Examples Of "Old Aunt Mariah Jumped In The Fire" ("Obadiah") & Other Titles Of This Children's Rhyme (from the late 19th century to the late 1950s)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a compilation of comments and examples of the children's rhymes entitled "Old Aunt Mariah Jumped In The Fire" (or other titles). All of the examples that are included in this post are from those comments in a Mudcat folk music forum discussion thread that includes a date when the example was collected or published or a date when that rhyme was heard or chanted by the commentator.

The examples that are showcased from that Mudcat discussion thread are from the late 19th century to the late 1950s. Geographical locations are also usually noted in these comments.  

All of these comments/examples are from the Mudcat Folk Music discussion thread https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72705 Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire and only include comments that cite a date that that rhyme was published, recorded, or collected or a date that the commenter remembers hearing, reading, or chanting a version of that rhyme.

The late 19th century example in that Mudcat discussion thread is given as comment #9 in this pancocojams post.  Unlike the other examples of that rhyme in that discussion thread (as well as other examples that I have found online) that example has a call & response format.

The content of this post is given for folkloric and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown person who was the first to compose this rhyme. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this rhyme.
-snip-
This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing series of posts on what I refer to as children's "trading rhymes" in which one item is found to be defective or one experience is found to be problematic so the person exchanges that item for another one (or moves to a different experience). This pattern continues throughout the rhyme until the rhyme ends.

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DISCLAIMER
Pancocojams usually showcases examples of Black cultures in the United States and elsewhere. However, this pancocojams post doesn't mean to imply that these rhymes originated with Black people.  That said, some examples of this rhyme were/are Black American adaptations (versions) of this rhyme.  

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The earliest date that is given in this pancocojams compiled list may not be the earliest documented date for this family of rhymes family.

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A PANCOCOJAMS COMPILATION OF THE CHILDREN'S RHYMES "OLD AUNT MARIAH" ("OBADIAH") AND OTHER TITLES
All of the entries in this pancocojams compilation are from https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72705 (as of November 7, 2026)*. 

These selected comments are from Mudcat Folk Music Forum are all of the examples on a discussion thread on that forum that include a date in which that rhyme was chanted, recorded, collected, or otherwise documented. 

A number of other comments on that discussion thread include comments that their grandfather (or grandmother) chanted this rhyme when the commenters were growing up. Those examples are included in thi compilation because they don't include any dates.

I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only. 

*That Mudcat discussion thread is still open for comments as of November 8, 2026.

The Pancocojams Compilation of examples of this rhyme with demographic information begins here: 

1.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: masato sakurai
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 10:32 PM

"(1) From here:*

Old Aunt Mariah, jumped in the fire

Fire too hot, jumped in the pot

Pot too black, jumped in the crack

Crack too shallow, jumped in the tallow

Tallow too soft, jumped in the loft

Loft too high, jumped in the sky

Sky too blue, jumped in canoe

Canoe too rotten, jumped in the cotton

Cotton so white she stayed there all night!

(2) As a jump-rope rhyme from Roger D. Abrahams, ed., Jump-Rope Rhymes: A Dictionary (University of Texas Press, 1969, pp. 10-11):

Anthy Maria jumped in the fire;

The fire was too hot, she jumped in the pot;

The pot was too black, she jumped in a crack;

The pot was soon over, she jumped in some clover.

Clover's too sweet; she kicked up her feet.

Feet was soon over, she cried 1, 2, 3, jumped in a tree.

The tree was so high she couldn't go higher.

'Long came a breeze, blew her away.

 

Other versions give different particulars. 

Evans (1961), 23 [California].

Worsell (1961), 10-11.

Abrahams oral collection (1962) [Nevis, B.W.I.].
-snip-
Pancocojams editor- I added the asterisk after the word “here”.

* https://www.tagsrwc.com/chitchat/archive/2004_03_29.html [No title, author, or publishing date is given for this excerpt of a series of comments (Msg=messages). I've surmised from their content, that this is a message thread by fans of The Andy Griffith television series. Here's the message that is referenced in that Mudcat comment (given "as is")
"March 23, 2004 - Msg 20316: Morning DEARS. Sterling, your youngun souds so precious! I can just see the two of you acting out TAGS episodes. Train her well, she'll use that later in life. Boo, that goes for your little tornado too! Ain't that sweet? Aunt Bea's chicken nuggets, hee hee hee! When I was that age I was in love with pie. I had a stuffed toy that I named Opie and we would dance all around the house. I really wanted Ang for a F-I-L.

Old Aunt Mariah, jumped in the fire

Fire too hot, jumped in the pot

Pot too black, jumped in the crack

Crack too shallow, jumped in the tallow

Tallow too soft, jumped in the loft

Loft too high, jumped in the sky

Sky too blue, jumped in canoe

Canoe too rotten, jumped in the cotton

Cotton so white she stayed there all night!

~ Mrs. Wiley"
-snip-
Msg=” message

I believe that this message refers to the 1960 episode on the Andy Griffith show when Ernest T. Bass sang “Oh Aunt Mariah” while serenading Charlene Darling to convince her not to go through with her wedding with someone else. 

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64QS144yo9U for a video of that film clip.  Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread:

@TheFutureLooksGrimm, 2026
"Haha I finally found this and the episode it is from. "In his first appearance (Episode #94, "Mountain Wedding"), Ernest T. has his mind set on marrying Briscoe Darling's daughter Charlene, despite the fact that she is already married to Dud Wash. He breaks the Darlings' window in the middle of the night, and then attempts to serenade Charlene by performing a sort of spoken-word song called "Old Aunt Mariah," accompanied by drumming a gas can, which he "tuned" by tightening and loosening the cap. The family then decides to conduct a faked wedding, to which Ernest T. reacts by devising a nefarious plan to steal the bride, only to discover that it was Barney in disguise." -Wikipedia Quote"
-snip-
"Ernest T. Bass" is the name of a fictitional (White) hillbilly man who was featured on five episodes of the popular American television series  The Andy Griffith Show. That character was portrayed by (White American) comedian, actor Howard Morris. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_T._Bass for more information about that character and about the man who portrayed him. 

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2. 
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Dec 05 - 09:47 PM

"I heard it on a kids' record in the 50s. I recall the final line, but there may be another or 2 before it:
 

Old man 'badiah jumped in the fire.

The fire was hot so he jumped in the pot.

The pot was little so he jumped in the kettle.

The kettle was black so he jumped in the crack.

The crack was high so he jumped in the sky.

The sky was blue so he jumped in the canoe.

The canoe sprang a leak so he jumped in the creek.

The creek was soft so he jumped in the loft.

The loft was rotten so he jumped in the cotton.

 

THEN WHAT HAPPENS?

 

The cotton was soft so he pulled off his shoes

And stayed all night.

 

Now, does anyone know the chords?"

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3.
Subject: Lyr. Add: Old Mariah , Maria (Perrow)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 02:09 PM

"Lyr. Add: OLD MARIAH

Old Mariah jumped in the fire;

The fire was so hot, she jumped in the pot;

The pot was so black, she jumped in the crack;

The crack was so high, she jumped in the sky;

The sky was so blue, she jumped in the canoe;

The canoe was so deep, she jumped in the creek;

The creek was so shallow, she jumped in the tallow;

The tallow was so hard, she jumped in the lard;

The lard was so soft, she jumped in the loft;

The loft was so rotten, she jumped in the cotton;

The cotton was so white, she staid all night.

vol. 26, p. 143.

 

MS. of W. C. Stokes, collected from Mississippi whites. E. C. Perrow, Game Songs and Nursery Rhymes, no. 17, "Songs and Rhymes from the South," JAFL, 1911-1915, vol. 25, pp. 137-155; vol. 26, pp. 123-173; vol. 28, pp. 129-190.

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Also collected in North Carolina, Burke Co., by Amy Henderson, 1914-1915. (1952, Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, vol. 1, p 199).

OLD MARIA

Gena Maria fell in the fire;

The fire was so hot she fell in the pot;

The pot was so little she fell in the kettle;

The kettle was so black she fell in the crack;

The crack ws so high she fell in the sky;

The sky was so blue she fell in the canoe;

The canoe waas so long she fell in the pond;

The pond was so deep she fell in the creek;

The creek was so shallow she fell in the tallow;

The tallow was so hard she fell in the lard;

The lard was so soft she fell in the loft;

The loft was so rotten she fell in the cotton;

The cotton was so white she stayed there all night.

 

The similarity of the Mississippi and North Carolina versions may suggest both were derived from a printed source. "Obadiah" was also collected in Burke Co., NC; the last line- 'The cotton was so white he jumped out of sight.'

Also reported from UK, but I don't know any details. I doubt an African-American origin."
-snip-
Q's last sentence in that comment is in response to an earlier comment that I wrote on this discussion thread that cites a number of African American trading rhymes with similar words. Those rhymes have  beginning words or titles such as "Take A Peach Take A Plum" and "Oh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie". I asked if any African American origin had been found for the "Old Aunt Mariah" rhymes. I should have worded that question "Has anyone documented any African American adaptations or versions of those rhymes?

The Southern examples that are cited in Q (Frank Staplin)'s comment that is quoted above may (or may not) be from Black Americans.

My comment from this Mudcat discussion thread is given in the discussion thread that is found below.

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4.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Sep 09 - 04:18 PM

"Poor old lady maria, she jumped in the fire.

the fire was so hot, she jumped in the pot.

the pot was so black, she jumped in the crack.

the crack was so high, she jumped in the sky.

the sky was so blue, she jumped in the canoe.

the canoe was so shallow, she jumped in the tallow.

the tallow was so rotten, she jumped in the cotton.

the cotton was so white, she stayed all night.

the night was so dark, she stepped on a fork.

the fork was so round, she went into town.

the town was so big, she found a pig.

the pig was so red, she jumped in the bed.

the bed was so hard, she jumped in the lard.

the lard was so greasy, she slipped out easy.

poor old lady maria...

 

My old great grandma told me this when i was young... she was born before the 1900's."

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5. 
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST
Date: 05 May 10 - 01:32 PM

 "My dad always said, "Little Mary Mariah,jumped in the fire",etc. He was from Georgia, born in 1915.

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6.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST,mazzamum
Date: 07 May 12 - 05:48 AM

"this is the version my dad used to say to us when I was little in the early 1960's. It was spoken and the last jeremiah was loud and made us jump

When I was a lad as big as my dad

I jumped into a peapod

the peapod was so full

I jumped into a butchers bull

the butchers bull was so fat

i jumped into a gentlemans hat

the gentlemans hat was so fine

i jumped into a bottle of wine

the bottle of wine was so clear

i jumped into a bottle of beer

the bottle of beer was so nasty

i jumped into an apple pasty

the apple pasty was so good

i jumped into a lump of wood

the lump of wood was so rotten

i jumped into a bag of cotton

the bag of cotton set of fire

and blew us all to jeremiah"

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7.
Subject: Lyr Add: Jeremiah peed on the fire
From: Richard from Liverpool
Date: 07 May 12 - 06:10 AM

"This is the version from Liverpool, as printed in Frank Shaw's You Know Me Anty Nelly? (1970) - very similar to Paul Burke's version from his mother in Lancashire. 

Jeremiah pee'd on the fire,

The fire was out-

So he pee'd up the spout.

The spout was flat

So he pee'd on the cat

And the cat ran away

With the pee on its back"

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8.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Chris
Date: 17 Jun 13 - 04:01 PM

"As told to me by my Grandpa circa 1950 in Preston Lancs with broad Lancs accent:

When I were a lad as big as me Dad

I came out a pea pod

Pea pod was so full

I came out a roarin' bull

Roarin' bull was so fat

I came out a gentleman's 'at

Gentleman's 'at it was so fine

I came out a bottle o' wine

Bottle o' wine it was so clear

I came out a bottle o' beer

Bottle o' beer was so thick

I came out a knob stick

Knob stick wouldn't bend

I came out a turkey 'en

Turkey 'en it wouldn't lay

I came out a lump o' clay

Lump o' clay it was so nasty

I came out an apple pasty

Apple pasty was so good

I came out a lump o' wood

Lump o' wood it was so rotten

I came out a bag o' cotton

Bag o' cotton set on fire

And blew me up to Jeremiah.... Puff, Puff, Puff.

 

I have just started teaching it to my Grand daughter (age 1)"

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9.
Subject: Lyr Add: OBADIAH JUMPED INTO THE FIRE.
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Jun 13 - 06:52 PM

"From Americanisms; the English of the New World by Maximilian Schele De Vere (New York: Charles Scribner & Company, 1872), page 46: 

The other used to be sung by one voice, the response being given in a chorus, and at each refrain the husked car would be thrown on the rapidly-rising pile in the centre: 

Solo. Obadiah.

Chorus. Jumped into the fire.

Solo. Fire too hot.

Chorus. Jumped in the pot.

Solo. Pot too black.

Chorus. Jumped in the crack.

Solo. Crack too high.

Chorus. Jumped in the sky.

Solo. Sky too blue.

Chorus. Jumped in the canoe.

 

[Part of the rhyme seems to be missing at this point.]

 

Solo. Pond too deep.

Chorus. Jumped in the creek.

Solo. Creek too shallow.

Chorus. Jumped in the tallow.

Solo. Tallow too soft.

Chorus. Jumped in the loft.

Solo. Loft too rotten.

Chorus. Jumped in the cotton.

Solo. Cotton so white.

Chorus: Stayed there all night!"

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10.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Donald
Date: 01 Sep 13 - 12:16 PM

"My father recited this to me when I was achild. He was born in Texas in the 20s. His family came from Georgia, Carolinas and Virginia,

Old Granny Dyer, she jumped in the fire,

The fire was so hot, she jumped in the pot,

The pot was so black, she jumped in the crack,

The crack was so deep, she jumped in the creek,

The creek was so shalllow, she jumped in the tallow,

The tallow was so soft, she jumped in the loft,

The loft was so rotten, she jumped in the cotton,

The cotton was so white, she jumped alll night..."

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11.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Tom Johnstone
Date: 13 Nov 14 - 12:04 PM

"My version, from my Auntie Belle in Clitheroe, Lancashire, late 1950s, is very similar to Chris Guest's but with more of a flourish at the end:

When I were a lad as big as me Dad,

I come out of a pea swad,

Pea swad were so full,

I came out of a roaring bull,

Roaring bull were so fat,

I come out of a gentleman's hat,

Gentleman's hat were so fine,

I come out of a bottle of wine,

Bottle of wine were so clear,

I come out of a bottle of beer,

Bottle of beer were so thick,

I come out of a knob stick,

Knob stick wouldn't bend,

I come out of a turkey hen,

Turkey hen wouldn't lay,

I come out of a lump of clay,

Lump of clay were so nasty,

I come out of an apple pasty,

Apple pasty were so good,

I come out of a lump of wood,

Lump of wood were so rotten,

I come out of a bag of cotton,

Bag of cotton set afire,

And blew me back to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah, blow the fire,

Puff, puff, puff!

First you blow it easy,

Then you blow it rough.

Jeremiah, blow the fire,

Puff, puff, PUFF!"

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12.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Gary
Date: 21 Jul 17 - 05:18 PM

"Here's the way Iremember it from my boyhood here in Texas, 60 + years ago.

Jack McGuire jumped in the fire

The fire's so hot, he jumped in the pot

The pot's so little, he jumped in the kettle

The kettle's so black, he jumped in a crack

The crack's so high, he jumped in the sky

The sky's so blue, he jumped in the slough

The slough"s so deep, he jumped in the creek

The creek's so shallow, he jumped in the tallow

The tallow's so hard, he jumped in the lard

The lard's so soft, he jumped in the loft

The loft's so rotten, he jumped in the cotton

The cotton's so white, he stayed all night

And smoked old Jack McGuire's pipe"
-snip-
In 2017 when this comment was written in that Mudcat discussion thread, "60 years ago" would have been in 1957.h

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