This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube audio file of a 1916 song entitled "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I" .
This post also presents examples of spelling "Mississippi" children's rhymes and comments about those rhymes.
In addition, this pancocojams post presents a YouTube of female Country singer Bobbie Gentry performing her song "Mississippi Delta" on television in 1968. That song begins with spelling the word "Mississippi".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, socio-cultural and recreational purposes.
Thanks to the known and unknown composers of these songs and rhymes. Thanks to the singers who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/names-of-cities-states-or-nations-in.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "Names Of Cities, States, Or Nations In Children's Hand Clap Rhymes & Other Recreational Rhymes (Complete Reprint)".
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SHOWCASE VIDEO - M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I (1916)
Sheet Music Singer, Nov 4, 2020
A 1916 spelling song. Words by Bert Hanlon. Music by Benny
Ryan and Harry Tierney. Published by William Jerome Publishing Corp.
1. When I was seven years of age
I used to go to school
And when it came to spelling
I was awful as a rule
I couldn’t spell a single word
When “S’s” were concerned
I’ve tried to overcome my lisp
And success came in return
Now that word Mississippi
Was awful hard to spell
But now I will convince you
That I can spell it well
Chorus:
M-I-S S-I-S S-I-P-P-I
That used to be so hard to spell
It used to make me cry
But since I’ve studied spelling
It’s just like pumpkin pie
M-I-S S-I-S S-I-P-P-I
2. A lot of words would puzzle me
Bananas was no cinch
Sasaparilla that was hard though
I’d spell it in a pinch
But words like Cincinnati
Psychological and such
Gee when it came to spelling those
I surely was in Dutch
I can’t spell Cinderella
And sausages that’s tough
But I can spell Mississippi
And believe me that’s enough
Midi sequence by James Pitt-Payne.
Vocal and video by Fred Feild.
-snip-
Here's information about this 1916 song from an AI Overview write up about MISSIPPI spelling rhymes:
The 1916 Ragtime Novelty Chant
"Other discussions [on Mudcat discussion threads] point to the commercialized spelling song originally written in 1916 by Bert Hanlon, Benny Ryan, and Harry Tierney, which later became a country hit for Red Foley in 1950."...
-snip-
Here are most of the comments from the discussion thread of that showcased YouTube video (with numbers added for referencing purposes only):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEkOXEcqD6k
1.@natalya6091, 2020
"Is the expression
" it is like pumpkin pie"
Is an idiom?
What does it mean?
Cheers.
Awaiting your soonest reply."
**
Reply
2. @GLepRagtimeChronicle, 2024
"It's a simile indicating that something is easy."
**
3. @redchandler, 2020
"Kind of remind us me of the mickey mouse club song in that spelling part."
**
Reply
4. @merlin8675309, 2023
"What? Disney stealing?!?!"
**
5. @orangie8426, 2023
"I'm 50 years old..
And my grandmother sang this to me all the time when i was around 7 years old..
She passed away from cancer right before Christmas of 1990..
I miss her tremendously..
She was always my guide and mentor..."
**
6. @Bogframe, 2024
"I have been looking for this song for years! I remember it
as a "Follow the bouncing ball" cartoon that doesn't seem to exist
anywhere but in my memories. Thank you!"
**
7. @UrLocalBackupChannelGuy, 2026
"The "MIS-SIS" part sounds like part of the
SpongeBob theme song."
**
Reply
8. @atwajesper9434, 2026
"It’s probably the other way around."
**
Reply
9. @UrLocalBackupChannelGuy, 2026
" @atwajesper9434 I know, since this song came first before
SpongeBob."
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EXAMPLES OF & COMMENTS ABOUT SPELLING "MISSISSIPPI"
These examples and comments are from several online sites. These websites are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
"Em" in these comments refer to how the letter "m" is pronounced in the English language.
SOURCE #1
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=59186
[Pancocojams editor's note: Only a few comments in that Mudcat discussion thread (which is still open for comments on November 5, 2026) are about the spelling songs/rhymes/about Mississippi (a deep Southern state in the United States). Most of the comments refer to or provide lyrics of 20th century recordings of songs about that state.
Here are the discussion thread comments about the Mississippi spelling song/rhymes. These numbers refer to their placement in this pancocojams post and not to when they were published on that Mudcat folk music forum.
1. Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Burke
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 12:59 PM
[something I've forgotten]
Does anyone know the rest of it?"
2.
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 01:10 PM
**
3. Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 02:51 AM
Title: Frances White's Spelling Song M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I.
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Lyric by Bert Hanlon and Benny
Ryan. Melody by Harry Tierney.
Benny Ryan Harry Tierney Publication: New York: William
Jerome Publishing Corp., Strand Theatre Bldg., 47th St., 1916.
Form of Composition: strophic with chorus
Instrumentation: piano and voice
First Line: When I was seven years of age I used to go to
school
First Line of Chorus: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, That used to be so hard to spell
~Masato"
**
4. Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI DELTA (Bobbie Gentry)
From: Burke
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 06:22 PM
MISSISSIPPI DELTA By Bobbie Gentry
M I double S I double S I double P I.
M I double S I double S I double P I.
Right in the middle of the cotton belt,
Down in the Mississippi Delta,
Wearin' last years possum belt,
Smack dab in the Mississippi Delta.
Have me a little that Johnny cake,
A little bit of that apple pan dowdy.
Picking them scuppernon's off that vine.
Chigger bite, it's goin' to beat howdy.
Ate me a bucket of Muscadine,
Sit on the riverbank after dark.
Drop my line down a crawdad hole,
Do him in with a scaly bark.
One-ree-o-ree-ee-reeanni.
Fidderliss-farce-nickory-john-queery-quan.
M I double S I double S I double P I.
M I double S I double S I double P I.
Right in the middle of the cotton belt,
Down in the Mississippi Delta,
Wearin' last years possum belt,
Smack dab in the Mississippi Delta.
Sittin and scratchin' mosquito bites.
Old fox done give him the slip.
Watchin' the mornin' glories grow,
In Biloxi on an overnight trip.
I bet five dollars to win two bits,
Eat a peppermint stick on Sunday.
Ain't no use in'a hurrying up,
Can't leave till a week from Monday.
One-ree-o-ree-ee-reeanni.
Fidderliss-farce-nickory-john-queery-quan.
In the Mississippi Delta,
Miss-iss-siss-ippi Delta.
Mississippi Delta: Bobbie Gentry.
Written by Bobbie Gentry.
(© Northridge Music Company/Universal MCA Music Publishing.)
From "Golden Classics of Bobbie Gentry", © 1998,
Collectables.
Originally © 1967, Capitol Records.
Lyrics from www.coquet-shack.com"
-snip-
Here's a YouTube video of Bobbie Gentry singing that song:
Bobbie Gentry- Mississippi Delta
David Frochoso Rubia, Dec 17, 2025
Live Show: "Bobby Gentry" 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKNYeJVWYT8
-snip-
The discussion thread for that video only has one comment as of November 5, 2026. That comment consists of the word "super".
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SOURCE #2
From https://herecomestheplanet.com/2013/11/20/mississippi/ "Here Comes The Planet.com"
"Mississippi
by Miss Penny Black, November 20, 2013
"Every time I see the word ‘Mississippi’ I sing that rhyme – ‘Mrs M, Mrs I, Mrs SSI Mrs SSI Mrs PPI.. MISSISSIPPI!’… I hope someone out there knows what I’m talking about or this will look mighty strange. "...
-snip-
The rest of that interior design page consists of photographs and descriptions of the author's luxurious hotel bedroom.
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SOURCE #3
From https://www.reddit.com/r/DoesAnybodyElse/comments/1ekfmsb/does_anybody_else_remember_how_they_were_taught/ "Does anybody else remember how they were taught to spell Mississippi?", August 5, 2024
[These are selected comments from that reddit.com discussion thread. These numbers don't necessarily correspond to the numbers on that discussion thread.]
1. r/DoesAnybodyElse
TabbyVolatile, August 5, 2024
"Does anybody else remember how they were taught to spell
Mississippi?
School never actually taught me the same way... My mom
taught me and it was.. M-I- Crooked letter-Crooked letter-I-Crooked letter-
Crooked letter-I-Humpback humpback-I. I'm just curious how many people learned
the same way."
**
2. gynoceros, 2024
"EM eye ess ess EYE ess ess EYE peepee EYE"
**
3. TabbyVolatile, OP [original poster], 2024
"I've heard that one! But it was pee pee in your eye lol"
**
4. lotiloo, 2024
"Never heard that! I was taught by singing
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I to a little tune."
**
5. TabbyVolatile, OP, 2024
"Pretty sure that's how school taught me. So I remember that
as well!"
**
6. Due_Smoke5730, 2024
"We would always have a game where we had to spell it as fast
as possible over and over so now I can only spell it fast."
**
7. Ordinary-Painter-598, 2024
"I learned it like this (I’m using solid caps to indicate a
stressed syllable): EM eye ess ESS eye ess ESS eye pee pee EYE Still find
myself reciting that in my head whenever I need to spell Mississippi.
Similarly, “The school principal should be your PAL” was how I was taught to
differentiate between “principal” and “principle”. I’m sure there were other
spelling tricks, but none come to mind at the moment."
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MY CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF THIS RHYME
I remember the "spell Mississippi" rhyme being used this way (in the late 1950s -early 1960s in Atlantic City, New Jersey, African American girls)
Girls would try to trick other girls into publicly saying the mildly inappropriate phrase "pee pee" (meaning "to urinate").
A girl would approach another girl and ask "How do you spell "Mississippi". If the girl who was asked this question wasn't aware of the trick, she would answer "Miss iss ippi".
The first girl would say something like "How did you spell the end of that word?" and the second girl would respond "i pp i". Then the first girl would laugh and point at the second girl and say "You pee peed?! You pee peed?! on yourself".
It only took one time before girls approached by some other girl/s to spell the word Mississippi refused to do so.
I don't remember any boys approaching girls or other boys to play (or try to play) this trick on someone.
I also don't remember ever hearing the Mississippi spelling rhyme with the crooked letter, humpback words. That rhyme was new to me when I first read it in a children's rhyme book when I was an adult.
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ADDENDUM - Explanation for the lyrics in the Spelling Mississippi Rhyme
From AI Overview
"The classic children's jump-rope chant and spelling mnemonic
for Mississippi is the famous "M-I crooked letter" rhyme. [The source that is cited is https://www.reddit.com/r/DoesAnybodyElse/comments/1ekfmsb/does_anybody_else_remember_how_they_were_taught/ "Does anybody else remember how they were taught to spell Mississippi?", August 5, 2024
Most users on Reddit agree that this rhythmic chant was a
staple of school playgrounds for generations to memorize a tricky word.
• Crooked letter, crooked letter, I (for the first two Ss
and I)
• Crooked letter, crooked letter, I (for the next two Ss and
I)
• Humpback, humpback, I (for the two Ps and the final I)
• Humpback: Refers to the letter P because of its rounded
top loop."
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