Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series about children's songs and children's rhymes about Nebuchadnezzar.Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/01/two-childrens-youtube-videos-with-songs.html.for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents a summary of historical references to Nebuchadnezzar and a summary of Biblical references to Nebuchadnezzar. This post also showcases two recently published Christian children's songs about Nebuchadnezzar
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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This particular pancocojams series on "Nebuchadnezzar, King of The Jews" departs from the main mission of this blog which is to provide information about and examples of African American culture and other Black cultures around the world.
Sometimes pancocojams posts focus on children's recreational rhymes, singing games, and cheers because I'm interested in those subjects, regardless of which population originated those compositions.
That said, many of the examples of children's recreational rhymes, that I focus on in this pancocojams blog were originally composed by or adapted by African Americans or other Black people throughout the world.
Furthermore, regardless of who originated or adapted them, it's likely that each of the examples of children's recreational rhymes, singing games, and cheers that have been published in this blog have been performed or are now being performed by some Black people throughout the world
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In those YouTube animated videos, Nebuchadnezzar's excessive pride resulted in God punishing him by causing him to go crazy until he learned to be humble and honor God as the creator of everything. As such, these YouTube videos convey a moral and a religious lesson.
It should also be noted that some of these "Nebuchadnezzar" recreational rhymes substitute the name "Archibald" for the unfamiliar and hard to spell name Nebuchadnezzar.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE "NEBUCHADNEZZAR KING OF THE JEWS" CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES
[Numbers are added for referencing purposes only]
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=50369
Mockingbird (e.g. recording by Carly Simon & James Taylor)
(Childrens skipping rhyme) Is there a single 'name' for this group of songs? Are there many variants?"... |
Here's the only response to that question:
From: masato sakurai
Date: 13 Aug 02
"This type is called "chain songs" HERE, in which "the verse is expanded either by starting each new line with the last words of the previous one or in a question-response form."
-snip-
The link to which the capitalized word "HERE" led to is no longer available (in January 8, 2026.
I believe that the description that GUEST, pavane gave to the structure of those two compositions (i.e. "Mockingbird" also known as "Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry" and Nebuchadnezzar, King Of The Jews" is much more accurate than masato sakuri's response.
Perhaps these types of compositions should be called "faulty choices or consequences" songs or rhymes. Another example of this sub-set of compositions is the large family of "Ooh Ah, I Wanna A Piece Of Pie" rhymes.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iii-examples-of-ooh-ah-i-wanna.html for the 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".
*se comment/rhyme sources are given in no particular order,
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A COMPILATION OF EXAMPLES OF "NEBUCHADNEZZAR, KING OF THE JEWS" CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES
Unless otherwise noted, all of these examples are from the United Kingdom.
1.https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/nebuchadnezzar
"This two-ball rhyme 'Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Jews' was recorded by Iona Opie in Salford in 1975.
Nebuchadnezzar (King of Babylonia, 605-562 BCE) is a name which is often corrupted in this rhyme; in this case the girl reciting the rhyme says ‘Ezzachanezzar, King of the Jews’ while Roud records examples of children chanting ‘Archie Boo, King of the Jews’.
[video transcript]
Iona Opie:
Nebuchadnezzar, it’s the two balls. Okay. Has it got a tune? Oh good, sing it away then.
Girl: [Rhyming]
Ezza-ker-nezza-kin, king of the Jews,
He bought his wife a pair of shoes.
When the shoes began to wear,
Ezza-ker-nezza-kin started to swear.
When the swearing began to stop,
Ezza-ker-nezza-kin bought a shop.
When the shop began to sell,
Ezza-kin-nezza-kin bought a bell.
When the bell began to ring,
Ezza-kin-nezza-kin started to sing.
Do-ray-me-far-so-la-ti-do.
Do-ti-la-so-far-me-ray-do.
Iona Opie:
And why is it that you know it and not the others?
Girl 2:
She comes from another school."
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2. https://folkonwight.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/games-remembered-1.pdf "Games I Remember"
"This is a collection of comments in response to the question ‘What singing games
do you remember playing as a child on the Isle of Wight’? Most comments were
made on Facebook groups which share historical material. Updated December 2020.
[...]
Comment "a"
"Ball Games
Nebuchadnezzar King of the Jews (see also Skipping)
Nebuchadnezzar King of the Jews was bouncing a ball or sometimes juggling with two when I played
at school and home in Wootton Bridge in the early and mid 1950's. I remember these words
Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Jews Bought his wife a pair of shoes
When the shoes began to wear Nebuchadnezzar began to swear.
When the swearing had to stop Nebuchadnezzar bought a shop
When the shop began to sell Nebuchadnezzar bought a bell
When the bell began to ring Nebuchadnezzar began to sing then it went into such as (as long as it keeps
the rhythm) Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall (etc.). Played whilst bouncing a ball on the ground and
wall."
**
Comment "b"
"Nebuchadnezzar King of the Jews (see also Ball Games)
We used to skip to Nebuchadnezzar. When we got to ‘When the shoes began to wear, Nebuchadnezzar bought a chair, When the chair began to rot, Nebuchadnezzar bought a yacht ( Or When the chair began to break, Nebuchadnezzar bought a snake). We lived at Haylands, near Ryde. I am close to my mid-80s now, so this was in the 1940s."
**
Comment "c"
"Nebuchadnezzar was a fast double skip on the word Jews and
again on the word shoes and each rhyming word thereafter. I think the doubles were called
bumps, but it was a long long time ago.
Happy days. I played mostly on the concrete path surrounding the house and in the garden with local friends in the Parkhurst/Northwood area, probably also at Northwood primary school. I guess it was around 1950/52"
**
Comment "d"
"Nebuchadnezzar King of the Jews was used for skipping at
Denmark Rd School in Cowes"
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3. https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/38048?l=en
[includes a brief sound file]
"ARCHIBALD BALD BALD
Contributors-Unknown Person
Fieldworkers -Henderson, Hamish, 1919-2002 (10)
Date : August 1954
Archibald, bald, bald, the King o the Jews, Jews, Jews
Selt his wife, wife, wife for [or bought his wife, wife,
wife] [children sing varying words]
A pair o shoes, shoes, shoes.
And the shoes, shoes, shoes began to wear, wear, wear,
Archibald, bald, bald began to swear, swear, swear.
When the swear, swear, swear began to stop, stop, stop
Archibald, bald, bald began to [or bought a] shop, shop,
shop [children sing varying words].
When the shop, shop, shop began to sell, sell, sell
Archibald, bald, bald bought a bell, bell, bell.
When the bell, bell, bell began to ring, ring, ring
Archibald, bald, bald began to sing, sing, sing.
Doh ray me fah so lah te doh!
Item Notes
Sung as a rhyme for 'bumps skipping'. A variation on
'Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Jews'. According to James Ritchie this first
appeared in Edinburgh around spring 1945 ('Golden City', 1965, pp. 139-140).
See also:
'Doh Ray Me, When Ah Wis Wee' (Ewan McVicar, 2007) pp.
181-182
Recording Location- County - Midlothian
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4. https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/1230193/skipping-rhymes-from-the-50s-and-60s/p2
"a" - Scrubsfan, 17/03/10
…."I remember most of these but some we used to play two
balls against a wall with rather than skipping.
Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Jews
Bought his wife a pair of shoes;
When the shoes began to wear
Nebuchadnezzar began to swear
When the swearing had to stop
Nebuchadnezzar bought a shop
When the shop began to sell
Nebuchadnezzar bought a bell
When the bell began to ring
Nebuchadnezzar began to sing:
Doh Rae Me Far So Laa Tee Doh"
**
"b"- Radiomaniac, 17/03/10
"In the east end of London, we used this version
Archibald bald bald, king of the jews jews jews
Bought his wife wife wife a pair of shoes shoes shoes
When the shoes shoes shoes began to wear wear wear
Archibald bald bald began to swear swear swear.
When the swear swear swear began to stop stop stop
Archibald bald bald bought a shop shop shop
When the shop shop shop began to sell sell sell
Archibald bald bald bought a bell bell bell
When the bell bell bell began to ring ring ring
Archibald bald bald began to sing sing sing
Doh Rae Me Fah So Lah Tee Doh
Who stole my wife I do not know."
5.
"Games played by girls in Plymouth, c.1960
Two-Ball
This involved juggling with two balls, and chanting rhymes.
[...]
"Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Jews
Bought his wife a pair of shoes;
When the shoes began to wear
Nebuchadnezzar began to swear
When the swearing had to stop
Nebuchadnezzar bought a shop
When the shop began to sell
Nebuchadnezzar bought a bell
When the bell began to ring
Nebuchadnezzar began to sing:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall (etc.)"...]
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6. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1613657848871679/posts/2739703559600430/ The Yesteryears Revisited
"a". Audrey Bryanhill, March 14, 2020
"Reading about skipping rhymes the other day, can anyone
remember "Nebuchadnezzar the king of the Jews sold his wife for a pair of
shoes.When the shoes began to wear? I can't remember any more.
"b".
"When the swearing had to stop, Nebuchadnezzar bought a shop.
When shop began to sell, Nebuchadnezzar bought a bell, when the bell began to
ring, Nebuchadnezzar began to sing.. Humpty dumpty sat on a wall etc."
**
"c". Jean Martin, 2020
"And when the swear began to stop Nebu.. bought a shop and
when the shop began to sell Nebu.. bought a bell and when the bell began to
ring Nebu.. began to sing Doh Ray Me etc at which point you ran and the person
behind you carried on and so on until someone dropped them"
"d".
"We were taught "Ikey Moses King of the Jews
bought his wife a pair of shoes, when the shoes began to
wear
Ikey Moses started to swear
When the swearing began to stop
Ikey Moses bought a shop
When the shop began to sell
Ikey Moses bought a bell
When the bell began to ring
Ikey Moses started to sing
When the singing began to stop
Ikey Moses went off POP."
Maybe it was because mum learnt it in primary school &
Nebuchadnezzar was too hard to spell!"
"e".
"WE had it as a skipping rhyme at our school but it was
“Archibald” and NOT Nebuchadnezzar!
Archibald, King of the Jews
Bought his wife a pair of shoes
When the shoes began to wear
Archibald began to swear
When the swearing began to stop
Archibald bought a shop
When the shop began to sell
Archibald got a bell
When the bell began to ring
Archibald began to sing
Do-re-mi-fah-so-lah-ti-do!!"
**
"f" Mags Wolarz, 2020
"Archibald, bald, bald, king of...
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"g". Marylyn Mullane, 2020
"When the swearing began to stop Nebuchanezzar bought the shop when the shop began to sell Nebuchanezzar went to Hell. That was the version in our school!"
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7. https://museumsvictoria.com.au/media/3796/australian-childrens-folklore-issue15-dec1988.pdf Australian Children's Folklore
[...]
H-e-1-1-1.
(The fact that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon, not of the Jews, didn't worry me; however, I was puzzled by that final letter in the word "Hell". Apparently there were some things to which I thought poetic licence should not apply.)"... :
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8. https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/secret-world-of-childrens-chants.4231/page-4
Carole, July 16, 2002
"
Bought his wife a pair of shoes
When the shoes began to wear,
N'nezzar began to swear
When the swear began to stop
N'nezzar bought a shop
When the shop began to sell
N'nezzar bought a bell
When the bell began to ring
N'nezzar began to sing
Date: 06 Dec 01
"Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Jews,
Pulled off his stockings, but left on his shoes."
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PANCOCOJAMS QUESTION AND REQUEST
This pancocojams compilation has one reference to Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Jews" being chanted in Australia. However, I believe all of these other examples are from the United Kingdom.
Does anyone remember the "Nebuchadnezzar, King Of The Jews" rhyme being chanted in the United States or anywhere else outside of the United Kingdom? If so, for the folkloric record, please share the version of that rhyme in this post's discussion thread along with demographic information (such as when-what year or decade you chanted this rhyme or heard it chanted, and which geographic location (country/city/state or region).
Thanks in advance!
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This concludes Part #2 of this pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
In the ball bouncing or skipping rope rhymes that were chanted by mostly girls (?) in the United Kingdom from the 1940s on to at least the 1970s if not later, the historic figure Nebuchadnezzar was incorrectly referred to as the King of the Jews. Those rhymes didn't mention religion at all, but focused on Nebuchadnezzar, his wife, and shoes.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, these new animated videos and their songs are highly religious and focus on Nebuchadnezzar being the King of Babylon who was egocentric and was punished by going crazy because he wasn't following God's teaching.
Does this shift mean anything?