The Toxicity Of Some Children's Recreational Rhymes (Part III- Recreational Rhymes & Socialization)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision -May 5, 2026

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about the toxicity of the messages that certain English language jump rope and/or hand clap  rhymes (also known as "skipping songs" and "hand games") convey about romantic relationships. 

This post presents a few online excerpts about girls' recreational rhymes and socialization.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-toxicity-of-certain-jump-rope-or.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents statements about the toxicity of certain recreational rhymes about romantic relationships. This post also presents a few examples of jump rope or hand clap rhymes that I believe include toxic references.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-toxicity-of-certain-jump-rope-or_26.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents examples of children's hand clap rhymes that I believe include toxic messages because they include references to paying for sex or because they include references to rape.

Warning- These examples contain some sexually explicit language. However, these rhymes are only mildly explicit compared to some really dirty children's recreational rhymes that aren't featured on this pancocojams blog. 

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The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
HAND CLAP RHYMES ARE PART OF GIRLS' SOCIALIZATION
 "AI Overview [in response to my question "What do hang clapping games teach girls about romantic relationships?]

Hand-clapping games, often played by young girls, function as a form of social conditioning and non-threatening practice for navigating complex social dynamics, including aspects of romantic relationships. These games, frequently passed down through oral tradition, explore themes of intimacy, courtship, betrayal, and social hierarchy.”…

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GAMES BLACK GIRLS PLAY-Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop by Kyra D. Gaunt

AI Overview

"The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop" by Kyra D. Gaunt was first published on February 6, 2006, by NYU Press. It is a non-fiction, academic work in ethnomusicology, focusing on the intersection of black music, culture, and children's games."...

**
From https://www.amazon.com/Games-Black-Girls-Play-Double-Dutch/dp/0814731201
"When we think of African American popular music, our first thought is probably not of double-dutch: girls bouncing between two twirling ropes, keeping time to the tick-tat under their toes. But this book argues that the games black girls play―handclapping songs, cheers, and double-dutch jump rope―both reflect and inspire the principles of black popular musicmaking.

The Games Black Girls Play illustrates how black musical styles are incorporated into the earliest games African American girls learn―how, in effect, these games contain the DNA of black music. Drawing on interviews, recordings of handclapping games and cheers, and her own observation and memories of gameplaying, Kyra D. Gaunt argues that black girls' games are connected to long traditions of African and African American musicmaking, and that they teach vital musical and social lessons that are carried into adulthood. In this celebration of playground poetry and childhood choreography, she uncovers the surprisingly rich contributions of girls’ play to black popular culture."

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EXCERPT OF JOURNAL PAPER ABOUT HAND CLAP GAMRS AND VIOLENCE
From https://lupinepublishers.com/anthropological-and-archaeological-sciences/pdf/JAAS.MS.ID.000213.pdf "Clapping Games on You Tube: A Construction Tool of Gender Violence and Other Types in the Child Stage" by  Joanna Riera and Jenny Cubells Serra*

Journal of Anthropological Sciences and Archeological Sciences

Department of Social Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain

*Corresponding author: Jenny Cubells Serra, Department of Social Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, UAB, Campus

Published October 11, 2021

"Introduction

Boys and girls have the ability to subtly interpret their environment and position themselves critically with respect to ways of life, as thinking subjects and participants in the production, planning and circulation of knowledge [1]. Through imaginative play, children become an active role in cultural construction, such as violence or gender [2]. It has been described in the literature [3,4] that boys and girls play representative games of adult activities with a taboo nature (murder, death, abuse, weddings, sex, rituals...).

Under a presumably innocent framework- “it’s just child’s play”-that avoid responsibility for actions, death, violence, sex and gender identity coexist in many of them, testing the limits of the norms hegemonic of our society and offering alternatives (Riera, 2015).

Among these discourses, violence is one of the most exploited. Clapping games are evidence of this function. These are motor songs in which two or more participants stand opposite each other–or in a circle if there are more than two-and hit their hands or other parts of the body, sometimes interspersing descriptive gestures. In them, there is a cyclical choreography that is repeated while the lyrics of the song are sung (Casals y Autora, 2021). In general, girls between 6 and 10 years old are the usual protagonists, although it depends on the historical moment...

This cultural product is constantly changing and adapting according to the sociocultural context. In its repertoire, traditional music, fairy tales, the record industry, commercial products and the Internet are mixed; continuously transforming and reconstructing the songs that children use to play [7]. Previous research on English Clapping games highlights the ability to use singing to experience the limits of their social life as well as the power relationships that appear into the game [6]. Knowledge about the co-construction of identities is also provided [8], as well as the subversive character that appears in narratives and gestural play [4] and the construction and maintenance of transmission [9]. In addition, its repetitive transmission pattern and the emotional charge associated with the speech of the lyrics, make the learning process easy to establish (Berger & Luckman, 2003). In relation to its rhythmic-melodicgesture structure we highlight the recent study by Casals and Autora [10]. Social networks have become increasingly important as an oral transmission strategy in current childhood [11] and potentially influence the construction of identity of children and adults (Burn,2010). Virtual ethnography is an increasingly used tool in the quantitative and qualitative paradigm in the field of social sciences [7,12-15]. 

Since 2005, YouTube is the digital platform for viewing and uploading videos on the Internet par excellence worldwide [11]. [7] used YouTube to make a netnography on the transmission mechanisms of two Clapping Games. [12] studied ways of learning, playing and creating through English Clapping games uploaded to this platform. As of June 1, 2016, there were almost 50 million total views of the videos that were part of this study, demonstrating the importance of this context in children’s oral transmission of Clapping games. Despite the international importance of these games in the social development of the participants in the networks, in the forms of  stereotypes, violence, gender and other elements of the cultural context that are built in them there has not been carried out any comprehensive analysis of the thematic content of Spanish Clapping games."...
-snip-
I reformatted this excerpt to enhance its readability.

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THE TOXICITY OF SOME CHILDREN'S RECREATION RHYMES THAT REFER TO ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS AND SEX 

This write-up is partly a reprint of a 2025 pancocojams post entitled "Risque Recreational Rhymes That Are Part Of Some Girls' Sexual Education"
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/09/recreation-rhymes-as-part-of-girls.html

That portion of that pancocojams post also includes a quote from a Mudcat folk music discussion thread that I started in 2009 about the rhyme "We Wear Our Hair In Curls"
-Azizi, 23 August 09, Subject: We Wear Our Hair In Curls https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101

As of the date of this pancocojams post (April 26, 2026) that Mudcat discussion thread is still open for comments.

Here's a portion of my first comment in that discussion thread: 
"We wear our hair in curls" is the second line of a rhyme or song that begins with the line "We are the _____ girls". The name of the city where the people singing the song live is usually inserted into the blank space of that first line. Instead of the city name, the name of the singer's school, camp, or another group that they belong to may be used. I chose the title "We wear our hair in curls" because in this forum the blank space in that first line might make that title confusing.

I believe that "We wear our hair in curls" originated as a children's playground rhyme or song. A version of this rhyme was popularized by drag queens who sung it during the 1969 Stonewall Riots (examples and more information about that significant event will be provided below)."...
NOTE: Some of the examples that are posted to this thread are sexually explicit."...
-end of quote-

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TWO EXCERPTS FROM THE 2003 BOOK "VALUES IN SEX EDUCATION FROM PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE" (by J. Mark Halstead and Michael J. Reiss)

[Pancocojams Editor's Note : There are a number of references to this 2003 book on sex education. However, the link that I used to read and retrieve these excerpts is no longer active and I can't find a comparable link.

I quoted these same excerpts in the 2025 pancocojams post "Risque Recreational Rhymes That Are Part Of Some Girls' Sexual Education: More Examples Of Sexualized ("Dirty") Versions Of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" ("We Are The ___ Girls")" 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/09/recreation-rhymes-as-part-of-girls.html

Also, since I have re-read these excerpts (in late April 2026 to date (May 3, 2026), I've been revisiting girls' recreational rhymes and girls' foot stomping cheers to ascertain what are their prevailing themes when it comes to female/male relationships i.e. do these compositions even mention romantic love, being in a committed relationship, whether that is marriage or not. I also have been revisiting these girls' recreational rhymes and foot stomping cheers to ascertain what values are promoted in those compositions. These excerpts have been the underlying motivations for the children's rhymes and cheers posts on this blog since April 25, 2026.

Here are those two excerpts from the 2003 book "Values In Sex Education:From Principles To Practice" (by J. Mark Halstead and Michael J. Reiss)
 
Excerpt #1:  

"Another example of the hidden curriculum is found in the playground where the children learn a world of rules and rituals that have little to do with adults. Skipping and clapping songs are a central part of this world and are passed from child to child, from group to group.  These songs were studied as an extension to the research on children developing sexual values (Halstead 2000b), and it was found that many of the songs are charged with sexuality and sexual awareness. Indeed, adults can sometimes be shocked by their rude, violent, scurrilous and surprisingly worldly wise nature. They give expression to children's sometimes limited understanding of sexual matters, and make a significant contribution to children's informal sex education.

****
Excerpt #2 (about a girls only discussion group that was part of the authors' research for this s book):

"The girls in the sample are happy to talk about what they expect their sexual life to be like in the future. They seem very aware of the problems of early pregnancy which they are able to spell out quite clearly. Interestedly, falling in love is never mentioned by these girls as a prelude to sexual experience. However, there is a sense among some of the girls of not being fully in control of their lives, and they are aware of the possibility that their early sexual encounters might occur "accidentally", that is without full intention, as a result of drink or fear of being  'dumped' or rebellion against an over protective father or simply out of curiosity"...
-snip-
The statement from the 2003 book "Values in Sex Education: From Principles to Practice" by J. Mark Halstead and Michael J. Reiss that "Interestedly, falling in love is never mentioned by these girls as a prelude to sexual experience" caused me to wonder how many girls' recreational rhymes included references to falling in love.

My conclusion after re-reading a large number of the jump rope/playground rhymes that I have come across mostly online is that far fewer girls' recreational rhymes from the 1980s to this date (2026) include references to romantic relationships i.e. "loving a boy" or even "liking a boy" (with the word "boyfriend", "fella", "man" (and other referents for males)..

I found more references for female/male relationships in girls' foot stomping cheers (with the earliest documented date and place for those cheers being 1976 Washington. D.C.) than I have found for references to female/male relationships in post 1970s girls' jump rope/hand clap rhymes. 

I believe that the paucity of girls' recreational rhymes that include the word love (used in a romantic sense) reflects and reinforces some of what I mean when I refer to the "toxicity of some children's recreational rhymes".Furthermore, I believe that the references and descriptions of female/male relationships are toxic or can often lead to toxicity.

I should also indicate that I don't think that all of the  girls' jump rope rhymes and hand clap rhymes (which are often variant forms of those jump rope rhymes) that were chanted before the 1970s that refer to love and/or marriage are devoid of toxic references to female/male relationships. 

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This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Risque Recreational Rhymes That Are Part Of Some Girls' Sexual Education: More Examples Of Sexualized ("Dirty") Versions Of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" ("We Are The ___ Girls")

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update- September 30, 2025

This pancocojams post presents information about and partial lyrics for the 1891 vaudeville and music hall song "Ta ra Ra Boom De Ay".

This post also presents a few examples of dirty (sexualized) children' recreational rhymes which have their earliest source in that song.

In addition, this pancocojasm post includes quotes from from the 2003 book "Values in Sex Education: From Principles to Practice" by J. Mark Halstead and Michael J. Reiss. I've also includes some editorial notes about dirty (sexualized" "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" rhymes in this post.

WARNING: Parental advisory for young children because these examples include sexually explicit content.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series. Part I provides information about the song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" . Part I also showcases some examples of "clean" (not sexualized) parodies of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" children's rhymes.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay_25.html  for Part II of a two part pancocojams series. Part I provides information about the song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" . Part II also showcases some examples of "dirty" (not sexualized) parodies of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" children's rhymes.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "TA RA RA BOOM DE AY" 
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta-ra-ra_Boom-de-ay
" "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" is a vaudeville and music hall song first performed by the 1880s. It was included in Henry J. Sayers' 1891 revue Tuxedo in Boston, Massachusetts. The song became widely known in the 1892 version sung by Lottie Collins in London music halls, and also became popular in France.

The song was later recorded and broadcast, and its melody was used in various contexts, such as the theme song to the mid-20th century United States television show Howdy Doody.

Background

The song's authorship was disputed for some years.[1] It was originally credited to Henry J. Sayers, the manager of Rich and Harris, a producer of the George Thatcher Minstrels. Sayers used the song in the troupe's 1891 production Tuxedo, a minstrel farce variety show, in which "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" was sung by Mamie Gilroy.[2][3] Sayers later said that he had not written the song, but heard it performed in the 1880s by a black singer, Mama Lou, in a well-known St. Louis nightclub run by "Babe" Connors.[4] Another American singer, Flora Moore, said that she had sung the song in the early 1880s.[3]

Performances and versions

Stephen Cooney, Lottie Collins' husband, heard the song in Tuxedo and purchased rights from Sayers for Collins to perform the song in England.[1] Collins created a dance routine around it. With new words by Richard Morton and a new arrangement by Angelo A. Asher, she first sang it at the Tivoli Music Hall on The Strand in London in December 1891 to an enthusiastic reception. It became her signature tune.[5] Within weeks, she included it in a pantomime production of Dick Whittington[3] and performed it to great acclaim in the 1892 adaptation of Edmond Audran's opérette, Miss Helyett. According to reviews at the time, Collins delivered the suggestive verses with deceptive demureness, before launching into the lusty refrain and her celebrated "kick dance", a kind of cancan. One reviewer noted that "she turns, twists, contorts, revolutionizes, and disports her lithe and muscular figure into a hundred different poses, all bizarre"....

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PARTIAL LYRICS FOR "TA RA RA BOOM DE AY"

1. A bright and stylish girl you see,

Belle of good society;

Not too strict, but rather free,

Yet as right as right can be!

Never forward, never bold,–

Not too shy, and not too cold,

But the very thing, I’m told,

That in your arms you’d like to fold!

 

[chorus] Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay,

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay,

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay,

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay,

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay,

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay,

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay,

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!

 

2. I’m not extravagantly shy,

And when a nice young man is nigh,

For his heart I have a try–

And faint away with tearful cry!

When the good young man in haste,

Will support me round the waist;

I don’t come to, while thus a-miss,

Till from my lips he steals a kiss!–

 

3. I’m a timid flower of innocence–

Pa says that I have no sense,–

I’m one eternal big expense;

But men say I’m just immense!

Ere my verses I conclude,

I’d like it known and understood,

Though free as air, I’m never rude,–

I’m not too bad, and not too good!"...
-http://www.pioneergirl.com/blog/archives/4796

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES THAT HAVE THEIR EARIEST SOURCE IN THE VAUDEVILLE/MUSIC HALL SONG
In the 1950s and the 1960s in the United States, two different types of girls recreational rhymes emerged that were inspired by the 1891 American vaudeville and music hall song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay". I refer to these two types of rhymes as "clean" rhymes that have no sexual content and "dirty" rhymes that have sexual content.

Both of these types of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" children's recreational rhymes have the same tune as the "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" song and, like that late 19th century song, both of these sub-sets of girls' recreational rhyme focus on girls upending existing norms of proper behavior for females, only the dirty versions does so much more than the clean versions.

Also, like that vaudeville/music hall song,  many of the examples of both of these types of girls recreational rhymes include the words "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" or similar words as their title and their refrain. 

A number of "clean" or "dirty" versions of these recreational rhymes have the title "We Are The ___ Girls". The second line for the "We Are The ___ Girls" verse is usually "We Wear Our Hair In Curls". 

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SEXUALIZED ("DIRTY") VERSIONS OF "TA RA RA BOOM DE AY" ("WE ARE THE ___ GIRLS") CHILDREN'S RHYMES

These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

DISCLAIMER: This is not meant to be a comprehensive compilation of these rhymes.

Example #1
TAH RAH RAH BOOM DI AY
Tah rah rah bom di ay
I can't come out today
It happened yesterday
The boy across the way
He paid me fifty cents
To go behind the fence
He said it wouldn't hurt
And pushed it up my skirt
My mommy was surprised
To see my belly rise
And hear the baby cry
Tah rah rah bom di ay
-@displaysong.cfm?SongID=5648 [This is the version of this rhyme that is in Mudcat's DT "Digital Tradition", a compilation of folk song lyrics]

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Example #2
WE ARE THE BEAVER GIRLS
"We are the Beaver Girls,
We wear our hair in curls,
We have our dungarees down to our sexy knees.
You know the boy next door?
He pushed me on the floor,
We did it once or twice,
It wasn't very nice
La la la bum shaka
La la la bum shaka
La la la bum skaka
My mother was surprised
To see my belly rise
My father jumped for joy
It was a baby boy.

 

I cant believe we were singing this in primary school! I doubt we knew what it meant!"
-j9127, 2008, https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=680317

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Example #3
"we are the great meols girls
we wear our hair in curls
we wear our dungarees
down to our sexy knees.

sha la la bum-shi-ka
sha la la bum-shi-ka

you know the boy next door
he got me on the floor
he counted 1 2 3
and stuck it into me

sha la la bum-shi-ka
sha la la bum-shi-ka

then some other stuff about being pregnant and stuff...
i dunno...i forget. was an awesome song though.

sha la la bum-shi-ka
sha la la bum-shi-ka

okay, now i really can't remember any more...

*edit*
my daddy was suprised
to see my belly rise
my mummy jumped for joy, it was a baby boy
-Niamh; 18-03-2007,
Location: Near Liverpool
Age: 19
http://board.muse.mu/showthread.php?t=41853

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Example #4
"oh man, for some reason this popped into my head today, I'm so glad I found this! at my school in Texas we sang it:

tra la la boom de ay
I met a boy today
He paid me 50 cents
to go behind the fence
my mommy was surprised
to see my tummy rise
my daddy jumped for joy
'my god, it's a baby boy!'

 

I never understood why dad would be so excited lol"
-AnonymousJune 13, 2022, 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay_25.html

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Example #5
"Hi! Wow, this is really awesome, this song popped into my head today, I remember it from school, probably around the year 2000 when I was 12ish, and I'm from the UK! South England! The one I remember goes something like this: We are the (name of your school) girls, we wear our hair in curls, and we wear dungarees to show our sexy knees, I met a boy today, he gave me 50p, to go behind a tree and have it off with me, we went behind a tree, he lifted up my skirt, he counted 1 2 3 and stuck it into me, my mummy was surprised to see my belly rise, my daddy jumped for joy it was a baby boy!

I mightve forgotten parts of it, but that's basically what I can remember! Wow, it's really crazy but so cool that this rhyme is familiar with people all over the world it seems! So interesting seeing all the variations!
-AnonymousAugust 3, 2023
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay_25.html

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Example #6
"This version from Pennsylvania in the mid-1960s: 

Ta ra ra boom de ay

How did she get that way?

It was the boy next door,

He laid her on the floor.

Her mommy was surprised

To see her tummy rise

And hear her baby's cries forevermore."
-StaxmanDecember 31, 2023, 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay_25.html

**** 
Example #7
"This one is fairly localised to me, but it works for other places.

We are Carmarthen girls
We wear our hair in curls
We wear our dungarees
To show our sexy knees
Ta-ra-rah boom ti-ay
It was just yesterday
That the boy next door
He got me on the floor
My mother was surprised
To see my belly rise
My father jumped for joy
It was a baby boy!"
-Welshgirlie2, 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/11zt1bh/your_favourite_dirty_playground_rhymego_for_it/

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Example #8 
Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay
-collected by Joe Bethancourt

Tune: "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay"

"Ta ra ra boom de ay, have you had yours today?
I had mine yesterday, a girl across the way!
I laid her on the couch, and all she said was "Ouch!"
Her mother was surprised to see her belly rise!"
-From Brent B., http://www.kayshapero.net/child3.htm, "Children's Songs,Part Three" [no date given or publishing date for that online page]

**** 
Example #9:
Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay
-collected by Joe Bethancourt

Tune: "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay"

"Ta rah rah boom de ay
I met a girl today
I paid her fifty cents
To go behind the fence
Her mother was surprised
To see her tummy rise
Her father jumped for joy
It was a baby boy"
-http://www.kayshapero.net/child3.htm, "Children's Songs,Part Three" [no date given or publishing date for that online page]

****
Example #10
"When i was a kiddy there was this song we all used to sing. Everyone from my area knows it. Im just wondering how far a field does it go?

It goes like this

 

We are the Sherburn girls

We wear our hair in curls

We wear our dungarees

To show our sexy knees

 

This boy came up to me

He gave me 50p

He gave me 50p to go behind a tree

 

He got me on the ground

He pulled my knickers down

And after 1 2 3

He stuck it into me

 

My mother was suprised

To see my belly rise

My father jumped with joy

To hold my new baby boy.

 

There was also a dance we did to it Big Grin
-Sexy_Kelly, 5/18/09, https://www.gagajoyjoy.com/topic/anyone-remember-the-sherburn-girls-song "Anyone remember "We Are The Sherburn Girls"?

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A MUDCAT DISCUSSION THREAD I STARTED ABOUT THESE RHYMES
In 2009 I started a discussion thread on Mudcat's online folk music forum about clean or dirty "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" (We Are The ___ Girls") parody rhymes As of the date of this pancocojams post (September 21, 2025) that discussion thread is still open for comments.

Here's a portion of my first comment in that discussion thread 
"We wear our hair in curls" is the second line of a rhyme or song that begins with the line "We are the _____ girls". The name of the city where the people singing the song live is usually inserted into the blank space of that first line. Instead of the city name, the name of the singer's school, camp, or another group that they belong to may be used. I chose the title "We wear our hair in curls" because in this forum the blank space in that first line might make that title confusing.

I believe that "We wear our hair in curls" originated as a children's playground rhyme or song. A version of this rhyme was popularized by drag queens who sung it during the 1969 Stonewall Riots (examples and more information about that significant event will be provided below)."...
NOTE: Some of the examples that will be posted to this thread are sexually explicit."...
-end of quote-
-Azizi, 23 August 09, Subject: We Wear Our Hair In Curls 
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101

****
RECREATIONAL RHYMES ARE PART OF THE WAY THAT GIRLS' SEXUAL EDUCATION
One of my comments in that discussion thread includes a link to the 2003 book "Values in Sex Education: From Principles to Practice" by J. Mark Halstead and Michael J. Reiss

Here's an excerpt from that book that I didn't include in that Mudcat discussion thread:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Values+in+Sex+Education%3A+From+Principles+to+Practice%22&oq=%22Values+in+Sex+Education%3A+From+Principles+to+Practice%22&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTE2NjZqMGoxNagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
"Another example of the hidden curriculum is found in the playground where the children learn a world of rules and rituals that have little to do with adults. Skipping and clapping songs are a central part of this world and are passed from child to child, from group to group.  These songs were studied as an extension to the research on children developing sexual values (Halstead 2000b), and it was found that many of the songs are charged with sexuality and sexual awareness. Indeed, adults can sometimes be shocked by their rude, violent, scurrilous and surprisingly worldly wise nature. They give expression to children's sometimes limited understanding of sexual matters, and make a significant contribution to children's informal sex education."... 
-end of quote-
Here's another excerpt from that book about a girls' only discussion group that was part of the research that this book reported on:
"The girls in the sample are happy to talk about what they expect their sexual life to be like in the future. They seem very aware of the problems of early pregnancy which they are able to spell out quite clearly. Interestedly, falling in love is never mentioned by these girls as a prelude to sexual experience. However, there is a sense among some of the girls of not being fully in control of their lives, and they are aware of the possibility that their early sexual encounters might occur "accidentally", that is without full intention, as a result of drink or fear of being  'dumped' or rebellion against an over protective father or simply out of curiosity"...
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SOME OF MY REACTIONS TO THESE "DIRTY" VERSIONS OF "TA RA RA BOOM DE AY" ("WE ARE THE ___ GIRLS")
(Given in no particular order and numbered for referencing purposes only)
1.Some of these examples recount a girl's experience with getting pregnant as a result of rape, others make a point of saying that the girl received money to have sex. While girls should be cautioned about the dangers of rape,  agreeing to have sex in return for money should clearly be something girls should know not to do.

2. As a grandmother of an almost 12 year old girl, I'm surprised that all of these examples include the lines about the girls' mother being surprised to see her daughter's belly rise. Why didn't any of these girls confide to their mother-if not their father or any other adult, after that rape experience, or after learning that they were pregnant?? What kind of relationship did these girls have with their parents and other significant adults in their lives?

3, The line about the father expressing joy because the baby was a boy bothers me since it reflects society's preference for males over females. If his daughter had a girl, how would the father feel and how would he treat his granddaughter?

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SHARE EXAMPLES OF THESE RHYMES THAT YOU KNOW
Are  "clean" (non-sexualized) and/or "dirty" (sexualized)  examples of "Ta Ra  Ra Boom De Aye" ("We Are The ___ Girls") rhymes still being chanted?         

Please share information and example of these rhymes in this post's discussion thread below with demographics (city, state, country, race/gender/ages, and year or decade). Thanks!

****
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Visitor comments are welcome.

More Examples Of Clean Versions of "We Are __Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls"

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest update- April 16, 2025

This pancocojams post presents some examples of clean* versions of the children's song "We Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" * from various online websites except Mudcat folk music forum. 

This post includes my guesses about the racial demographics of the contributors of these examples, based on online information and (in the case of one discussion thread, my direct knowledge about that Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhood.) 

The content of this pancocojams post is presented for folkloric, historical, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
*By "clean versions" of songs I mean those that don't include any sexually explicit or sexually suggestive content. Examples that include such content are referred to as "dirty" versions. 

WARNING - A lot of examples of "We  Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" are categorized as "dirty versions" of that song.
-snip-
*(__) = insert your neighborhood name, or the name of your city, school, or camp etc.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay.html for the 2017 pancocojams post entitled "Examples Of Children's Parodies Of Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay, Part I (Clean Versions)". That post presents some information about the 19th century song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" along with some examples of children's parodies of that song. That post also includes a link to Part II of that series. Part II includes excerpts of several online articles about the reasons why children chant anti-social and "rude" rhymes/songs. Part II also showcases selected examples of "sexualized" ("dirty") examples of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" children's rhymes.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/04/examples-of-clean-versions-of-childrens.html for the April 14, 2025 pancocojams post entitled "Examples Of "Clean" Versions Of The Children's Rhyme "We Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" (Parodies Of The Song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye")."

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
In previous pancocojams posts about "We Are __Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" I referred to these examples as "rhymes" (girls' recreational rhymes.) However, in this post, I'm referring to these examples as "songs" because rhymes usually have some accompanying physical movement such as skipping rope, ball bouncing, or hand clapping and-it seems from the examples that I've gathered thus far-"We Are __Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" are sung without any accompanying movements.    

These songs are parodies of the vaudeville and music hall song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" that was first performed in the United States in the 1880s. The earliest example of these children's parodies that I've come across is 1948. ( Example #20 in 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/04/examples-of-clean-versions-of-childrens.htm  from GUEST (Michigan) "We Are The DeWitt Girls". However, it's likely that there are some examples that pre-date the late 1940s.

My guess is that dirty (nasty, rude) versions of "We Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" were composed after the clean versions of this song.

****
The commenters who are quoted in this pancocojams post don't provide any information about what tune is used for their examples of "We Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls". However, it's likely that the tune for these examples is the same tune as "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" since the words and structure of these examples are the same as other online examples of this song (such as those on Mudcat discussion thread which are presented in the pancocojams post whose link is given directly above).

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Children's rhymes, cheers, singing games, and children's songs are an exception to the focus of this pancocojams blog on African American cultures and other Black cultures throughout the world, While some Black children may sing/chant or have sung/chanted these rhymes or songs, one reason why they are showcased on pancocojams is because I like this category of folk culture. Read my longer statement about race and children's rhymes in the April 14, 2025 post on "We Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" whose link is given immediately above this section.

My guess is that all of the commenters who are quoted in this pancocojams post [as of April 16, 2025] are White. Read my notes about those comments. 

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EXAMPLES OF 'WE ARE THE __ GIRLS/ WE WEAR OUR HAIR IN CURLS" FROM VARIOUS ONLINE SOURCES (except Mudcat Discussion Forum) 
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Do you know clean version of this song?(clean= versions with no sexually explicit content or and no profanity. Please share that example in the discussion thread of this post. Remember to add demographic information such as where (city, state, country) and when (decade that you first learned that example). Thanks!   

WARNING- Example #1 of these songs includes mild profanity. That word is completely spelled out in that example

1. "Can anybody recognise this song? Lyrics below:

We are St Hilda's girls

We wear our hair in curls

We wear our dungarees

Way up above our knees

We are just larrikins

Who drink from pannikins

We are young savages

Just right for marriages

We are too old for toys

We are just right for boys

We haven't got a man

We just don't give a damn."
-St Hilda's Old Scholars Association,  March 31, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=779672902197382
-snip-
A video of old White women singing this song is shown on this facebook page.
 
****
2. [This entry includes several replies and are only selected comments from that discussion thread for St. Kieran Primary Catholic School in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.*  Other commenters wrote that they didn't know (or didn't remember) that song.]

a) "Does anyone remember the song we'd sing when skating, riding bikes, etc that went "We are St. Kieran's girls, We wear our hair in curls.

We wear our dungarees way up above our knees.

We are too old for toys but we're just right for  boys.   We are St. Kieran's girls, hip, hip hooray!"-Trying to think of where it might have started. 

(I was Kathy Hines back then, sisters Pat and Eileen and late brother Jack)
-Saint Kieran Lawrenceville 10th ward  · [Pittsburgh, PA], Kathy Gailey Rohs, July 13, 2024 https://www.facebook.com/groups/40485649426/posts/10161738073789427/ ·

*No racial demographics is given in this discussion thread. However, my guess is that all of these commenters are White (based on the history and present demographics of Lawrenceville where the population is now about 97%.White. I've lived in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Garfield (actually East Liberty/Garfield) that is adjacent to Lawrenceville for about 55 years.)

**
Reply
b) Jack Toomey
"When I went there they didn’t sing the line about toys, instead they sang “We wear our sweaters tight, so boys can see our rights”. 1952"

**
Reply
c) Mercedes Seddon
"Jack Toomey that’s how I remember it except it was “so boys can see them right” lol"

**
Reply
d) Jack Toomey
"Mercedes Seddon you’re right, my memory must be going."

**
Reply
e) Mercedes Seddon
"Uncle Jack you must have taught us cause I remember- we are the Lawrenceville girls we wear our hair in curls we wear our dungarees way up above our knees, we are the Lawrenceville girls… I can’t believe I remember that😂"

**
Reply
f) Maureen O'Brien
"I remember it well!!!! My cousin (Carol Boll-6years older taught it to me!!!!!!!!) Love to all the Hines girls!!!!"

**
Reply
g) Jack Toomey
"Maureen O'Brien Carol was in my class."

**
Reply
h) Margie Cush Baker
"I remember the song, but no idea when it originated. SKS class of 1962."
-Kathy Gailey Rohs, July 13, 2024  

****
3. [This example & example #4 are part of a longer discussion thread.  A number of the comments were written in reply to a man who said that this song was trivial.] 

"I get completely random songs stuck in my head all the time. Yesterday, my subconscious decided to serenade me –ad nauseum– with this gem from Girls’ Camp:

Mormon Boy [title]

I know a Mormon boy, he is my pride and joy,

He knows most everything from Alma on down (woo!)

Someday I’ll be his wife! We’ll have eternal life!

Oh how I love that Mormon boy!

M – O – R – E – M – E – N

More men! More men! Sing it again!

We are the Mormon girls, we wear our hair in curls,

We love to sing and dance and have lots of fun (woo!)

We are the biggest flirts! We don’t wear mini skirts!"

Oh, how I love my Mormon boy!"

-Laura, November 29, 2021. https://bycommonconsent.com/2021/11/29/mormon-boy/

****
4. "Trivial? Never.

 Want another verse? (What’s that? I can’t hear you. I think you said “yes”.

This is how I learned it in YW:

 We are the Mormon girls,

We wear our hair in curls.

We wear our dungarees

Way down below our knees.

And when we want a man,

We don’t want any man.

We want the best we can,

We want a Mormon man!”
-Mortimer, December 1, 2021, 
-snip-
from Google AI= "In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term "YW" stands for Young Women, which is a youth organization for girls aged 12 to 17"...
-snip-
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" is the official name of the denomination that is commonly referred to as "Mormons".  According to https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2009/07/24/a-portrait-of-mormons-in-the-us/
"Nearly nine-in-ten Mormons in the U.S. (86%) are white, compared with 71% of the general population. Just 3% of Mormons are African-American and 7% are Latino."...
-end of quote-
That racial demographics was undoubtedly much higher when these two commenters were younger and sung this song since Mormons didn't allow Black people to be members of until 1978. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_and_Mormonism

****
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Visitor comments are welcome.

Examples Of "Clean" Versions Of The Children's Rhyme "We Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" (Parodies Of The Song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye")

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision- December 3, 2025

This post is a revised edition of a 2017 pancocojams post about the children's rhyme "We Are The __ We Wear Our Hair In Curls". That post is still available at 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay.htm. 

This 2025 post presents some examples of clean* versions of the children's rhyme "We Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls". These rhymes are parodies of the vaudeville and music hall song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" that was first performed in the United States in the 1880s. 

These examples are from https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101 "We Wear Our Hair In Curls"  Mudcat is an international online folk music website Mudcat Discussion Forum.

I was a member of that forum from the middle of 2004 to November 2014. I started that Mudcat discussion thread about the "We Wear Our Hair In Curls" rhymes on August 23, 2009 and I published most of the "posts" (comments) on that thread. That Mudcat discussion thread is still available for reading but was closed for new comments in 2013.

The content of this pancocojams post is presented for folkloric, historical, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
*By "clean versions" of rhymes I mean those that don't include any sexually explicit or sexually suggestive content. Examples that include such content are referred to as "dirty" versions. 

**The last comment in that Mudcat discussion thread was published in 2013 and was closed for new comments by that forum's moderator Joe Offer. The main reason that Mudcat discussion threads are closed for new comments is because those particular threads were receiving a lot of spam or inappropriate comments. Given the fact that there are lots of dirty (sexually explicit) versions of this rhyme, I can guess it's possible that a number of non-members of that Mudcat were publishing dirty versions of that rhyme on that discussion thread which the moderator then had to delete.

WARNING - Some examples of "We  Are The __ Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" that remain on that Mudcat Discussion thread are categorized as "dirty versions" of that rhyme.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/07/examples-of-ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay.html for the 2017 pancocojams post entitled "Examples Of Children's Parodies Of Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay, Part I (Clean Versions)". That post presents some information about the 19th century song "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" along with some examples of children's parodies of that song. That post also includes a link to Part II of that series. Part II includes excerpts of several online articles about the reasons why children chant anti-social and "rude" rhymes/songs. Part II also showcases selected examples of "sexualized" ("dirty") examples of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay" children's rhymes.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/04/more-examples-of-clean-versions-of-we.html for the pancocojams post entitled "More Examples Of Clean Versions of "We Are __Girls/We Wear Our Hair In Curls" ".

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE 
Yhis pancocojams blog usually focuses on African American culture and other Black cultures throughout the world, However, I also include posts about children's recreational rhymes, cheers, and singing games in this blog because I am also interested in these subjects.   

The children's recreational rhymes and cheers that are presented in this blog may originate from and may be chanted by Black children and may also originate from and be chanted by children from other races/ethnicities, and nationalities.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123101

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. These comments are given "as is" including spelling and grammatic errors.

1. Subject: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 23 Aug 09 - 11:00 AM

"We wear our hair in curls" is the second line of a rhyme or song that begins with the line "We are the _____ girls". The name of the city where the people singing the song live is usually inserted into the blank space of that first line. Instead of the city name, the name of the singer's school, camp, or another group that they belong to may be used. I chose the title "We wear our hair in curls" because in this forum the blank space in that first line might make that title confusing.

I believe that "We wear our hair in curls" originated as a children's playground rhyme or song. A version of this rhyme was popularized by drag queens who sung it during the 1969 Stonewall Riots (examples and more information about that significant event will be provided below).

The only example of this rhyme that I have found to date on this forum are in this post http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=38412#973994 which references the 1969 Stonewall Riots*. In addition, several posters to a thread about a 1936 recording of the Blues song Poontang Little, Poontang Small believe that a line in that song is "Put my dress above my knees". That line is similar to a standard line from "We wear our hair in curls"-"We wear our dresses up above our knees". For what it's worth, I don't agree with that transcription of that line from that Blues song. However, I credit it for getting me started on this effort of compiling multiple examples of that children's rhyme.

In this thread, I'll share some examples of & comments about this children's rhyme/song. I hope that other Mudcat members and guests will share the version of this composition that they know and also include demographical information (geographical location, year or decade they first learned or heard the rhyme, gender, age of those reciting the rhyme*, and how the rhyme was performed-meaning any accompanying movements such as handclap routines, or jumping/skipping).

Although many people appear to be reluctant to include racial demographics, I think it would also be interesting and helpful to include such information. In my opinion, information the race/ethnicity of those singing this composition could help determine whether there are any differences between the types of rhymes, the text of rhymes, and the rhyme performance activities of different races/ethnic populations of children-and if so, what some of those differences are. By "ethnicity", I mean the United States' definition of "Latino" (Hispanic). However, other ethnic groups could also be specified.

NOTE: Some of the examples that will be posted to this thread are sexually explicit.

Thanks, in advance for your contributions to this thread
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor’s Note April 13, 2025: This pancocojams post doesn't quote any of the comments or portion of quoted comments that include sexually explicit ("dirty") examples of the rhyme "We Are The __ Girls" ("We /Wear Our Hair In Curls").
-snip-

*Added December 3, 2025- From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots
"The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution,[3] or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Although the demonstrations were not the first time American LGBTQ people fought back against government-sponsored persecution of sexual minorities, the Stonewall riots marked a new beginning for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world"...

****
2) Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 23 Aug 09 - 11:53 AM  

We Are The Catty Girls

We are the catty girls

We wear our hair in curls.

We wear our dresses

up above our knees.

We are too old for toys

But we're just right for boys."... 

-Barbara Ray, (African American) from her memories of her childhood in the Buff area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mid 1950s; collected by Azizi Powell, 1996
-snip-
This comment includes another rhyme "Hey baby. How 'bout a date" which Barbara shared was often chanted right after that first rhyme.

Barbara who was a work colleague and is still friend of mine) said that girls around ages 8-10 years old would sing this song just for fun....Barbara said that there wasn't any movements to the first rhyme, except saying the words like you were acting out the part....Variants of the lines "We are too old for toys/But we're just right for boys" are found in some Michael Jackson versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"...
-snip-
This comment and some other selected comments from that discussion thread don't include portions that refer to other rhymes or material that doesn't directly relate to the "We Are The __ Girls" ("We /Wear Our Hair In Curls").rhyme.

****

3) Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 23 Aug 09 - 12:08 PM

"I failed to mention that the tune for "We Are The Catty Girls" was the song "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay".

That Pittsburgh examples differs from the other versions that I've read to date. All of those versions mention the girl's city or group and not what the girls considered to be an admirable attribute."...

**
4) Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 23 Aug 09 - 01:08 PM

Here's some examples of the rhyme/song "We wear our hair in curls that mention the girls' school, or the name of their camp cabin, or some other demographical information:

FAIRFIELD GIRLS

We are the Fairfield Girls!

We wear our hair in curls!

We wear our dungarees,

Rolled up above our knees!

 

We wear our Fathers' shirts!

We wear our Brothers' ties!

And when it comes to boys,

We take them by surprize!

- late fifties hometown jingle; Fairfield, Connecticut

http://www.ellefagan.com/wordsite/fairfieldgirl.html

**

WE ARE THE DUMTY GIRLS

We are the Dumpty Girls

(Tra la la boom di ay)

We are the Dumpty girls.

We wear our hair in curls.

We wear our dungarees.

Above our dirty knees.

We like to ride and swim.

With lots of pep and vim.

We are the Dumpty girls,

Of Strawderman.

-Camp Strawderman Song Book

Aug 17, 2003

["Dumpty" appears to be the name of a cabin at Camp Stawderman". However, I couldn't find on that page where that camp is located]

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:ixVOuE1m61gJ:www.sheldenstudios.com/images/camp_buttons/cs-songs.pdf+we+wear+our+hair+in+curls

**
SENIOR GIRLS

We are the senior girls

We wear our hair in curls

We wear our dungarees way down below our knees

We don't tuck in our shirts

We are the biggest flirts

Hey guys here come the senior girls!

-YMCA Camp Eberhart ,southwest lower Michigan

http://campeb.org/alumni/songs.htm "

****
5) Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Carly
Date: 23 Aug 09 - 01:45 PM

"In the 1950's in Takoma Park, Maryland, we were singing (and jumping rope as we danced to)

 We are the Pepsi girls

 We wear our hair in curls

 We wear our dungarees

 Rolled up above our knees

We wear our mothers' skirts

We wear our fathers' ties

And when we meet a guy

We simply roll our eyes.

 

Carly Gewirz"

****
6. Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 08:36 AM

The earliest version of "We wear our hair in curls" that I've found so far is the mid 1950s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rhyme. However, it's possible that this rhyme is older than that.

In my opinion, the "we wear our hair in curls" line refers to the once highly controvesial custom of women cutting their long hair and wearing it in a "bob" hair cut. American ballroon dancer Irene Castle started this fashion in 1915 when she cut her hair for the convenience short hair provided her. See this excerpt from

http://www.hairarchives.com/private/1920s.htm": *

"Hairstyles of the 1920s created more controversy in hair fashion than in any other period of American culture. And one hairstyle, known simply as "the bob," would be at the center of this great debate. First introduced during the Great War, the bob haircut would eventually cause a revolution in the way women would wear their hair forevermore.

It all started in 1915 with the debut of the Castle Bob, named after the celebrated ballroom dancer Irene Castle. While cutting her hair for convenience, little would she know that she would forever be associated with triggering a revolution in 20th-century hair fashion. The Castle Bob would be the first indication of things to come -the rage of short hair.

The free-spirited youth of the day readily accepted the new look and made it the forerunner of many fads and fashions which eventually led to new curling, perming and coloring methods. When a woman had her hair cut short, she grew bolder. Soon she began wearing 'long beads, short skirts, rolled stockings, and rough on her knees,' an expression synonymous with "the flapper". The rebellious change in hairstyle was just the beginning of a major change in societal norms and values seen during the 1920s."...

-snip-

[Italics added by me for emphasis.]

* Warning to those, like me, who detest sound clips: A sound clip of "Roaring 20s" music starts as soon as you click on this site and plays continually until you leave that site (or maybe it still continues to play, who knows?). My suggestion is to valiantly try to ignore that sound clip since the material on that page is quite interesting."

****
7. Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 09:07 AM

"The line "We wear our dungarees" furthers the declaration of defiance against societal norms since prior to the 1970s or so, good girls were only supposed to wear dresses or skirts and blouses-even while playing.

Note for instance, that all the African American school girls in Bob Eberlein's, Bess Lomax Hawes's historically rich 1967 film. "Pizza Pizza Daddy-O" are wearing dresses.

Pizza Pizza Daddy O (a look at continuity and change in girl's playground games at a Los Angeles school)

**

Also, see this response to the question:"When did women in American start wearing dungarees?"

"I would hazard a guess that it was in the early 50s. I remember wearing dungarees rolled up into a large cuff and a man-tailered white shirt outside the dungarees (not tucked in) when I was 12 or 13 years old.

I remember slacks for women becoming popular around the same time. We always wore skirts or dresses to school and in the late 50s to work in an office. Slacks or dungarees were NOT an option at the time.

Pant suits were not worn by women until the mid-sixties and it felt strange wearing them at first. I remember a friend wearing one to a party at my house - she walked in and ran straight in to the bathroom - she was that self-conscious about it!"

MusicloverOrange on May 17 2008

http://askville.amazon.com/women-American-start-wearing-dungarees/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=9776116

-snip-

Just for the record, the references to the "50s" and "mid-sixties" refers to the "1950s and the middle nineteen sixties". (This is one of my pet peeves. After all, the "50s" and "mid sixties" could refer to other centuries than the 20th century."

****
8. Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 09:36 AM

"Notice-I've changed my mind about this rhyme originating before the 1950s. See how fast I can change my mind? ;o)

While I still believe that the line "We wear our hair in curls" refers to the "bobbed" short hair style, the line about wearing dungarees dates this rhyme as being post 1950s. As I recall, before the 1960s, females (women and girls) didn't wear pants out in public. But then again as a child, I recall wearing shorts and "pedal pushers" (shorts that were below your knees in length, almost like contemporary "capris".)

Here's another trip down memory lane-

When I was going to school in the 1950s, in the winter time, the only pants that girls wore outside were snow suit leggings, However, those snow suit leggings were considered to be too babyish for pre-teens and teenagers, and so girls either braved the cold without anything on their legs but knee socks, or we wore pants underneath our dresses. But as soon as we arrived at school or wherever else we were going, we would quickly take off those pants.

See this second article from When did women start wearing dungarees?

"early 1960's"

"In the 50s? Maybe- if she was working on a farm. Women in the cities wore dresses and skirts. (And slips and girdles and stockings.)

In 1960, in NYC, there was a 3 foot snow fall - a lot of snow for NYC. The women at Brooklyn College petitioned the Dean of Women to allow them to wear slacks. (Slacks, not jeans or "pants".) The Dean relented to the point that women students were allowed to wear slacks under their skirts, but they had to remove them in the vestibules of the buildings, and put them back on in the vestibules. Rosie the Riveter didn't attend Brooklyn College.

Times were very different then. Seeing a woman in pants in the 50s would have been only slightly less strange than seeing a man in a skirt today. (Women also smoothed their skirts when sitting - something you seldom see today. It's a device sometimes used in time travel novels - she sits without smoothing her skirt, she's from the future [of the 40s or 50s].)

Beach wear and informal wear was different - but a decent woman didn't wear jeans. (Although they did manufacture girl's jeans - the zipper was in the side, in the pocket area. But I never saw them in women's sizes.)

In the mid 50s, crinolines were in style - in some schools they had rules about the number of crinolines a girl could wear, because 2 girls sitting across an aisle from each other, each wearing 3 crinolines, would block the aisle. Also Poodle skirts, cardigans and saddle shoes were big."

by: Houston_proud on May 19 2008

-snip-

And I agree with Houston_proud that it was more likely the 1960s rather than the 1950s. Maybe it was even the mid 1960s.

Of course, the question should read "When did women >i>in the United States start wearing dungarees or other pants out in public?

What answer would you give to this question?"

****

9. Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 10:13 AM

"You would think by now I would have learned not to jump to conclusions about a rhyme based on only one line of that rhyme.

But I'm still a grasshopper when it comes to textual analysis of rhymes. (Pardon the "Kung Fu" television show reference).

At any rate, I think that "We wear short dresses above our knees" predates the "We wear our dungarees".

Reinforcing my position that this rhyme was an in your face taunt directed at society in general, wearing either short dresses or wearing dungarees were both daring fashion styles for American females way back when. Note: By "shortened dresses" I'm not referring to 1960s mini-skirts, but to dresses that were knee length or slightly above the knees. (Reminder to view that "Pizza Pizza Daddy-O" clip whose hyperlink was given earlier in this thread).

The mid 1950s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania version of this rhyme that my friend Barbara remembers includes the lines "We wear our dresses/up above our knees"

And the "Seven Sisters" version of this rhyme from Newark, New Jersey has been dated from as early as the mid 1960s, though it may have been known earlier than that. That version is:

Seven little sisters

Like to boogie down

Like to turn around

Like to touch the ground

Like to wear their skirts above their knees

-snip-

However, Carly remembers a 1950s version from Takoma Park, Maryland which includes the line "We wear our dungarees/Rolled up above our knees". And the famous version from the Stonewall Riot also refers to dungarees and not dresses: "We wear our dungarees/ Above our nelly knees!"

There's little doubt that the Stonewall nelly knees" line is a variant form of the original line. But I guess we have too few examples to determine without any doubt which line came first-"wear short dresses above our knees" or "wear dungarees rolled up above our knees".

If I were a betting person, my money would be on the "wear our dresses above our knees" line. But I never gamble. ;o)"

****
10.  Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 10:23 AM

"Here's a bit of trivia:

"Bobby-pins" comes from "the bob" women's fashion hair cut.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_pin and that http://www.hairarchives.com/private/1920s.htm that has the midi sound clip and

Am I the only one who didn't know this?"

****
11. Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 10:56 AM

[…]

"Here's an example of "We wear our hair in curls" that mentions mini-skirts and>/i> includes the "toys/boys" line:

we're scoil mhuire girls!

we wear our hair in curls

we wear our dungarees above our sexy knees!

sha la la boom sha la sha la la boom sha la

we're scoil mhuire girls!

we wear our hair in curls

we wear our daddy's shirts over our mini-skirts!

sha la la boom sha la sha la la boom sha la

we're the scoil mhuire girls! we wear our hair in curls

and when it comes to toys

we'd rather play with boys!

sha la la boom sha la sha la la boom sha la

we're scoil mhuire girls!

we wear our hair in curls we don't smoke or drink

that's what our teachers think!

sha la la boom sha la sha la la boom sha la

 

http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=2235037070

-snip-
Also note the "sha la la boom sha la sha la la boom sha la" which is a clue that this rhyme uses the "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye" tune."
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note April 13, 2025 -That website is no longer available.

 ****
12. Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 11:45 AM

"Her's another example of "We wear our hair in curls" that mentions mini-skirts and includes the "toy/boy" line:

We are the Millfield girls

We wear our hair in curls

We wear our dungarees

Right up above our knees

We wear our fathers' shirts

Instead of mini skirts

And when it comes to boys

We treat them just like toys

We neither smoke nor drink

That's what our parents think

But when they're out of sight

We do it day and night

 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071104023000AAle8Ch

-snip-

Unfortunately, like most examples of children's schoolyard rhymes found online, this example has no demographical information as to when the poster learned it. The name "Millfield" is given, but not where "Millfield" is located or if it's a city, school, camp or some other group.

****
13.  Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 05:22 PM

"CORRECTED WORDS TO SONGS:

I just called up my friend Barbara Ray because-after the fact-it occurred to me that she might have minded my using her first and last name on this forum. Thankfully, she doesn't mind at all.

But Barbara said that the words that I posted pn this thread aren't right. I have no explanation for the divergence in the lines I wrote down from her then. It may have been because we were rushing as I had asked her about the children's rhymes she knew while we were on a work break. At any rate, here are the words that Barbara sang to me today over the telephone:a

WE ARE THE CATTY GIRLS [corrected words]

We are the catty girls

We wear our hair in curls.

We wear our dungarees

rolled up above our knees.

We wear our sweaters tight.

The boys say that's alright.

We are too old for toys

But we're just right for boys.

-Barbara Ray, (African American) from her memories of her childhood in the Buff area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mid 1950s; collected by Azizi Powell, 2009"...

****
14. Subject: RE: We Wear Our Hair In Curls
From: Azizi
Date: 27 Aug 09 - 10:23 AM

"Here's some random thoughts about the rhymes posted on this thread:

I feel the need to reiterate that I've not read enough examples of "We are the ___/We wear our hair in curls" to say with any high degree of certainty whether the "wear our dungarees up above our knees" version predates the "wear our dresses up above our knees" version. But, so far, there certainly appear to be more "dungerees" versions than "dresses" versions.

But "Which version has the most examples?" is an entirely different question than "Which version came earlier:" and the question "Which is the earliest version?" (if not which is the earliest version?"

And if indeed there really are more versions of this rhyme that include the "dungaree above the knee" line, could that in any way be the result of the media attention that has been given to the Stonewall version of this rhyme? You will recall that the Stonewall version includes a referent to "dungarees".

 This question addresses the influence the media can have on the spread of children's rhymes, and the acceptance of one version of a rhyme instead of another."...

****
15. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We Wear Our Hair in Curls
From: GUEST,Guest, Laney
Date: 21 Apr 10 - 04:24 PM

"When i was in primary school we used to sing this version:

We are the _ girls,

We wear our hair in curls,

We wear our dungarees,

Up to our sexy knees,

We don't smoke or drink,

Thats what the teachers think,

And when it comes to boys,

We treat 'em like toys.

 

We used to use it as a school chant at matches and stuff, with actions and everything! Teachers didn't seem to see the funny side, but t'was fun.

 Laney"

****
16. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We Wear Our Hair in Curls
From: GUEST,Day Camp in NJ 1950s
Date: 03 Apr 11 - 02:16 AM

"We are the Bloomer girls

We wear our hair in curls

We wear our dungarees

above our dirty knees

We wear our father's shirts

We wear our brother's ties

And when we see the boys

We make those googlie eyes

Tah rah a boom de ay

Tah rah a boom de ay

We'll steal your pants away

Tah rah a boom de ay"

****
17. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We Wear Our Hair in Curls
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 Dec 11 - 08:30 PM

"Just for the record,dungarees (jeans) were not uncommon wear for women the the late 40s, if not earlier. Slacks were definitely common in the 40s, though schools tended to frown on them."

****
18. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We Wear Our Hair in Curls
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 24 Dec 11 - 10:58 AM

"and how did one wear dungarees to show off pretty knees? Cut0offs didn't appear until the 60s."

****
19. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We Wear Our Hair in Curls
From: GUEST,azizi
Date: 24 Dec 11 - 11:55 AM

"Hello, dick greenhaus

You asked "how did one wear dungarees to show off pretty knees?"

Here's one way: In several examples the words are "We wear our dungarees/Rolled up above our knees." "

****
20.  Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We Wear Our Hair in Curls
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Mar 13 - 07:20 PM

"I have a reference to this "song" from my small town in Michigan from about 1948. It was sung by either the high school girls Glee Club or the girls basketball team:

We are the DeWitt Girls

We wear our hair in curls

we wear our dungarees

Way up above our knees

We never smoke or drink

(That's what our mothers think)

We are the DeWitt Girls

We are the DeWitt girls"

****
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