mocha, http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=31403&page=5,03-28-2003
-snip-
"Tell It' foot stomping cheers can also be considered "romantic relationship" cheers.
WARNING- Most of the examples of "Tell It" foot stomping cheers that I have come across can be considered "nasty" (sexually explicit or alluding to sexual explicit actions.)
* "Nas" is the stage name for an American rapper. His Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nas indicates that he started his recording career in 1991, but his highly regarded album Illmatic wasn't released until 1994. This information suggests that this version of "Tell It" was probably not chanted until 1994. The word "sign" here means Nas' astrological sun sign, or by inference, with Nas or with a male who has Nas' sun sign.
"Nas" in this cheer is not Lil Nas X who recorded "Old Town Road".
Btw, my guess is that these "Tell it" girls' rhymes were inspired by the 1966 hit R&B song "Tell It Like It Is" which was recorded by Aaron Neville and then by other vocalists.
****
TELL IT (Version #2, added March 26, 2020)
One of my line sisters remembered this "mannish" version of "Tell It":
My name is ___________ (Tell it, tell it)
I'm on the line (Tell it, tell it)
smoking reefer and drinking wine
And you know what (What?)
And you know what (What?)
I have a man (Tell it, tell it)
He looks alright (Tell it, tell it)
But he can do it do it do it do it allllll night (Say what!)
She swears they used to say this in elementary school (We're both 23/24). I wonder what those little girls are chanting now.
-Symphony08, http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/archive/index.php/t-31403.html, 03-26-2003
-snip-
"Line sisters" -women who pledged and joined a particular chapter of a historically Black Greek letter sorority at the same time.
****
TELL IT (TELL IT LIKE IT IS) (Version #3)
tell it, tell it, tell it like it is
uh oh!
tell it, tell it, tell it like it is
me: my name is Goddess
homegirls: tell it, tell it
me: I'm on the line
homegirls: tell it, tell it
me: and I'm gon' do it
homegirls: tell it, tell it
me: with a Scorpio sign
homegirls: tell it, tell it
me: and you know what?
homegirls: what?
me: and you know what?
homegirls: what?
(alternate replies)
me: my man was rollin on the ocean, he was rollin on the sea, and the best part about it, he was rolling on me (insert fast azz 8 year old sexy move here)
OR
me: I'm just gon' kick yo butt
-GODDESS!, August,18,2006,https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/hood-cheers.43158/ "Hood Cheers"
****
TELL IT TELL IT (Version #4)
"tell it, tell it
tell it like it is.
I go to school
(tell it tell it)
Smoking kools
(tell it tell it)
I walk the streets
(tell it tell it)
10 times a week
(tell it tell it)
I'm number third
(tell it tell it)
Smoking herb (tell it tell it)....
& the nonsense continues. Smh... my grandmother wouldn't let us sing that one.
-Chrystal Smith (Chicago, Illinois), July 14, 2017 (comment in discussion thread for vlog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfzHL_1PdbY
Let's Discuss: Black Girl Childhood Hand Games and Sing Songs")
-snip-
I reformatted this example from sentence form to line form.
"Number third" is probably a typo for "Number three".
****
TELL IT (TELL IT LIKE IT IS (Version #5)
Tell it tell it tell it like it is (uh hun)
tell it tell it tell it like it is
My name Nicole (tell it tell it)
I’m on the line (tell it tell it)
And I can do it (tell it tell it)
To the Capricorn sign (tell it tell it)
And you know what? (what?)
And you know what (what?)
Your man was in my body and he did some karate and he
knocked on my door, but he didn’t get no more.
-Black Girlhood Celebration: Toward a Hip-hop Feminist Pedagogy
By Ruth Nicole Brown, published in 2008; Page 43 Google books.
-snip-
WARNING- The second to the last line in this example moves it to the "dirty" [sexually explicit] category.
****
TELL IT TELL IT (Version #6)
My name is ______________ (Tell it Tell it)
Zodiac sign my sign (Tell it Tell it)
And if you don't like it (Tell it Tell it)
You can kiss my behind (Tell it Tell it)
You know what? (What?)
You know what? (What?)
My name ________and I can do it like this! (do a dance)
-Honeykiss1974, http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/archive/index.php/t-31403.html, 03-26-2003
-snip-
The "1974" in her screen name is probably her date of birth which means that this cheer may be from the mid 1980s.
TELL IT LIKE IT IS (Version #7)
" **sings**
tell it, tell it, tell it like it is,
tell it, tell it, tell it like it is,
my name is Cyn (tell it, tell it)
im on the line (tell it, tell it)
and i can do it (tell it, tell it)
with the 'quarius sign (tell it, tell it)
and you know what (what)
and you know what (what)
my man was knockin at my door
he was beggin for some more
he was all on my body
so i had to use karate
then karate didnt work so i did kung fu
and kung fu didnt work so i left it up to you
tell it, tell it, tell it like it is,"
-cyndependent, Location Whycago, 7-24-2007, https://www.nappturality.com/forums/threads/81695-Clapping-Rhymes-hand-Games/page2 {This website is no longer available.]
All: Two way pass away. Two way pass away.
Soloist #1: Well, my name is Shana.
Group: Two way pass away.
Soloist #1: And if you don’t like it,
Group: Two way pass away.
Soloist #1: You can kiss what I twist.
And I don’t mean my wrist.
-African American girls (around 8-12 years old), Braddock, Pennsylvania*, collected by Azizi Powell, 1985
(Repeat the entire cheer from the beginning with the next soloist and continue repeating until every member of the group has had one turn as the soloist.)
****
U, V
W, X
WHAT YOUR HEART BEATING FOR
What your heart beatin for?
What your heart beatin for?
You scared?
What your heart beatin for?
You scared?
I’m not
But they is.
I’m not
But they is.
They betta fall back
Before they get slapped [or cracked].
My name is Raya
And I’m not with that.
[the next soloist immediately starts the cheer again and says the same thing except she gives her name or nickname at the end.
-Canraya E, African American female, 11; and Sha’ona K, age 11, collected by Azizi Powell, June 2008
-snip-
This is a cheerleading cheer that the girls learned from the Garfield Gators. They showed it to me during "free time"during their after lunch break (I was a substitute teacher at their school that day). Usually more than two girls do this cheer.
This taunting cheer was performed to foot stomps that alternated with (individual) hand claps}. Both girls said the first two lines and then one girl said the rest of the cheer.
The soloist continues doing the foot stomping routine while she speaks. The second girl does the same foot stomping beat as the soloist while the soloist speaks but she is silent and expressionless..
The cheer was then repeated from the beginning with the new "soloist" who says her name and the exact same words. Sometimes minor changes are made, for instance instead of saying "slapped", you can say "cracked".
Y, Z
YOU AINT GOIN NO WHERE
Entire Group: You ain’t goin no where
no where
You ain’t goin no where
You ain’t goin no where
no where
You ain’t goin no where
Hey Shadeya
Shadeya
(Soloist #1): Too shy
Group: Introduce yourself
Shadeya: I’ll try
My name is Shadeya
I cheer for Garfield.
My sign is Libra.
And when I’m up
Group: When she’s up.
Shadeya: I’m hot stuff.
Group: She’s hot stuff.
Shadeya: And when I’m down.
Group: And when she’s down.
Shadeya: Don’t mess around.
Group: Don’t mess around
Shadeya: Don’t make me scream
cause you will be _knocked _out.
-snip-
" __ " means to pause a beat. * name your community or school athletic cheerleading team; "my sign" means the person's astrological sun sign.
Repeat the entire cheer from the beginning with the next soloist who says her name or nickname, the name of the sport or community team she cheers for. The girl doesn't have to really be a cheerleader. She is engaging in dramatic play- that is-she's pretending to be a cheerleader.
Continue this pattern until every one in the group has had one turn as the soloist.
-Shadaya, Fort Pitt School; (Garfield), 2002; collected by Azizi Powell; I also collected the exact same cheer in 2008 from Conraya and another girl from the same school.
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I added the following comments to the comment section of a previously published pancocojams post on foot stomping cheers:
ReplyDeleteHere's an excerpt about "Steps" from the 2010 book "Recess Battles: Playing Fighting, and Storytelling" by Anna R. Beresin:
[page 105
"Stepping is the African American art of polyrhythmic handclapping and foot stomping that is a circle or line game, often with call-and-response singing and turn taking. A proud tradition at many predominately African American schools and among African Americans groups at predominately White institutions, steps are akin to cheerleading and a cousin to both handclapping and marching. The steps that are performed at the Mill School yard exclusively concerned the body, skill. and the complex role of being an attractive young woman. They involved singing, clapping, stamping feet, and improvising with other steppers. Although professional and competitive steppers are both male and female, only girls engaged in stepping on the playground. The rhythms are complex and syncopated, and the formation is typically a small circle. In most cases, each stepper is introduced by name and given a chance to perform a solo move.
Unlike jump rope, step lyrics tend to be overtly sexual. Steps were taken much more seriously than hand-clapping games, which usually ended in laughter. Some traditional step themes involved ritual insults: poverty, physical ugliness, stupidity, and promiscuity.
Rarely recorded
[page] 106
among females, ritual insults are a way of practicing coolheadedness about the body in an insulting world. Originally expurgated from collections of children's lore, taboo rhymes such as these have been recorded for what they really are: honest reflection of the issues with which real children wrestle."
[This excerpt is continued in the next comment.]
****
Azizi Powell, April 23, 2022
Here's a continuation of an excerpt about "Steps" from the 2010 book "Recess Battles: Playing Fighting, and Storytelling" by Anna R. Beresin:
[page] 106
The girls who did double-dutch jump rope also did steps, which were exclusively the domain of African-American working class girls at the Mill School, those who traveled by bus from less affluent neighborhoods. It was secret repertoire of the body, sometimes labeled "nasty" by the girls themselves. But when they were assured that they would not get in trouble for singing to me, they sang even louder than they did for "Big Mac" or any other rope rhyme. Stepping offered the girls a chance to improvise and "show their motions"...
"The Mill School" where Anna R. Beresin did her research for her 2010 book "Recess Battles: Playing Fighting, and Storytelling" * is (or was) a public elementary school in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteHere are three of the titles of "Steps" [which I refer to as foot stomping cheers] that Anna R. Beresin documented in her 2010 book "Recess Battles: Playing Fighting, and Storytelling"
"Shoo Shoo, Sharida", "Fly Girl", and "Hollywood."
I observed different foot stomping cheer examples of "Fly Girl" and "Hollywood" in the 1980s in Black neighborhoods of the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.
I've also found online childhood remembrances of "Fly Girl" and "Hollywood" from Black women throughout the United States.
However, I haven't come across any other examples yet of the cheer "Shoo Shoo, Sharida".
*The "Reeces Pieces" portion of that book title undoubtedly comes from this confrontational lines that are usually found in "Brick wall Waterfall" rhymes:
"Reeces pieces 7 up/Mess with me and I'll mess you up".
"Reeces pieces" is a brand name for small bits of chocolate & peanut butter candy.