Miss Sue Playground Song
Irene Kistler Apr 7, 2011
-snip-
The YouTube video can still be viewed as of April 4, 2026 but all comments
have been deleted and the comment feature has been turned off.
Total number of views (as of April 4, 2026 at 12:52 AM EDT = 421, 165
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a 2011 YouTube video of two girls performing a hand clap routine while chanting a version of the children's recreational rhyme "Miss Sue From Alabama" (also known as "Miss Sue". The transcript for that video is also included in this post.
This post also presents information about the 2019 YouTube policy that turned off the comment feature for YouTube videos that feature children and, at the same time, automatically deleted all of the comments that had been posted to those discussion threads.
This post presents the comments to this video's discussion thread that I had saved in a Microsoft Word file in 2019.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the producer of this showcase video and the two girls who are featured in this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.
****
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript is based on the auto-transcript that is available for that video. However, I changed some of that transcript's results because it has obvious mistakes. Additions and corrections are welcome for this transcript.
"Hi. I'm Caitlyn and this is Morissa. We're going to show you "Miss Sue".
Miss Sue Miss Sue from Alabama, Alaska. Nebraska
She was
sitting in a rocking chair eating Betty Crocker
Waiting for the clock to go
Boom Tick Tock Tick Tock Banana rock
Boom Tick Tick Tock Banana rock
A B C D E F G
Wash those cooties off of me.
Inky dinky ponkey
Daddy had a donkey
Donkey died Daddy cried
Inky dinky ponkey
Boom Tick Tock Tick Tock Banana rock
Boom Tick Tick Tock Banana rock
A B C D E F G
Wash those cooties off of me
Wisha Wisha Wisha FREEZE
Who won? Me!"
****
YOUTUBE TURNS OFF DISCUSSION THREADS FOR MOST CHILDREN'S VIDEOS AND DELETES THE COMMENTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY POSTED IN THOSE DISCUSSION THEADS
From https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47408969 "YouTube bans comments on all videos of children", 28 February 2019; Chris Fox
"
Several brands stopped advertising on YouTube after discovering that paedophiles were leaving predatory comments on videos of children.
YouTube had originally disabled comments on videos that were attracting predatory and obscene comments.
YouTube says it will switch off comments on almost all videos featuring under-18s, in an attempt to "better protect children and families".
But it will now disable comments on almost all videos of
minors by default."...
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note: Not only did YouTube turn off its comment feature for videos of children, but all of the comments that had been posted to those video's comment sections were automatically deleted.
The unintended effect was that a wonderful treasure trove for folklorists was no longer available then and in the future. YouTube discussion threads for children's recreational rhymes, singing games etc. were the key way that people interested in examples adults remembered from their childhood could find those examples online. Those YouTube videos were also a key way that people online could learn what new rhymes or versions of old rhymes were being created often along with other information about these examples from the children themselves.
Furthermore, as a result of reading examples of rhymes from other commenters, children learned that their version wasn't the only way that rhyme could be chanted and performed. They learned that there can be more than one way to say a rhyme, and-by extension- they could have learned that there can be more than one way of doing other things in life. But those opportunities for children to share and learn via YouTube discussion threads are gone. Fortunately, I saved these examples from this showcase YouTube discussion thread.
****
COMMENTS I SAVED FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
I made a Microsoft Word file for this video and its comments in 2019.
These comments document some of the attitudes and opinions of the commenters and are not necessarily factual and not necessarily my opinions.
These examples document some of the multiple versions of "Miss Sue From Alabama" rhymes. This very wide diversity is partly because of folk processing and partly because of the different combinations of lines from one or more other stand alone rhyme/s that are found in these versions.
Can you identify the other rhyme/s that is/are combined with each version of "Miss Sue From Alabama" that is given below?
These comments are given in chronological order with the oldest comments given first except for replies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-svfUMX3BM
2013
ChloeeandErica Summers
"Ours was: " miss sue miss sue miss sue from Alabama Alaska Nebraska sitting in a rocker eating Betty Crocker tick tock tick banana rock x2 abcdefg Barney's my worst enemy"
**
Darlisa Perry
"Wrong song no offence but thAt is the white version"
**
Sadie Fletcher
"mine is: miss sue,miss sue,miss sue from albama they call her suzieanna sitt'in in a rocker eati'n bettie-crockertick- watchin that clock go tick-tock tick-tock shawawa tick-tock tick-tock shawawa abcdefg wash them boy cooties off of me moosha moosha i know karate moosha moosha i want my momy moosha moosha im so sorry moosha moosha FREEZE! have a staring contest
**
Jiytter
"have been waiting to see the clapping done the way I remember doing it... most of the videos don't show the up down opposite hands ..."
booya duh
"
****
2014
Holey Moley
"A lot of these hand clapping games are still played by african tribal girls today"
****
2015
RespectMyThickness
"back in my day it went a little something like this:
Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
Miss Sue from Alabama, her real name's Suzianna
she's sittin in a rocker, eatin Betty Crocker
watch the clock go tick tock tock tock, banana rock
tick tock tick tock banana rock
ABCD123
wash those spiders off of me
mooshka, mooshka, i see mommy
mooshka, mooshka, i know karate
mooshka, mooshka, oops i'm sorry
mooshka, mooshka, FREEZE."
**
Reply
Natalie Scurlock
"How do you remeber this"
**
Reply
RespectMyThickness
"me and my friends used to do that during recess all the time. it kinda just sticks with you lol"
**
Isaiah Guiden
"No it's
Miss sue
Miss sue
Miss sue from Alabama
her real name's Suzianna
Mama's having a baby
Daddy's going crazy
If it's a boy I'll give it a toy
If it's a girl I'll give it a curl
Wrap it up in toilet paper
Shoot it down the elevator
First floor stop
Second floor stop
Third floor you better watch out
For the S-T-O-P spells stop.
I said an A B C D E F G
Wipe those crumbs right off of me
You better freeze like a peice of cheese
Don't show no teeth😶"
**
Marisa Bruner
"This was my version of the song
Miss Sue
Miss Sue
Miss Sue from Alabama, they called her Suzianna
Sittin in a rocking chair, eating Betty Crocker
watch the clock go tick tock tick tock banana rock
tick tock tick tock banna rock
ABCDEFG
wash those spiders off of me
booshka, booshka I see my mommy
booska , booshka I know karate
booskka booshka oops I'm sorry you better
be sorry cus I am not sorry"
**
Makeda
"All of these come from African children games that they still play today, brought to America where black american girls play. The original version is different from this."
2016
Jenalyn Barton
"This is the way I sang it in Elementary School (I love seeing all the different versions!):
Miss Sue
Miss Sue
Miss Sue from Alabama
Her real name's Suzianna
Sittin' in a rocker
Eatin' Betty Crocker
Watchin' the clock go
Tick Tock
Tick-tock Banana-wana
Tick Tock
Tick-tock Banana-wana
ABCDEFG
Wipe that Blue Stuff (or "Those Boy Germs") off of me
HIJKLMNOP
I have plastic surgery
Oocha Boocha
Turn around and FREEZE!"
**
Reply
Felicia Villermaux
"Every version is going to be a bit different depending where you grew up from North South East West different state or city even different schools and parts get added and taken out, there is really no way to know the original versions"
**
The Colour English
"At my school it is completely different it goes
My soup, my soup
My soup from California
Sitting in a rocket
Eating chocolate waiting for the Time to go
Tic tic cicawawa tic tic cicawawa
A b c d e f g
Gummy bears are chasing me
One is red
One is blue
One is peeing on my shoe
I'm running running for my life
Cause the red one has a knife
CACHING"
Allison L
"I do
Miss Sue (Clap clap clap)
Miss Sue (Clap clap clap)
Miss Sue from Alabama, her name is Suzianna
Sitting in a rocking chair, eating butter crackers
Watching the clock go
tick tock, tick tock
walawala
tick tock, tick tock
walawala
ABCDEFG
Wipe those boy germs off of me
I bet 'cha, I bet 'cha
I bet 'cha can't freeze, first one to move is the black eyed pea,
second one to move is the beauty queen,
between, between, between you and me,
starting... NOW"
"
**
Felicia Villermaux
"My Miss Sue was
Miss Sue (clap clap)
Miss Sue (clap clap)
Miss Sue from Alabama her name was Suzzianna sitting in her rocker eatin Betty Crocker watchin that clock go tick tock tick tock sha wa wa tick tock tick tock sha wa wa abcdefg ya betta wash that chocolate off of me I said a mooooshka I said a mooooshka I said a mooshka mooshka mooshka freeze."'
**
Mikya Thomas
"here is how i sang it.
miss sue( clap clap) miss sue ( clap clap)
miss sue from Alabama her real name was Susana sitting in that rocking
chair mixing that porage like tick tock tick tock shoo walla walla abcdefg wash that moosha off of me moosha moosha
all on me and who
ever moves is the black eye pea"
****
2017
SLICED AVACADO
"Wow... The one I know is WAAAAAAAAAY different.... It goes
Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
Miss Sue from Alabama she came to Suzianna, Mama's having a baby! Daddy's going crazy if its a boy I'll give it a toy if it's a girl Ill give it a curl
Wrap it up in toilet paper, shoot it Down the elevator
First floor STOP
Second floor STOP
Third floor you better watch out cuz S-T-O-P speeeeellsss...
STOP!! (Freeze until other person moves) WHY WAS I THOUGHT THIS?!"
**
abigaelle nelson
"Mine is so different and I've been trying to see if people sing it the same. "Missing from Alabama her name is Susie Anna she's having a baby or papas going crazy if it's a boy I'll give a toy if it's a girl I'll give it a whirl wrap it up and toilet paper send it down the escalator first step step in your dada second step step in your mama third step you better watch out because this is how you spell stop STO Penut stop"
****
2018
ChezFeroce
"I recall mine being similar to this... except it was
ABCDEFG
wash the spiders off of me
mooshka, mooshka, i want my mommy
mooshka, mooshka, i know karate
mooshka, mooshka, FREEZE.
Do this. Do that. Do this. Do that.
and for each do and each this you spread your legs wider
apart with each word and the first one to lose their balance loses."
**
Ciera Marie
"Scrolling through the comments here and have yet to see the version my friends and I used 😂
Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
Miss Sue from Alabama, her real name's Aunt Suzannah
She's sittin in a rockin chair, eating baby crocodiles
Watchin the clock go tick tock, tick tock twaddle bottle
Tick tock, tick tock twaddle bottle
ABCDEFG
Wash those dirty boys off me
Moosha moosha I want my mommy
Moosha moosha I know karate
Moosha Moosha oops Im sorry (hit's partner's forehead with hand)
Moosha Moosha FREEZE"
**
Andey McFarlin
"My sister and her friends used to say:
Miss Sue
Miss Sue
Miss Sue from Alabama
Let's make a movie
You got the ABCDEFG
You got the HIJKLMNOP
You got the smooth legs
You got the smooth legs
You got the bald head
You got the bald head
Hey (friend's name), somebody called your name
Hey (another friend's name), somebody wants you on the telephone
It ain't my momma, sittin at the table
Peeling the potatoes
Tick tock boom boom
Tick tock boom boom
BOOM!"
**
kk Williams
"that's not how you play.🙄🙄🙄🤦"
**
Reply
texting story fun
"kk Williams it could be a difernt game"
****
2019
ʟ ᴇ ᴍ ᴏ ɴ ᴄ ʜ ɪ ʟ ᴅ
"My school does
Miss Sue
Miss Sue
Ms Sue from Alabama
Her name is Suzianna
Mommy's having a baby
Daddy's going crazy
If its a boy I'll give it a toy
If its a girl I'll give it a twirl
Wrap it up in toilet paper
Shoot it down the elevator
First floor stop
Second floor stop
Third floor stop
Gimme that s.t.o.p
Spells stop
Got that a b c d e f g
And that h i j k l m n o p
Now smooth it
Now smooth it
Now keep yo dirty hands off me and do not show yo black eyed teeth
The you couldn't show your teeth"
**
Ratha
"Does anyone remember
Miss Sue
Scooby doo
Miss sue from Alabama-(.ect) ?"
**
Reply
Ophelia Bc
"Ratha yes! Is it the one where it says “magic measles magic flu give me an abcdefg”"
**
Lyli O
"This is my way
Miss sue (clap clap clap)
Miss sue (clap clap clap)
Miss sue from Alabama
Hey you (clap clap clap)
Scooby doo (clap clap clap)
Miss sue from Alabama
Your mama's got the measles
Your papa's got the flew
Magic measles
Magic flew
Magic measles
Magic flew
Got an abcdefg
Take a hijklmnop
Take a qrs
Take a tuv
Take a wxyz :)"
Tamika Oliver
"
**
Caroline Howard
"I do it really different
We do:
Miss Sue(clap clap clap)
Miss Sue(clue clap clap)
Miss Sue from Alabama
Her real name is Suzanna
Sitting in a rockin chair
Eatin cotton candy watching
The clock go tick tock tick tock banana rock
Tick tock tick tock banana rock
Abcdefg wash the spiders off of me booshka booshka I know karate booshka booshka oops I’m sorry
P.S. just bc you do it differently than someone else doesn’t mean they’re way of doing it is wrong.
Just thought I should mention that"
****
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