Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part series that features examples of English language children's taunting rhymes. This post showcases a sample of children's rhymes whose titles (first words) begin with M-Z. In addition, this post includes a small number of children's retorts (come backs) to taunts.
These examples are posted for folkloric and recreational purposes.
Thanks to all who have contributed these rhyme examples.
-snip-
This is a complete reprint (with minor changes) of Part II of a two part series that is still published on my cocojams2 blog.
"Cocojams.com" was the name of my multi-page cultural website that was online from 2001 through 11/2014. Most of its children's rhymes and cheers content was submitted by children and teens via its easy to use internal form. I deactivated that website and published most of its children's rhymes and cheers on my pancocojams and my cocojams2 blogs.
Click http://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/11/taunting-rhymes-k.html for Part I of this series. Part I features a sample of children's taunting rhymes whose titles (first words) begin with the letters "A" -"L".
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SOME EXAMPLES OF CHILDREN'S TAUNTING RHYMES (M-Z)
These examples are published in alphabetical order based on their titles or the first few words of their first line. Multiple versions of specific rhymes are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date online or their collection date, with the oldest dated examples presented first.
The title isn't chanted. Contributor comments are included before and/or after the rhyme for some of these examples.
A number of the examples in this collection were featured on my cocojams.com cultural website that was online since December 2001. That website vanished late October 2014 [!?!) and I am partially recreating its playground rhymes pages from back-up files and from recent internet "rhyme harvesting". That's the story behind this blog name cocojams2.
M, N
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O, P
Oh say can you see
Any bed bugs on me
If you do
Take a few
"cause I got them from you...
(For the person who wanted demographics, early to mid 1950's Washington, DC area)
-Severn; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=2795#12230 "Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, I Bit the Teacher's Toe!", 3/27/2005;
-snip-
I was blogging on that Mudcat forum at that time. Severn responded to my request (or reminder) that other bloggers include demographical information for the folkloric record. I believed then and still believe that it's important to gather as much information as possible from rhyme contributors (who, what, where, when, and how) - including the race of those who are (or were) performing that rhyme.
I believed that a person's race can influence which types of rhymes a person knowns and likes, how rhymes are performed, and whether a person correctly understands vernacular terms and topical references in those rhymes.
For those reasons, I reminded people posting on the Mudcat folk music forum to add demographical information and I encouraged people sending in information to my cocojams.com website to include that information. However, most people didn't include racial information, even if they included other demographical information with their examples. I think that the main reason for this is the societal reasons including the (I think erroneous) view that mentioning race makes a person a racist.
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ORDER IN THE COURT (Version #1)
from the sf bay area in the 60's:
order in the court
the monkey wants to speak
speak monkey speak
the first one to speak
is the monkey of the week
-Guest, sundaymonkey, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350&messages=221, "I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes", 6/17/2005
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ORDER IN THE COURT ROOM (Version #2)
Order in the court room!
Monkey wants to speak!
Speak, monkey, speak!
And the first to speak is the monkey. Used in our family car for years in an attempt to keep five battling kids quiet.
-Sinsull; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350&messages=221, "I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes", 5/20/2005
-snip-
The example below entitled "Silence In The Courtroom" is part of the same rhyme family as "Order In The Court (room).
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Q, R
Roses Are Red
Violets are blue
God made me beautiful
What the hell happened to you
-Murubi, cocojams.com, 12/3/05
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ROSES ARE RED (Version #2)
Roses are red violets are blue God made me pretty, so what happened to you?
-Anonymous, cocojams, 2/6/2007
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S, TSEE MY PINKIE (Version #1)
See my pinkie.
See my thumb.
See my fist
You better run.
-various sources, including Azizi Powell's memory of her childhood (Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1950s)
-snip-
Another ending to that rhyme was "See my fist/Gee, you're dumb." (because you stayed there and listened to the entire rhyme when it was clearly threatening physical violence).
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MY PINKY (Version #2 of "See My Pinky")See my thumb
See my peace sign Minus one.
-Donk, cocojams.com, 1/23/2007
-snip-
A peace sign (hand gesture) is made with two fingers in a "v" formation. A hand gesture that is made with only one finger means that the person is "giving someone the finger" which is an obscene and contemptuous hand gesture.
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SEE THE BASKET
Insult: For a basketball game:
See the ball
Come on dummy
Hit the wall
This was something my mother said in the 1950s in Reading, Pennsylvania..
-Beth Z. cocojams.com, 10/6/2006
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SILENCE IN THE COURTROOM
Silence in the courtroom! The monkey wants to speak.
Whoever speaks now is the monkey for a week.
The monkey's in the courtroom, eating a bowl of beans,
While ----'s on the toilet, sinking submarines.
-Joe F. http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350&messages=221, "I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes", 5/20/2005
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SOMEBODY FARTED
Somebody farted P.U.!
Who did it come from?
From YOU! (Point to who you think is guilty.)
When did it happen?
Last night!
How did it feel?
Just right!
-http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml, retrieved on 10/15/2008
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STUNK IN THE BARNYARD
Stunk in the barnyard.
Pee yew!
Who did it come from?
From you.
-Mikane, (8 year old African American boy, Fort Pitt Elementary School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2001) collected by Azizi Powell
-snip-
Notice that Mikane said "stunk" instead of the animal "skunk".
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TALK TO THE BOOTY
Talk To The Booty (thrust hip forward)
Coz The Hands Of Duty (show palm of hand and put it on your hip)
And the Face Dont Wanna Know (look away)
-Jade, Cocojams.com, 4/29/2008
-snip-
"Booty" = butt
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THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT
There are hand motions that go with this ryhme, although I'm not sure I can explain them well, but I'll try, they're at the end}
That's the way uh huh uh huh
I like it uh huh uh huh
That's the way uh huh uh huh
I like it uh huh uh huh
Peace punch, Captain crunch
Brick wall, waterfall,
girl you think you got it all,
you dont. I do.
So poof with the attitude,
As if- Whatever- Good bye- Forever..
. -Erin Sarah; 3/22/2008, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br9fAi7HdDk, [discussion thread example, August 27, 2011
-snip-
Visit http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/thats-way-un-hun-un-hun-i-like-it-in.html for similar rhymes. Also, visit other pancocojams and cocojams2 posts for other examples from the large family of rhymes that is known as "Brickwall Waterfall" .
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TRICK OR TREAT
Trick or Treat
Smell my feet
Give me something good to eat.
If you don't
I don't care.
I'll pull down your underwear.
-Azizi Powell, memories of Halloween door to door trick or treating, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1950s.
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TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR
twinkle twinkle little star
what you say is what you are
up above the world so high
your a trash can in the sky.
-baby girl1234, cocojams.com, 8/7/2007
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U-G-L-Y (Version #1)
U-G-L-Y
You ain’t got no alibi
You're ugly
What? What?
You’re ugly.
M-O-M-M-A
That is how you got that way
Your Momma yeah yeah
Your Momma
-Janell H (African American woman); from her memories of high school cheerleader cheers in Pittsburgh,PA in the mid to late 1980s; collected by Azizi Powell in 2003
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U-G-L-Y (Version #2)
U-G-L-Y.
You don't have an alibi.
You UGLY.
Yea Yea.
You UGLY.
M-A-M-A.
How you think you got that way
YO MAMA. Yea Yea.
YO MAMA.
D-A-D-D-Y.
You don't even know that guy
YO DADDY.
Yea Yea.
YO DADDY.
C-U-T-E.
Don't you wish you looked like me
I'm CUTE.
Yea Yea
I'm CUTE
-Coach Kasey, cocojams.com, 8/25/2006
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U-G-L-Y (Version #3)
U-G-L-Y
you ain't got no aliby
you ugly,
yeah yeah you ugly
Don't be sad
don't be blue
Frankenstein was ugly too
You ugly,
yeah yeah
you ugly
-anonymous, cocojams, no date recorded.
-snip-
I remember the verse "Don't be sad/don't be blue/ Frankenstein was ugly too" from my childhood or teen years in the 1950s or early 1960s (Atlantic City, New Jersey.)
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W, X
When I was 4 or 5 I know we used to sing the following with great delight at primary school in Lancs, NW England:
What's the time? Ten to nine
Hang your knickers on the line
When they're dry, bring them in
And put them in the biscuit tin
Eat a biscuit, eat a cake
Eat your knickers by mistake!
-Guest Guestrainbow84uk http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72240&messages=44, "I have lost my underwear" 5/17/2008
-snip-
"Knickers" is a British word that means "underpants".
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WHAT U NO BOUT ME
what u no bout me,
what u what u no bout me.
what you no bout me,
what u what u no
i say (say da person name) is ugly
u no dat its true
so i dont no y u laughing
cause im talking bout u
-abc cant mess wit me; cocojams.com. 7/10/2007
-snip-
"What u no bout me" = "what do you know about me?
"u no dat its true" = you know that 's true
-snip-
It's possible that this blogger (whose name is abc cant mess wit (with) me) might have been exaggerating his or her use of African American Vernacular English, or purposely using it (code switching) for one purpose or another. I call this online style of writing "putting on the Black" and write about it eblwrite about it on my pancocojams blog. Here's one link to a post on that subject: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/puttin-on-black-online-black-talk-code.html "Puttin On The Black - Online Black Talk & Code Switching".
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Y, Z
YO MAMA DON'T WEAR NO DRAWERS (SOCKS) YO MAMA DON'T WEAR NO DRAWERS
Yo mama don't wear no drawers.
I saw her when she took em off.
She threw them in the air...
Superman said "I declare!"
(We had a whole lot of sayings that came after the second line like...She threw them on the track and the train jumped 50 miles back).
-Optimistic1 (African American female; Illinois); http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=2 "Childhood chants and games......", 12-29-2000
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YO MAMA DON'T WEAR NO SOCKS (Version #2)
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Yo mama don't wear no draws (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She threw them in the tree (ah ding dong)
And the dog refused to pee.
Chorus
Yo mama don't wear no socks (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She threw them in the sky (ah ding dong)
And Superman refused to fly
Chorus
Yo mama don't wear no socks (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She put them in ah nest (ah ding dong)
And the birds refused to rest.
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Rest in pea-eece
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Yo mama don't wear no socks (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She threw them on the wall (ah ding dong)
And the roaches refused to crawl.
Chorus
- Mzbweav, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWyYon0LcPI, December 08, 2007 (transcription Azizi Powell)
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YO MAMA YO DADDY YO GREASY GRIMY GRANNY / ....YO BALD HEADED GRANNY
YOUR MAMA MY DADDY YOUR BALD HEADED GRANNY (Version #1)
your mama
my daddy
your bald headed granny
she 99
she think she fine
she break it down like frankinstin.
go frankie
go frankie
go, go, go frankie,
go frankie
go frankie
go, go, go frankie.
my mama
my mama short and fine
she got a butt like mine
and when she walk the street
all cars go beep,beep beep
and when she go down low
she does a rollie o
and when she com up high
she does the butterfly.
stop. drop.
bring it to the top
pop pop
shake skake
vibrate vibrate
-erika, cocojams.com, 10/26/2006
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In the context of this rhyme and most other 1960s African American playground rhymes, "fine" means "very attractive" (physically attractive). Both females and males can be "fine".
Many of the terms in this rhyme are names of social dances or are lifted from R&B/Hip-Hop song lyrics. The exception is that "the Butterfly" started out as a Caribbean dance. That dance was picked up by African Americans and is mentioned in a number of African American playground rhymes.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/01/yo-greasy-grimey-granny-black-talk-in.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Yo Greasy Grimey Granny - Black Talk In Playground Chants (Complete Reprint Of This 2012 Pancocojams Post & Comments)"
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UR MOMMA UR DADDY UR BALD HEADED GRANNY (Version #2)ur momma
ur daddy
ur bald headed granny
shes 99
she thinks shes fine
she breaks it down like frankenstein
u wish
u wish
u just got dissed
wait come back
i think u need a tic tic
i dont need mean
not a sip not a swallow but the whole dang bottle!
-kno 1, cocojams.com, 4/30/2007
-snip-
"breaks it down" = does his (or her) best dance moves
"dissed" = insulted (disrespected)
Note that the lines after "u just got dissed" are from the "Brickwall Waterfall" insult rhyme.
As an aside, notice the blogger's creative tag name "kno 1" = no one (rather than saying "anonymous").
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YOUR MAMA, YOUR DADDY, YOUR GREASY GREASY GRANNY (Version #3)your mama,
your daddy,
your greasy greasy granny
with the hole in her panties,
with a big behind,
like frankenstein-
going beep beep beep
down sesame street!
-AMY!, cocojams.com, 6/28/2007
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YO MAMA YO GREASY GREASY GRAND MAMMY (Version #4)I am 25 now and learned this when I was in KG, i'm from North Carolina.
yo mamma
yo, mamma,
yo greasy greasy grand mammy,
she got a big behind like frankinstine,
it goes beat beat beat like sesame street.
-Erica, cocojams.com, 1/3/2008
-snip-
"KG" = kindergarten
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YO MAMA YO DADDY YO GREASY STANK (Version #5)
Yo mama
yo daddy
yo greasy stank granny
she got holes in her panties
she got a big behind
like Frankenstein
your mama got a big ole butt
-CinciDiva, cocojams.com, Feb 13, 2011
-snip-
"stank"= really stinky
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SOME RETORTS/COMEBACKS (REPONSES TO TAUNTING RHYMES & INSULTS)
A,B,C
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
reply for when someone tells you your too nosey or too curious for your own good:
curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back
-Dallas;cocojams.com, 9/21/2006
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D,E,F****
G,H,II KNOW WHAT YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I?
if somebody called you a name, you'd say
"I know you are, but what am I?"
-various sources; 9/29/2006
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I'M RUBBER YOU'RE GLUEI'm Rubber You're Glue
What you say bounces off of me
And sticks on you
-multiple sources
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J,K,L****
M,N,O****
P,Q,R****
S,T,U,VSTICKS AND STONES
[Wikipedia article excerpt]
The first appearance of this rhyme
"It is reported[1] to have appeared in The Christian Recorder of March 1862, a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, where it is presented as an "old adage" in this form:
Sticks and stones will break my bones
But words will never harm me.
The phrase also appeared in 1872, where it is presented as advice in Tappy's Chicks: and Other Links Between Nature and Human Nature, by Mrs. George Cupples.[2] The version used in that work runs:
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But names will never hurt me.
Falsity
Although insulting words and name-calling do not cause bruises and broken bones, they cause emotional pain and psychological harm to the target. Insulting words are used to shame people.[3] Words are used as weapons by bullies and other antagonists to hurt people, but because of the prevalence of this idea in English-speaking culture, the victims and people around them may blame the victims for experiencing pain, by believing or saying that the victims are being "too sensitive", rather than recognizing that the aggressor is responsible for causing the pain.[4] This idea—that intentional insults should be sloughed off without acknowledging the pain they caused—is not prevalent in some other cultures.[4]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticks_and_Stones_(nursery_rhyme), retrieved, November 1, 2014
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THAT'S ALRIGHT (Version #1)That's alright.
That's okay.
We're gonna kick your butt someday
-multiple sources; including Azizi Powell's memories of Atlantic City, early 1960s
-snip-
I remember some students and other supporters of my high school's basketball team chanting this to the opposing students and their other supporters after we lost a game.
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THAT'S ALRIGHT (Version #2)That's alright.
That's okay.
'Cause you're gonna pump
our gas some day.
-Taejia & Daeji (Baldwin, Pennsylvania); 9/14/2006, collected by Azizi Powell
-snip-
This come back/put-down chant is recited to the other team when your team loses a basket or loses a game.
A visitor to the cocojams.com website named Lulu sent in a comment on 6/25/2007 that this retort came from one of the Bring It On cheerleader movies. I'm not sure which movie in that series this retort comes from.
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W,X,Y,Z
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