Racialized Examples Of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" Rhymes That Include The Words "I Like A Black Boy And He Likes Me"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on examples of contemporary (1970s and later)  "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" children's recreational rhymes that include racial referents. These children's recreational rhymes are also known as "I Love Coffee I Love Teat" or "Down Down Baby".

Part II presents a representative sample of the versions of  "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea" that I have come across mostly online which include the words "I like a Black boy and he likes me". One example of these rhymes is presented under the date that I directly collected it. The other examples are presented in chronological order based on their online publishing dates. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/racialized-examples-of-i-like-coffee-i.html for Part I of this pancocojams series That pancocojams compilation presents all of the examples of  "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea"  ("I Love Coffee I Love Tea") rhymes that I have come across with demographic information (geographic location and year or decade first remembered) which include the words "I like a Colored boy" (or "Color boy" and he likes me" and continues with the lines "So step back White boy you don't shine/I'mma get a Black boy to beat your behind" (or similar wording.) 

That post also includes an overview of these confrontational racialized rhymes, and some other information about these recreational rhymes.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/racialized-examples-of-i-like-coffee-i_49.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post presents some examples of "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea"  ("I Love Coffee I Love Tea") rhymes that I have come across with the racial referent "White" or other racial/ethnic referents besides "Black" or "Colored" ("Color"). These examples are presented in chronological order and are given with or without demographic information such as the contributor's geographic location and the year/decade the contributor's is first chanted or heard this rhyme. . 

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 contributed examples of rhymes to this compilation.

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REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES
Please add to the folkloric record by sharing any examples in the discussion thread below of any confrontational racialized “I Like Coffee I Like Tea” rhymes that you know. Remember to include  demographic information (where- the city/state or country if outside of the United States where you lived when you first chanted or became aware of these rhymes), when (the year or decade when you first chanted or became aware of these rhymes) and who (your gender/race or ethnicity and/or the genders, race and/or ethnicity of those who chanted that example.

I’m also interested in how those rhymes where performed (such as single jump rope, Double Dutch jump rope, partner hand clap rhymes etc.  Thanks in advance!  

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A COMPILATION OF EXAMPLES OF CONFRONTATIONAL RACIALIZED EXAMPLES OF "I LIKE COFFEE I LIKE TEA" THAT INCLUDE THE WORDS "I LIKE A BLACK BOY AND HE LIKES ME"

Except for the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania examples that I directly collected, these examples are from the internet and presented in chronological order after their online publishing date.with the earliest online publishing date given first.

Unlike the examples of the "I Like Coffe I Like Tea" that include the racial referent "Colored" (and its folk processed form "Color"), I was unable to compile these examples based on geographic location or the year/decade that the contributors first remembered chanting them because that demographic information was seldom given for these rhymes. 

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only


Pittsburgh Pennsylvania examples of these rhymes that I directly collected 

1. I like coffee i like tea
I like a black boy
and he likes me
So step back white boy
You don't shine
I'mma get a black boy
to beat your behind.
Jump up shimmy shimmy shimmy
Jump back shimmy shimmy shimmy
Turn around shimmy shimmy shimmy
Touch the ground shimmy shimmy shimmy
-Tazi Powell (childhood memories, first or second grade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), collected by Azizi Powell
-snip-
This may have been a portion of a longer hand clapping rhyme.
 
**
2. I love coffee
I love tea
I love a Black boy and he loves me
so step back White boy
you don't shine
I'mma get a Black boy to beat your behind
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice-cream, he bought me cake,
He brought me home with a belly-ache.
Mamma, Mamma, I feel sick.
Call the doctor - quick, quick, quick.
Doctor, Doctor, will I die?
Count to five and you'll be alive.
1-2-3-4-5. I'm alive.*
-African American girls (6-12 years old), various neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and various neighborhoods in surrounding communities of Pittsburgh; collected by Azizi Powell, 1980s-2006; posted on cocojams.com, 2/26/2006 [Cocojams.com was my cultural website. That website is no longer active. Click https://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/10/hand-clap-jump-rope-rhymes-examples-i-j.html for a post on my cocojams2 children's rhyme blog that features "I Love Coffee I Love Tea" and some other rhymes that begin with letters I-J.

"I Met My Boyfriend At The Candy Store" is an independent recreational rhyme (a rhyme that can be chanted by itself or combined- in whole or in part- with other recreational rhymes.

*Sometimes "and on channel 5" is added to the end of this rhyme. Prior to cable television, there was no channel 5 in Pittsburgh. That number is used for its rhyming effect.

This version appears to be widely recited among African American girls in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area from about the late 1980s-early 1990s to at least 2010.

****
3. Zing, Zing, Zing,
and ah 1-2-3.
I like coffee, I like tea.
I like a black boy and he likes me.
So step back, white boy, you don't shine.
I'll get the black boy to beat your behind.
Last night and the night before.
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice cream he bought me cake.
He brought me home with a belly ache.
Mama, mama, I feel sick
Call the doctor, quick, quick, quick
Doctor, doctor, will I die?
Close your eyes and count to five
1-2-3-4-5
I'm Alive!
See that house up on the hill.
That's where me and my baby live.
Eat a piece of meat
Eat a piece of bread.
Come on baby. let's go to bed
-Kayla. (African American girl, age 5; recited for Alafia Children's Ensemble, Fort Pitt Elementary School chapter, (Pittsburgh, PA), 2000; collected by Azizi Powell, 2000
-snip-
Click https://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/10/hand-clap-jump-rope-rhymes-examples-i-j.html for my other blog post to read my comments about this rhyme.  

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Examples With No Demographic Information (given in chronological order)

1. "Down down baby
Down by the roller coaster
Sweet sweet baby
I'll never let you go
Shimmey Shimmey Cocoa Pop
Shimmey I
I like coffee
I like tea
I like a black boy
and he likes me
Step back white boy
you done shine
I got a black boy to beat your behind
Went upstairs to beat my drum
beat it so hard til the police come
please Mr. Police don't arrest me
arrest that white boy behind that tree:D "
-SWEETAKA, 03-25-2003, http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/archive/index.php/t-31403.html, "Old School Chants"
-snip-
The participants in that discussion thread are members of historically Black Greek letter sororities.

The contributor of this example's screen name "SWEETAKA" identifies her as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (which is informally known as AKA).

**
2. "down down baby down by the roller coaster sweet sweet baby mama never let you go if you wanna kiss me just say you love me shimmy shummy coa coa puff shimmy shimmy rah, shimmy shimmy coa coa puff shimmy shimmy rah. I like coffee I like tea. I like a black boy and he likes me so step back black boy you ain't shy I bet you 5 dollars I could beat your behind. Last night and the night before I met my boyfriend at the candy store. He bought me ice cream he bought me cake. He brought me home with a belly ache. I said momma momma I'm so sick. Call the doctor quick quick quick I said doctor doctor shall I die. He said close your eyes and count to 5 I said a12345 I'm alive on a channel 5 I said a678910 I'm dead on a channel 10 with a scooby dooby doo on channel 2. Frankenstein on channel 9. .....

that's how me and my friends do it. I'm 14 so...I guess it's sort of there..."
-By Alana on Saturday, July 3, 2004 http://www.streetplay.com/discus/cgi-discus/show.cgi?75/77.html [This website is no longer available]

**
3. "Does anyone remeber the one that has I like coffee i like tea i like a black boy and he likes me so stand back white boys i know your shy I'll get a black boy to beat your behind he'll beat it rough he'll be it tough he'll beat it till you almost had enough.
do you remeber what was first i remember it had have a peach have a plum have a stick of bubble gum bot peach no plum no stick of bubble gum. But something comes before that"
-GUEST,kerry ; 26 Aug 05 , https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300, "Children's Street Songs", 

**
4.  "Down down baby down by the rollercoaster sweet sweet baby mama never let you go if you wanna kiss me just say you love me

Shimmy shimmy coco pop shimmy shimmy pow shimmy shimmy coco pop shiimmy shimmy pow

I like a black boy and he likes me so step back white boy I aint shy I bet you 5 dollars ill beat yo behind

Last night and the night before I met my boyfriend at the candy store he brought me ice cream he brought me cake he brought me home with a belly ache

I said momma momma im so sick call the doctor quick quick quick! I said doctor doctor shall i die he said close your eyes and count to 5

I said ah 1 ah 2 ah 3 ah 4 ah 5... im alive on channel 5 scooby dooby doo on channel 2 big fat lady on channel 80 and all the rest on channel 8"
-GUEST,Meme http://http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653 Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes, 3 July, 2014
-snip-
I started that Mudcat discussion thread in April 2007. Comments may still be added to that thread.

This is the first example that I've read in which the girl chanting the rhyme says that she will beat the boy's behind rather than finding a boy to do it for her.

****
4. "Wow crazy! I was born during the early 2000’s and heard it way differently

I like coffee
I like tea
I like a black boy and he likes me,
So step back white boy you don’t shine
I’ll get a black boy to beat yo behind
Last night, night before my boyfriend met
Me at the candy store he bought me ice cream
He bought me cake he brought me home with a stomach ache I said momma, momma I feel sick
Call the doctor and quick quick quick!
Doctor Doctor will I die
Close your eyes and count to 5
1 2 3 4 5
I’m alive to the Fourth of July
See that house on tipo of that hill that’s where me
And my baby gon live
Oh ah I wanna piece of pie, pie to sweet I wanna piece of meat , meat to rough wanna ride the bus

From there I forgot but I’m amazed to see the variations through the states and the crazy thing is we would play this all the time on th play ground and now that I look back we really had no idea what we were saying."
-Southern bee, February 15, 2019 at 12:38 PM,
 https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html

**
"Yo" in this example means "your".

****
5. "uno dos sierra
I like coffee i like tea
I like the black boy looking at me
so step back while boy
you don't shine
I'll get the black boy
to kick yo' behind
-prettybougie, 2023-4-13, 
 https://www.tiktok.com/@prettybougie1/video/7221535532528979243
-snip-
These words were given as a caption in this Tik Tok clip.

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

"Darker Than The Black Boy" Line In Some "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - October 19, 2025

This pancocojams post presents some examples of "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" (or recreational rhymes with similar titles) that include a reference to a Black boy or Black boys. 

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those whose examples are included in this post.
-snip-
These versions are what I refer to as "racialized rhymes". "Racialized rhymes" is my term for rhymes that include one or more racial terms when they usually don't include any of those terms. These racial terms can be derogatory or non-derogatory.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html for the 2021 pancoocjams post entitled "Racialized Versions Of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" Rhymes That Include The Words "I Like A White Boy & He Likes Me / So Step Back Black Boy..."

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
There are multiple versions of "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" (or similarly titled recreation rhymes.

The "darker than the Black boy" versions are a very small sub-set of these rhymes. 

This pancocojams compilation showcases all of the examples of this sub-set of "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" rhymes that I have come across as of September 24, 2025. 

For the folkloric record, please share any additional examples (with demographics and/or internet links) in the comment section for this pancocojams post. Thanks! 

****
TWO EXTENSIONS OF THE "DARKER THAN" LINES IN THESE RHYMES INSTEAD OF REFERRING TO A BLACK BOY OR BLACK BOYS

The "darker than" lines in "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" rhymes always follow this verse:

"Flies are in the meadow

The bees are in the park

Miss Susie and her boyfriend

are kissing in the

 

D-A-R-K

D-A-R-K

D-A-R-K

Dark, dark, dark,"

**
The entire rhyme can end with the last "dark dark dark" words. However, here are two commonly found non-racial extensions of that verse:

"The dark is like the movies. The movies like the show.
The show is like the TV set, and that is all I know."

or

"Darker than the underwear my mommy puts on me". 

****
EXAMPLES OF THIS RHYME THAT INCLUDE THE LINE THAT MENTION BLACK BOY/S
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Example #1:
"Miss Susie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell..."

Miss Susie had a steamboat,

the steamboat had a bell.

Miss Susie went to heaven

and the steamboat went to

 

Hello, operator,

Please give me number nine

And if you disconnect me

I’ll kick your

 

Behind the ’frigerator,

there was a piece of glass

Miss Susie sat upon it

and broke her little

 

Ask me no more questions,

Tell me no more lies

The boys are in the bathroom

zipping up their

 

Flies are in the meadow

The bees are in the park

Miss Susie and her boyfriend

are kissing in the

 

D-A-R-K

D-A-R-K

D-A-R-K

Dark, dark, dark,

 

Darker than the ocean,

darker than the sea,

Darker than the black boy

who’s chasing after me!
-frugalera, 2015, 
https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/3zcqt1/miss_susie_had_a_steamboat_the_steamboat_had_a/

****
Example #2

So.. our was a payty cake type thing...hand slapping..

 

"Miss Mary Mack mack mack. All dressed in black black black. With silver buttons x3. All down her back x3. She asked her father x3. For 50 cents x3 to see the elephant x3. Jump the fence x3. It jumped so high x3. Up in the sky x3. And never came back x3. Till the 4th of July lie lie. change of rhythm Lying in the bathroom I called the Operator, said 'please give me #9'... The boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their FLIES are in the meadows, bees are in their hive. Ms.Mary & her boyfriend are kissing in the d.a.r.k . d.a.r.k DARK DARK DARK! Darker than the blue birds, darker than the streets, darker than the black boy that's chasing after MEat is on the table, but there is just one seat. The last of us will win this, and that is who will eat. "

 

Then the person who slaps the others hand, wins.."
-PagEnrose111123, 2023
https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/pme8mi/down_by_the_banks_of_the_hanky_panky/

****
Example #3
'I learned

Miss Marry had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell (ding ding)

Miss marry went to heaven

The steamboat went to

Hello operator, please give me number 9, if you disconnect me ill kick you from

Behind the frigerator

There lay a piece of glass

Miss marry sat upon it

And broke her big fat

Ask me no more questions

I’ll you no more lies

The boys are in the bathroom

Pulling down their

Flies are in the backyard

The bees are in the park

Miss Mary and her boyfriend were

Kissing in the dark dark dark

Darker than the ocean

Darken than the sea

Darker than the black boy next to me

-@Asher_slays666, 2025, [comment in the discussion thread for] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E6lZVqlM-s   Miss Susie Had A Steamboat (A Clapping Song), published by Molly Whuppie, May 18, 2023

A clapping song with IMPLIED cussing.  Often sung by rascals.  Miss Susie is sometimes replaced by Miss Lucy or other names.  There are many versions of this song!

****
Example #4
"Kids Dont jump rope to this song im in the fourth grade and we just sing it we dont do any movements to the song

Miss Suzie had a steam boat
The Steamboat had a bell
Mrs.Suzie went to heaven
The steamboat went to

Hello Operator
Give me number 9
if you disconnect me
I'll kick you from

Behind the refrigerator
there was a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it
And broke her little

Ask me no more questions
ill tell you no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
Zipping down their

Flies are in the meadow
Bees are in the grass
The boys and girls
Are kissing in the
D-A-R-K D-A-R-K

Darker than the ocean
Darker than the sea
Darker than the black boy
That's chasing after me

Dark is like a movie
A movie is like a show
A show is like a T.V. set
And that is all I...

Know my dad is a robber
I know my mom is a spy
I know that I'm the little brat that
Told the F.B.I.

My mom gave me a nickel
My dad gave me a dime
My sis' gave me a girlfriend
And I know she's is witch

she made me wash the dishes
she made me wash the floor
she made me wash her underwear
So I kicked her out the door

I kicked her over London
I kicked her over France
I kicked her to Hawaii"
-Guest, 27 Feb 11, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=90418, RE: Folklore: Lady's alligator purse? Her own thread,  

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Example #5
…."Miss Susie (or Miss Lucy) is a classic “profanity avoidance” number, in which every other line ends with an implied taboo word that elides into the next, more innocent line. These have a venerable tradition, with many similarities to the “Bang, bang, Lulu” (or “Lulu gal”) songs popular in America during the World Wars (which derive from the even earlier British “Bang, bang, Rosie”).

[…]

Here’s how I remember her:

Miss Susie had a steamboat,
The steamboat had a bell. (Toot-toot!)
Miss Susie went to heaven.
The steamboat went to…

 …HELLO, operator.
Please give me number 9.
And if you disconnect me,
I’ll kick you from…

…BEHIND the ‘frigerator,
There was a piece of glass.
Miss Susie sat upon it,
And broke her little…

…ASK me no more questions.
I’ll tell you no more lies.
The boys are in the bathroom
Zipping up their…

…FLIES are in the city,
The bees are in the park.
Miss Susie and her boyfriend,
Are kissing in the…

D-A-R-K, D-A-R-K,

Dark! Dark!

Darker than the ocean,
Darker than the sea.
Darker than the big, black bird,
That’s chasing after me-me-me!

Perhaps more often, the “black bird” is instead a “black boy,” which I only heard sung once as a child (by a white girl, to my shock). I’m guessing the “black boy” version precedes the race-neutral one I remember.
-Posted on April 18, 2016 by SAHMURAI, https://sahmurai.wordpress.com/2016/04/18/miss-susie-a-hand-clapping-history/ Miss Susie: A hand-clapping history
-snip-
The words in italics were given that way on that page. 
-snip-
I've also come across one example of the words "darker than the big black bug chasing after me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaEQydZKg80&ab_channel=zabeth71  [comment posted by Ф Esturioa Ф, 2019

****
Example #6
Miss Suzy had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell

Miss Suzy went to heaven

The steamboat went to-

Hello operator

Give me number nine

If you disconnect me

I'll kick your big be-

'Hind the 'frigerator

There was a piece of glass

Miss Suzy fell upon it

And cut her big old-

Ask me no more questions

Give me no more lies

Ask me no more questions

Give me no more lies

The boys are in the restroom

zipping up their-

 

Flies are in the meadow

The bees are in the park

Miss Suzy and her boyfriend

Are kissing in the D. A. R. K.

D-A-R-K. D-A-R-K.

Dark Dark Dark Dark

Darker than the ocean

Darker than the sea

Darker than the black boy

That peed all over me!
-Jim Rugh (Houston, TX), 
http://inky.50megs.com/idlechild/songs/hellooperator.htm "Hello Operator"
Sung to: The Merry Melodies theme song, from the old Warner Brothers cartoons.

Also known as: Miss Suzy

Also see: Miss Lucy Had A Baby

****
Example #7 [Partial rhyme]
...Ask me no more questions
Give me no more lies
The boys are in the restroom
zipping up their-

Flies are in the meadow
The bees are in the park
Miss Suzy and her boyfriend
Are kissing in the D. A. R. K.
D-A-R-K. D-A-R-K.
Dark Dark Dark Dark

Darker than the ocean
Darker than the sea
Darker than the black boy
That peed all over me!
- http://inky.50megs.com/idlechild/songs/hellooperator.htm Miss Susie Had A Steamboat

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Example #8 - [Partial rhyme]
"So I'm just now realizing that my childhood version was racist, since it went

 ....Darker than the ocean Darker than the sea Darker than the naked boys chasing after me!"
-“[deleted],2012, https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/10ll3w/ladies_of_2x_what_were_your  Ladies of 2x, what were your lyrics to "Miss Suzie had a steamboat"?

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Racialized Versions Of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" Rhymes That Include The Words "I Like A White Boy & He Likes Me / So Step Back Black Boy..."

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update: March 17, 2026

This pancocojams post provides selected examples of and comments about examples of the racialized rhyme "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" (also called "Down Down Baby" and other titles which include the words "I like a White boy and he likes me/So step back Black boy/You don't shine/Imma get a White boy to beat your behind. 

Some examples in this post include the words "I like a White/Black boy" etc. One commenter wrote that in his experience this wording was used when a White girl and a Black girl were chanting this rhyme together (Each girl chanted the same race for the boy that she was.) 

The Addendum to this post includes an example of this rhyme with the words "I like a Mexican boy/He don't like me".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html for the 2012 pancocojams post whose revised title is "Racialized Versions Of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" ("I Like A Black Boy And He Likes Me" and other racial referents)".

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/09/darker-than-black-boy-line-in-some-miss.html for the  2025 pancocojams post about these racialized rhymes: "Darker Than The Black Boy" Line In Some "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" Rhymes.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT [Updated March 17, 2026]
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on race/ethnicity in contemporary [post 1960s] English language children's playground rhymes. These comments update those that I wrote in 2007 on a Mudcat folk music discussion thread about versions of this rhyme. 

In the early 2000s I coined the term "racialized rhymes" to refer to examples of playground rhymes that include racial references although those rhymes previously didn't mention race. Most of these rhymes refer to "black", "white", "colored" people (racial referents).and may also include referents to black skin.

The earliest dates that I have found for racialized examples of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" is the 1970s (United States). 

Almost all of the examples of these "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" rhymes that I have come across have the "I like (or "I love") a Black boy and he likes (loves) me.". Some other versions of these rhymes that I've come across have the referent "Colored" even those that referent for Black Americans hasn't been used since the 1960s. I haven't come across any examples of these rhymes that include the referent "African American" since that referent would really mess up the rhythm and flow of that rhyme. I also haven't come across any examples of these rhymes that include the (also outdated) referent "Negro".

Some examples have "I like a Black boy/White boy and he likes me" wording (sometimes with the contributor indicating that the racial referent that is chanted depending on who is chanting that rhyme-presumably a Black girl would say "I like a Black boy" and a White girl would say "I like a White boy).

I have come across a few examples of these rhymes with the words "I like a White boy and he likes me". or "I like a White girl and she likes me." 

I haven't come across any online examples that mentions of other races/ethnicities except one example (given below) that includes the words "I like a Mexican boy and he likes me." 

****
AN EXAMPLE OF "I LIKE A BLACK BOY" WORDING
Down down baby down by the roller coaster
sweet sweet baby mama never let you go
if you wanna kiss me just say you love me

Shimmy shimmy coco pop shimmy shimmy pow
shimmy shimmy coco pop shimmy shimmy pow

I like a black boy and he likes me
so step back white boy I ain't shy
I bet you 5 dollars i'll beat yo behind

Last night and the night before
I met my boyfriend at the candy store
he brought me ice cream he brought me cake
he brought me home with a belly ache

I said momma momma i'm so sick
call the doctor quick quick quick!

I said doctor doctor shall i die
he said close your eyes and count to 5

I said ah 1 ah 2 ah 3 ah 4 ah 5...
i'm alive on channel 5
scooby dooby doo on channel 2
big fat lady on channel 80
and all the rest on channel 8"
-GUEST,Meme; 03 Jul 14;  https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653 "Mudcat: Down Down Baby, Race In Children's Rhymes"
-snip-
I started that Mudcat discussion thread in April 2007. Comments may still be added to that thread.

****
WHY I THINK THESE RACIALIZED RHYMES WERE ORIGINALLY CREATED
Here's a comment that I wrote in April 2007 early on in that Mudcat thread (with the addition in March 2021 of some words in the last paragraph to clarify what I meant).

"As to my opinions about these rhymes, it seems to me that with regards to childrens rhymes, children are much more interested in the rhythm of the words than the meaning of the words themselves. It certainly appears as though children care whether 'the right words' are recited-"right" here meaning the words to that particular rhyme that they learned and which are recited in their neighborhood. If a child recites the rhyme a different way, others will say that she or he "messed" up. So it certainly appears as though children are conscious of the words they are are reciting. However, I don't think this means that children are aware of or concerned about what the words 'mean' sociologically. I believe these rhymes are part of children's play (in the theatrical sense of the word". These children are chanting a story with set characters and plots and words. The rhyme's story is actually quite common-a boy approaches a girl and asks her for a date. The boy is rebuffed by the girl who says she already has a boyfriend. The story could have ended there. But this rhyme adds the element of the boy being identified as White, and there is [at least in my mind] the assumption that the girl is Black {or non-White]. Furthermore, the girl takes exception to the boy asking her for a date. She tells him that she already has a boyfriend who {it can be assumed} is of the same race as the girl. Furthermore, the girl threatens to get her boyfriend {and/or other boys of her race} to beat up the White boy. My theory is that these confrontational racialized versions of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" rhymes came about when schools were just being integrated. As such, the aggression and reference to race in these rhymes reflect the difficulties associated with those particular times. Perhaps times have changed and the interracial relations between students of different races have improved. Maybe the words to these rhymes have become so familiar and so ingrained that no changes have been made, or any changes that were suggested did not 'stick'. Still, I'm very concerned about the normalization of in-group/out group perceptions and interactions where the only acceptable interaction between people of other races is fighting. But, perhaps these rhymes document the way things were-if not the way things are now (in the 2020s.) I don't know if these confrontational, racialized "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" rhymes are still being chanted in the 2020s when, presumably, there is more interracial interactions-including more interracial dating occurring in the United States. These rhymes are certainly anti-interracial dating.  If our cultures do not address these perceptions among children that people who aren't part of the same race/ethnicity that you are are different than you and are therefore unacceptable, how will we ever have a world where differences don't make any difference? How will there ever come a time when  race and ethnicity are descriptors that have no positive or negative valuation?"

Please add to the folkloric record by sharing any versions of these racialized rhymes that you know. Please remember to add demographic information (which city/state you learned this rhyme or which country if outside of the USA; the decade or year you first learned this rhyme; your race/ethnicity.) Thank you.

****
EXAMPLES OF THESE RHYMES WITH THE WORDING "I LIKE A WHITE BOY & HE LIKES ME".
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

1.
"I went to elementary school starting in 1980, in Bloomfield, Connecticut (adjacent to Hartford). The girls (including my sister) did clapping games on the bus everyday it seemed, and when they hung out in the street, etc. Demographic note: my family is White; Blacks (including many Jamaicans) are a majority in the town, and were most of our playmates.

The version to this one went:
"I like coffee, I like tea
I like a Black/White boy an' he likes me
So step back White/Black boy, you don't shine
I'll get a Black/White boy to beat your behind."

The girls would switch the race of the boy, depending on who was singing. Sometimes there'd be confusion if a White and a Black girl were playing together, and they'd sort of get jumbled up on that word and try to push their version. Sometimes they would agree on a skin tone based on a previous conversion about who the girl whose "turn" it was actually "likes." The reason why I remember distinctly that they did it both ways was that as a little kid I tried to imagine what "you don't shine" meant. I'd try to reason what skin tone "shined" more! Needless to say, I never figured it out!"
-Guest Gibs, 05 Mar 09, originally published on http://awe.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=115045&messages=154&page=2 RE: Not Last Night But The Night Before-rhyme 
-snip-
Here's a portion of my March 5, 2009 response to Guest Gib (posted to that "Not Last Night But The Night Before-rhyme" thread)
..."Here's my take on that "you don't shine" phrase:

In this context, "shine" means to be as radiant as the sun or stars. Saying "you don't shine" to a boy means that you don't think that he is anything special (in looks, and/or in actions, or in his very being) as he or she thinks he is. Perhaps that use of "shine" comes from the outer (or inner glow) that people are said to have because of their auras or their spirit. Theoretically, the aura* of a good or great person shines brighter than that of a person who is evil or ordinary. And a charismatic person would be described as shining brightly."...

**
2. 
"down down baby, down down the rollercoaster,
sweet sweet baby ill never let u go.
shimmi shimmi coco puff shimmi shimmi pow
shimmi shimmi coco puff shimmi shimmi break it down,
i like coffie i like tea i like a white boy and he likes me.
so step back girl cuz he is mine.
i bet u five $ i can beat ur behind
.. to the front to he back to the side side side.
to the front to the back to the side side side.
i can beat u with ur head ding dong(repet)
i can beat u with ur feet ((stomp stomp)) repet.
i cant beat u with ur hands ((clap clap)) reapet.
i can beat u with my hot stuff(hands on hips)reapet
now put it all together and c what u got.
ding dong, stomp stomp, clap clap, hot stuff.
now lets put it all backward and c what u got."
- summmm13lzs;http://hubpages.com/hub/Recess-is-BACK-Hand-Clapping-Games; July 2010 (retrieved August 21, 2010) This example is no longer included on that page. 

****
3
"I always heard it as...

Down, down baby down down the rollercoaster
Sweet sweet baby, mama never let you go,
shimmy shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy shimmy pow
shimmy shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy shimmy wow
i like coffee, i like tea,
i like a white boy and he likes me
so stand back black boy you don't shine,
i got a white boy to kick your behind,
kick it rough, kick it tough, kick it till you get enough

I am VERY saddened that we said this in elementary school."
-GUEST,guest, 12 Dec 10,  http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653 Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes, 

****
4. 
"Went to a pretty racially mixed elementary school in Georgia in the early 90's. We white girls *definitely* knew Down Down Baby as a story of white aggression:

"I like ice cream
I like tea
I like a white boy and he likes me
So stand back, black boy
You don't shine
I got a white boy to beat ya behind!"

I don't remember ever seeing black girls doing that rhyme, so I don't know if they did it differently. But as a child it made sense to me that the rhyme would assert white dominance. It was just another example of the casual racism we were immersed in in rural Georgia. Even at that age my white friends and I understood that a white boy beating up a black boy for flirting with his girl was the expected norm, not the other way around."
-Guest, mindy, 28 Feb 15, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653 Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes, 

**
5.
"Ina Lina Thumbelina
Two times Thumbelina
Iriatchee Liriatchee
I love you.

Take a piece
Take a plum
Not a piece of bubblegum.

I like coffee.
I like tea.
I like a Black/White boy
And he likes me.
So step back Black/White boy
You don't shine.
I gotta a Black/White boy 
To kick your behind.

See that house on top of that hill
That's where me and my baby gnna leave.
We gnna chop some wood
Eat some meat
Come on baby
Lets go to sleep."
--GUEST,17yr old kid at heart:), 20 Jul 10, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 Children's Street Songs
-snip-
This example was written in capitol letters and paragraph form. I reformatted it to increase its readability.

The word "gnna" probably means "gonna" (going to). 
The word "leave" is probably a typo for "live".

My guess is that White/Black and Black/White meant that if they were Black, the chanters said "I like a Black boy" and then said "so step back White boy". Or if the chanters were White, they said "I like a White boy" and "step back Black boy"

**
6.Down down baby down down the roller coaster sweet sweet baby I'll never let you go shimmy shimmy Coco Puff Shimmy Shimmy aah shimmy shimmy coco puff shimmy shimmy aah. I like coffee I like tea I like a white boy he likes me step back black boy you don't shine I bet you $5 I can beat your behind. get the rhythm of the head, ding dong. get the rhythm of the hands clap clap, get the rhythm of the feet stomp stomp  get the rhythm of the hot dog, get the rhythm of the hot dog (move your body like a snake motion each time you say hot dog). Put them all together and see what you get, ding dong (move head from left to right when saying ding dong), clap clap, stomp stomp, hot dog. Put them all backwards and see what you get. Hot dog, stomp,stomp, clap,clap, ding dong.

Amazing how it's a similar song but different in many ways...
-Sarah Bukoski, 2016 [comment in the discussion thread for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCyBMztWUFk "Learn FUN hand clapping game "Down Down Baby", published by KSquared, Nov 9, 2013  

****
ADDENDUM: AN EXAMPLE THAT INCLUDES THE LINE "I LIKE A MEXICAN BOY"....
This is such an interesting article and so neat to see something that is a deep memory of mine. I went to Fruitvale Elementary in Oakland, Ca. Kindergarten 76-77. We also sang this song. The version I sang, for some unknown reason, was :

I like coffee , I like tea,
I like the Mexican Boy
He don’t like me
Go away White boy
He don’t shine
She bop a badda badda
She bop a badda badda
She bop a badda badda
Bing

I was a 5 year old white girl. I came home singing this song. My mother just thought I was adapting to my surroundings and fellow school mates.

I have never forgotten this song. So interesting to find your article.

Thank you

Bella, October 4, 2020,  http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html [comments]

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The "Get Your Black Hands Off Of Me" Line In African American Children's Recreational Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revised - February 28, 2026

This pancocojams post documents a few examples of African American children's rhymes that include the line "get your black hands off of me".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Special thanks to Naijah S. for sharing several children's rhyme examples with me, including two examples that I included in this post.
-snip-
This is a reformatted form of the 2011 pancocojams post entitled "The Get Your Black Hands Off Of Me Line In African American Playground Rhymes"   

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/02/examples-of-lines-step-back-jack-your.html for a closely related post entitled "Examples Of The Lines "Step Back Jack, Your Hands Are Too Black" In African American Playground Rhymes"

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
In the early 2000s I coined the term "racialized rhyme" to refer to examples of playground rhymes that include racial references although those rhymes previously didn't mention race.  The main way of racializing rhymes is to include racial referents such as "black ,"white", and "colored". However, the examples in this post document that references to skin color have also been used to racialize rhymes.

When I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1950s, the very worse thing you could call another Black person was "blackie". Being called "blackie" usually resulted in a fist fight. Sometimes the child hurling that taunt had the same skin complexion or a similar skin complexion as the child being taunted. In those days few Black people I knew wanted to be Black or wanted to be reminded that they were Black. Unfortunately, as I witnessed during the two years I substitute taught in an all Black Pittsburgh Pennsylvania school, the "Black is Beautiful movement" of the 1970s and 1980s in the United States doesn't appear to have changed this attitude all that much. Black kids still taunt other Black kids by calling them "blackie". And immigrant children from Somalia, East Africa - who were darker than most of the African American children, and who also wore outfits that were different than the norm - were the particular target of "blackie" racial slurs.

Taunts aren't the only place that putdowns of Black people by Black people show up. Those in-racial putdowns also show up in children's playground rhymes where they are recited along with other words, with very little thought to their meaning.

In addition to telling adapted West African stories, I enjoy collecting children's playground rhymes. So when an opportunity presents itself to do both, I'm really in my glory. Such an opportunity occurred one evening in January, 2011 when I was slated to present African folktales for young children whose women who were members of the historically Black Greek lettered sorority Zeta Phi Beta, Inc.. A nine year old girl arrived early to that event with her mother. While her mother helped set up the room, that little girl, who I later learned was named Naijah, spent some time on her small notebook computer. I couldn't resist the opportunity, so I approached her, introduced myself, and asked her if she knew any hand clap rhymes. When she said "yes", I asked her if she would share some of those rhymes with me.

It just so happened that two of the playground rhymes that Naijah shared with me included the line "Get your black hands off of me". Those two examples and other examples of "get your black hands off of me" rhymes from other people are given below. 

These are the only examples of this line in children's rhymes that I've found as of this date.

If you know an example of rhymes with this line, please share it for the folkloric record and don't forget to include demographic information (city/state where you learned it, year or decade that you learned it, and your race and gender). Thanks!

**
The first three examples in this post were performed as two or three person hand clap rhymes. I don't know how the fourth example in this post was performed. 

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
The "get your black hands off of me" line is written in italics to highlight that line." In those examples, I believe that the word "black" isn't a racial referent, but refers to the color.

For the record, I always capitalize the "B" in the word "Black" when I use it as a racial referent and, in doing so, I also always capitalize the word "White" when it is used as a racial referent.

These rhymes are numbered for referencing purposes only. 

****

RHYME EXAMPLES

1.  ET FROM OUTER SPACE
ET
ET
ET from outer space.
He had an ugly face.
Sitting in a rocket.
Eating chocolate.
Watching soap operas
All day long.
A B C D E F G
Get your black hands off of me.
Now freeze!
-Naijah S.; (African American female, 9 years old; Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); January 14, 2011; Collected by Azizi Powell 1/14/2011

-snip-
This rhyme has the same tune as "Miss Sue From Alabama"
.
Naijah recited this rhyme without my asking for it by name. She said that that "ABCDEFG" part is also used in the "I Am A First Grader" rhyme that she recited for me after several other rhymes.

I mentioned to Naijah that I had heard that "get your Black hands off of me" line in other rhymes and I wondered if if meant that people were ashamed of being Black. Naijah looked shocked and said "I enjoy my heritage".

I collected this rhyme and a few others from Naijah when she arrived early with her mother and her baby sibling for an African storytelling session that featured me. That session was sponsored by members of a chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority inc.  Naijah was the first child who I had ever seen with a child's lap top computer. I asked her mother if I could interview her daughter while we waited for more children to arrive at that session to begin.

**
2. I AM A PRETTY FIRST GRADER
I am a pretty __ first grader*
As pretty as can___ be be.
My boyfriend's name is__ Chris Brown**
He lives in Ala__bama.
One day when I was___walking
I saw my boyfriend __ talking
To the ugliest girl in the whole wide world.
And this is what he said.
I K-I-S-S
I M-I-S-S miss you.
I L-O-V-E love you.
ABCDEFG
Get your black hands off of me.
I K-I-S-S Kiss you!
-Naijah S.; (African American female, 9 years old; Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; January 14, 2011; Collected by Azizi Powell 1/14/2011

The dash indicate one beat before the next word or the next syllable.

"I Am A Prettty First Grader" is a version of the playground rhyme "I Am A Pretty Little Dutch Girl". Naijah recited this rhyme without my asking for it by name.

*Naijah said "Girls say the grade they are in when they say this rhyme (like first grade or second grade or fifth grade)". Naijah also said that when she was in the second grade she forgot and said "I am a pretty first grader". And that's the words she used for this recitation of that rhyme.

**"Chris Brown" is a currently popular young African American R&B singer and actor. I think that besides his popularity, his last name "Brown" is the reason why he joins a long line in children's playground rhymes of other people or of characters whose last name is "Brown"-for instance "Buster Brown", "Charlie Brown", "James Brown", and probably others.

***Naijah said "The reason why the woman said "Get your black hands off of me" in that rhyme is that she was mad at him because he was cheating on her. I found that explanation interesting as it showed that an attempt was made to explain that line within the context of that rhyme. However, it still seems to me that the emphasis on the color of the hands meant that their dark color was considered negatively. 

-snip-

Notwithstanding Naijah's comment about enjoying her heritage (which she gave after my question about the "ET" rhyme and her explanation about the meaning of that line after the "I Am a First Grader" rhyme, I believe that the "Get your Black hands off of me" line in both of these rhymes shows that dark skin color is still considered a negative.

**
3. ZING ZING ZING  
Zing Zing Zing
at the bottom of the sea.
I am a little __ second grade
as pretty as can __ be be.
And all the boys around my house
go crazy over __ me me.

My boyfriend's name is __ Yellow.
He comes from Ala__bama
with 25 toes
and a pickle on his nose
and this is how the story goes.

One day I was ah __ walkin
I saw my boyfriend __ talking
to a very pretty girl
with cherry pie curls
And this is what she said

"I L-O-V-E __ love you."
"I K-I-S-S __ kiss you."
"I A-D-O-R-E __ adore you"
So S-T-O-P. STOP!
1-2-3-4
Get your black hands off of me!
 Diarra, K'azsa, and Michelle, Fort Pitt Elementary School, Pittsburgh, Pa, (Garfield neighborhood),  2004; collected by Azizi Powell, 2004

-snip-
The "___" indicates that chanters are to stop for one beat before continuing to recite the rhyme.

"Cherry pie curls" probably means "red hair that is curly" [Note that the girls may have come up with this description because it's unlikely that they would have seen anyone with red hair (except any teachers) in their 99% Black elementary school.]

 "1234" is usually given as "123" (which rhymes with the word "me").

For the record, the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh is some distance from the Hazelwood neighborhood of Pittsburgh where the contributor for examples #1 and #2 lived.  

**
4. this is a example sea sea at the bottom of the sea Im a little firts grader as pretty as can be be and all the boys aronud my block are fighting over me me my boy friends name is jello he from alabama with 25 toes and a pretty fat noes and this how my story goes one day I was walking I saw my boy friend talking to the pretiest girl in the whole wide world and this what I sayed to her see my pickie see my thumb see my fist you better run wait come back you need a tik tak not one not two but the the whole six pack sorry to mean but you some vasuline 123 get your black hands off me

-Unknown, October 16, 2020 (comment to http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/i-am-pretty-little-first-grader-variant.html )

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EXPLANATION GIVEN FOR "GET YOUR BLACK HANDS OFF OF ME"
As a result of racism and colorism,  many people consider/considered "black" skin color as the worst skin color to have.  People who have the same or nearly the same dark skin color can accuse each other of being "black" and/or call each other "Blackie". 

"Black" in these American children's rhymes that are the focus of this pancocojams post is a substitute for "dirty".

I asked Naijah, an African American girl who shared two rhymes that ended with "get your black hand off of me"  what that line meant.  Naijah said "The reason why the woman said "Get your black hands off of me" in that rhyme is that she was mad at him because he was cheating on her. I found that explanation interesting as it showed that an attempt was made to explain that line within the context of that rhyme. However, it still seems to me that the emphasis on the color of the hands meant that their dark color was considered negatively.

Notwithstanding Naijah's comment about enjoying her heritage (which she gave after my question about the "ET" rhyme and her explanation about the meaning of that line after the "I Am a First Grader" rhyme, I believe that the "Get your Black hands off of me" line in both of these rhymes shows that dark skin color is still considered a negative.

****
Besides the "get your black hands off of me" examples, I've come across children's rhymes that end with "get your hands off of me", "get your broke hands off of me", and "get your fat hands of of me. Those examples are included in  https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/01/examples-of-i-am-little-first-grader.html

My guess is that "keep your black hands off of me" was the earliest version of that line and that it originated from Black children.
I believe that other versions of that line knowingly or unknowingly replaced the "black hands" version because that line was socially unacceptable.

****

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The "Get Your Black Hands Off Of Me" Line In African American Playground Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision October 16, 2020

When I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1950s, the very worse thing you could call another Black person was "blackie". Being called "blackie" usually resulted in a fist fight. Sometimes the child hurling that taunt had the same skin complexion or a similar skin complexion as the child being taunted. In those days few Black people I knew wanted to be Black or wanted to be reminded that they were Black. 

Unfortunately, as I witnessed during the two years I worked as a substitute teacher in two predominately Black elementary schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the "Black is Beautiful movement" of the 1970s and 1980s in the United States doesn't appear to have changed this attitude all that much. Black kids still taunt other Black kids by calling them "blackie". And immigrant children from Somalia, East Africa - who were darker than most of the African American children, and who also wore outfits that were different than the norm - were the particular target of "blackie" racial slurs.

Taunts aren't the only place that putdowns of Black people by Black people occurred. Those in-racial putdowns also show up in children's playground rhymes where they are recited along with other words, with very little thought to their meaning.

In addition to telling adapted West African stories, I also enjoy collecting children's playground rhymes. So when an opportunity presents itself to do both, I'm really in my glory. Such an opportunity occurred one evening in January, 2011 when I was slated to present African folktales for young children whose women who were members of the historically Black Greek lettered sorority Zeta Phi Beta, Inc.. A nine year old girl arrived early to that event with her mother. While her mother helped set up the room, that little girl (who later told me her name was Naijah), spent some time on her small notebook computer. I couldn't resist the opportunity, and I approached her, introduced myself, and asked her if she would share with me some playground rhymes she knew.

It just so happened that two of the playground rhymes that Naijah shared with me included the line "Get your black hands off of me". Here are those examples (with those lines given in italics to highlight them)

ET FROM OUTER SPACE
ET
ET
ET from outer space.
He had an ugly face.
Sitting in a rocket.
Eating chocolate.
Watching soap operas
All day long.
A B C D E F G
Get your black hands off of me.
Now freeze!
-Naijah S.; (African American female, 9 years old; Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); January 14, 2011; Collected by Azizi Powell 1/14/2011
-snip-
This rhyme is part of the "Miss Sue From Alabama" family of rhymes.

Naijah recited this rhyme without my asking for it by name. She said that that "ABCDEFG" part is used in another rhyme which she later recited. See "I Am A First Grader" below.

I said to Naijah that I heard that "get your Black hands off of me line before in other rhymes and I wondered if if meant that people were ashamed of being Black. Naijah looked shocked and said "I enjoy my heritage".

**
I AM A PRETTY FIRST GRADER
I am a pretty __ first grader*
As pretty as can___ be be.
My boyfriend's name is__ Chris Brown**
He lives in Ala__bama.
One day when I was___walking
I saw my boyfriend __ talking
To the ugliest girl in the whole wide world.
And this is what he said.
I K-I-S-S
I M-I-S-S miss you.
I L-O-V-E love you.
ABCDEFG
Get your black hands off of me.
I K-I-S-S Kiss you!
-Naijah S.; (African American female, 9 years old; Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; January 14, 2011; Collected by Azizi Powell 1/14/2011

The dash indicate one beat before the next word or the next syllable.

Editor: "I Am A Pretty First Grader" is a version of the playground rhyme "I Am A Pretty Little Dutch Girl". Naijah recited this rhyme without my asking for it by name.

*Naijah said "Girls say the grade they are in when they say this rhyme (like first grade or second grade or fifth grade)". Naijah also said that when she was in the second grade she forgot and said "I am a pretty first grader". And that's the words she used for this recitation of that rhyme.

**"Chris Brown" is a currently popular young African American R&B singer and actor. I think that besides his popularity, his last name "Brown" is the reason why he joins a long line in children's playground rhymes of other people or of characters whose last name is "Brown"-for instance "Buster Brown", "Charlie Brown", "James Brown", and probably others.

****
EXPLANATION GIVEN FOR "GET YOUR BLACK HANDS OFF OF ME"
***Naijah said "The reason why the woman said "Get your black hands off of me" in that rhyme is that she was mad at him because he was cheating on her. I found that explanation interesting as it showed that an attempt was made to explain that line within the context of that rhyme. However, it still seems to me that the emphasis on the color of the hands meant that their dark color was considered negatively.
-snip-
Notwithstanding Naijah's comment about enjoying her heritage (which she gave after my question about the "ET" rhyme and her explanation about the meaning of that line after the "I Am a First Grader" rhyme, I believe that the "Get your Black hands off of me" line in both of these rhymes shows that dark skin color is still considered a negative.

****
ADDENDUM
Here are two other hand clap rhymes that include the line "Get your Black hands off of me" (with that line written in italics to highlight it)

Zing Zing Zing
at the bottom of the sea.
I am a little __ second grade
as pretty as can __ be be.
And all the boys around my house
go crazy over __ me me.

My boyfriend's name is __ Yellow.
He comes from Ala__bama
with 25 toes
and a pickle on his nose
and this is how the story goes.
One day I was ah __ walkin
I saw my boyfriend __ talking
to a very pretty girl
with cherry pie curls
And this is what she said
"I L-O-V-E __ love you."
"I K-I-S-S __ kiss you."
"I A-D-O-R-E __ adore you"
So S-T-O-P. STOP!
1-2-3-4
Get your black hands off of me!
- Diarra, K'azsa, and Michelle, Fort Pitt Elementary School, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2004; collected by Azizi Powell, 2004
-snip-
The "___" indicates that chanters are to stop for one beat before continuing to recite the rhyme.

"cherry pie curls" probably means "red hair that is curly" [Note that the girls may have come up with this description because it's unlikely that they would have seen anyone with red hair (except any teachers) in their 99% Black elementary school.]

"1234" is usually given as "123" (which rhymes with the word "me".

**

this is a ecxample sea sea at the bottom of the sea Im a little firts grader as pretty as can be be and all the boys aronud my block are fighting over me me my boy friends name is jello he from alabama with 25 toes and a pretty fat noes and this how my story goes one day I was walking I saw my boy friend talking to the pretiest girl in the whole wide world and this what I sayed to her see my pickie see my thumb see my fist you better run wait come back you need a tik tak not one not two but the the whole six pack sorry to mean but you some vasuline 123 get your black hands off me
-Unknown, October 16, 2020 (comment to http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/i-am-pretty-little-first-grader-variant.html )

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