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I want to compile « tape la main » songs and put them all together into a book. I don’t know what it is called in English. It is that game little girls play by clapping their hands together to the beat of a song. They clap the other girl’s hands straight and crosswise and up and down. My memory may be playing games but I seem to recall it being called something like patty cake in English. It is amazing but my niece, who is seven, didn’t even know about this game. I taught her some but it would be nice to have more.
Do you ladies remember any of the tappe la main songs you used to sing. I’d love to have some from all over the place. (and, if you don’t mind, I’d attribute them to you, like “Michel je t’abandonne” from Ginette / Canada.
[bold]The hyphen is used to mark a syllable pauses: [/bold]
I remember one in French:
Michel je t’abandon-ne
Je ne veux plus te voir
La peine que tu m’as fai-te
M’as mis au désespoir
…..…boum, boum
Assis sous la fenê-tre
Je le regarde passer
Et dis t’a ma grand mè-re
Voici mon bien aimé
…..…boum, boum
Si faut que je l’embra-se
Ah oui je l’embrasse-rai
Si faut que je’l chatoui-lle
Ah oui je’l chatouille-rai
…..…boum, boum.
Translated it it not rhytmic at all » » »
Michel I abandon you
I don’t want to see you anymore
The sadness you have given me
Has made me so depressed
Sitting by the window
I watch him go by
And say to my grandmother
There goes my true love
If I have to kiss him
Oh yes I will kiss him
If I have to tickle him
Oh yes I’ll ticke him
(at the last bit you were supposed to wait after the boum boum part and try to tickle the girl in front of you)
We used to play this non-stop when we were little girls - before the advent of gameboys and portable video toys. Any favorites out there?
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old hand
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Here is one bel, from the deep south, overheard by me, who even as a little boy, was fascinated by the rythmic chants of black girls playing.
Clap, clap, My Mother told me, clap, clap,
If I'd be goodie, clap, clap,
That she would buy me, a rubber dollie.
I told my Mommie, clap, clap.
That I'd be goodie, clap, clap
If she would buy me, a rubber dollie.
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Wow! Does this ever take me back! Growing up in the south mah own seff, I too remember the song milum cited and it was later done by a girl group in the late 60s - early 70s. They added another one of those songs to it. All I can remember is something about "the streetcar line, the line broke, the monkey got choked and they all went to heaven in a little row boat clap-clap..." I can't think of what we called them, bel, nor can I think of any songs we did, but I know we did them. I'll put my subconscious to work on it. 
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Bel, my subconscious is now on your payroll too. Just don't expect it to do any useful work...
I think 'patty cake' is an American term but I have absolutely no idea what we called all those clapping rhyme games in the UK. And the only one I can remember is (done in parts - as many of you as there were stood around in a giant circle and I cannot remember the clapping rhythm at all):
"Who stole the cookies from the baker's shop?"
"Number one stole the cookies from the baker's shop?"
"Who, me?"
"Yes, you!"
"Couldna been!"
"Then who?"
"Number two stole the cookies from the baker's shop."
"Who, me?"
"Yes, you!"
...and so on ad infinitum, or until someone got it wrong or until the bell went.
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There's a very complicated hand game that children perform to "Four White Horses," a Caribbean song. I'll see whether I can remember the lyric here:
Four white horses up the river,
Heh, heh, heh, up tomorrow.
Up tomorrow is a rainy day.
Come along to the shallow bay.
Shallow bay is a ripe banana,
Up tomorrow is a rainy day.
Four children form a square. They begin the hand jive independently of each other and clap across each other on the off-beats. I'll teach it to anyone who wants to learn it should we ever meet. Terrific, complicated hand jive and lots of fun--my kids at school consider themselves to be superstars once they've got a square that can get through the whole song without a mistake--or mis-clap!
Beat regards,
Wordwinner
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On a similar vein, there is one I remember from my Girls Scout days, that my daughter still brings up and I'm sure will be part of my granddaughters vocabulary before she learns to say "granny"! It's played in a group, while alternating clapping your own hands, then slapping your own thighs in rhythm. It's usually done while sitting "Indian style" around a campfire and having one person lead and have the rest repeat each line on the beats. It's nonsensical words, but they work to the rhythm. Now remember, one person says a line, then the rest repeat it, then the one says the next line, and so forth: Flea!
Flea, fly!
Flea, fly, flo!
A veesta!
Cooma lotta, cooma lotta, cooma latta veesta!
Oh, no no no not the veesta!
Eeny meeny, desa meany, ooo alla walla meany, exa meany, zalla meany, ooo alla walla meany!
Beep, biddly oaten doaten doe doe da deeten datten SHHHHHHHH!OMG....I am laughing so hard I have tears streaming down my cheeks! Trying to spell this out was a riot! I think it must lose something in the translation, and it dawned on me as I was typing it, that the first four lines and the last line are spoken, but the rest has a melody to it. Hey, Sparteye, you think we could have a campfire at Wordapalooza! so I can properly demonstrate this one? Of course, we better all bring a cane or walking stick so we can get up off the ground after sitting on the ground with our legs crossed! 
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dear bel,
you have just opened a flood gate.. in my family, i am the repository for all these song. some are clapping songs, and some are jump rope songs, and some are counting out (deciding who is going to be it, in a game of tag) songs..
the have been compilations done for NY songs, but it was back in the early 70!
some NY (and Boston, baltimore, etc) street songs, are american varients of child ballads, with the same tunes, and only a few word changed.
Like
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, mack
with silver buttons all down her back, back,
(many verses-- i'll think about them and write them down if you want)
Mary, mary, was your feet,
the board of health, across the street
this, the board of health, is an idiom for a Bof H nurse or social worker
Starting in a whisper, repeat, each time louder
Who put the overalls in Mrs Murphy's chowder?
If you won't answer, i'll ask a little louder!
a varient of a very old song.. it might even been a child ballad..
Miss lucy had a steam boat,
the steam boat had a bell
Miss lucy went to heaven,
the steam boat went to Hell--
O operater, give me number 9
i want to report a robbery,
He tried to steal my laundry
but all he got was a pile of shi--
(shi)ne your shoes and button
(and more- once i get started my siblings remember the parts i forget. It ends with some one falling some broken Glass.
My sistr had a baby,
she put him in the tub
He drank up all the water
He ate up all the soap
He died last night with a bubble in his throat.
Dead said the doctor,
dead said the nurse,
dead said the lady with the alligator purse!
the lady with the alligator purse=social worker
A Jump rope song, slow, then fast at the alphabet
Strawberry shortcake, cream on top,
My true love name starts on the letter i stop
A, B, C, ...
a counting out song...
Ink a bink,
a bottle of ink,
the cork fell out and you stink!
not because you're dirty
Not because you're clean
just because you kissed a girl
in a dirty magazine.
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it was later done by a girl group in the late 60s - early 70s.
__________________________
I thought it was Bananarama in the 80's?
3, 6, 9
the goose drank wine
the monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line
the line broke
the monkey got choked
and they all went to heaven in a little row boat
clap, clap!
and the rubber dolly bit went on for several verses and made tell of how her auntie told her mother that she'd kissed a soldier and now she wouldn't buy her the rubber dolly
there was another one we used to do, but it's completely escaped me for the moment, I'll have to give it some thought!
It's definitely a girl thing though - we had a voice coach in choir who was trying to get us to do something very similar (as part of an exercise to do with making the right and left sides of the brain work together) and the boys were just painful to watch!! They usually have the same problems with aerobics and step classes too!
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old hand
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We used to do this one - it had a pretty elaborate clapping schematic, which I only remember parts of... I guess it's true - the mind is the first to go.  Say say oh playmate Come out and play with me And bring your dollies three Climb up my apple tree Slide down my {rainbow? rain barrel?} Into my cellar door And we'll be jolly friends Forever more, more, three four. There was a "Say say oh enemy" revision that was my first real introduction to the concept of parody, but I don't remember the words...
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I thought it was Bananarama in the 80'sThanks, rkay. This senior has her moments!
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Playmate,Come out and play with me
And bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Yell down my rain barrell
Slide down my cellar door
And we'll be jolly friends
For ev-er more!
Fiberbabe! ... Oh, what memories you have conjured up! I remember the above (changes in blue & bold) as a song from my far distant youth! Late 1930, early '40s.
Perhaps it was adapted later to a clapping game ?!?!?!
Oh, yelling into a rain barrell produces a booming hollow voice. And exterior cellar entrances had doors you could slide down! Fun!
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Pooh-Bah
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My boyfriend went to sea-sea-sea
And all that he could see-see-see
Was the bottom of the deep blue
Sea-sea-sea
In succeeding verses, the "c-c-c" part was replaced with other, nonsensical, terms. I recall "ooo-watch-ee-wah."
In this one, the term "long-legged" is varied, and the hand position changes to depict the pertinent physical attribute:
Did you ever, ever, ever
In your long-legged life
See a long-legged lover
And his long-legged wife?
No, I never, never, never
In my long-legged life
Saw a long-legged lover
And his long-legged wife
Long-legged becomes, in succession, short-legged, knock kneed, and bow-legged.
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Pooh-Bah
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Slide down my {rainbow? rain barrel?}
Into my cellar door
This clapping game is an old song lyric. Try,
Hide in my rain barrel
Slide down my cellar door
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Oh, i remember that one fiber, in ny slightly different..
Say say oh playmate.............Oh my little playmate
Come out and play with me
And bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide down my {rainbow? rain barrel?}we'll sit on the lawn
Into my cellar door.................by the cellar door
And we'll be jolly friends...........best of friend
Forever more, more, three four.......more, more, more!
and it reminded me
Chose your partner, skip to my Lou
Chose your partner, skip to my Lou
Chose your partner, skip to my Lou
Skip to my Lou, my darling
skip, skip, skip to my lou
skip, skip, skip to my lou
skip, skip, skip to my lou
skip to my lou, my darling
Lost my partner, what should i do, (etc)
I'll get another one, prettier than you, (etc)
Flys in the sugar bowl, shoo, fly shoo, (etc)
red is the burden/chorus, and is repeated..
there are hundreds of verses.. i am sure others here will remember more..
and
When you get married
and your husband gets cross
Just pick up the broom
and ask, Who the boss?
and a spring time one
I have a little pussy
her coat is silver grey
she lives out in the meadow,
she stays there all the day
she'll always be a pussy,
she'll never be a cat
for she's a pussy willow,
now what do you think of that?
and
white coral bells, upon a slender stalk
lilys of the valley (mugets du bois)
deck my garden walk
Oh how i wish, that i could hear them ring
that will happen only when the fairy's sing!
and of course, we all sang and played (girls that is!)
London bridges falling down, falling down, falling down
London bridges falling down, My fair lady!
Take a key and lock her up, lock her up, lock her up (ect)
Get some money to build it up, build it up, build it up,(etc)
Still the bridge is half way down, half way down, half way down,[etc)
Some one go and tell the king, tell the king, tell the king (etc)
and many more verses..
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of Troy:
We sing "Miss Mary Mack" here this way:
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,
Up and down her back, back, back.
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For fifty cents, cents, cents,
To see an elephant, elephant, elephant
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.
It jumped so high, high, high,
Up to the sky, sky, sky,
And didn't come back, back, back
Till the fourth of July, -ly, -ly!
Beast regards,
Wordwind
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Let me put my penny in, too -
the Bronx, 1945-50 -
Miss lucy had a steam boat, the steam boat had a bell
Miss lucy went to heaven, the steam boat went to
Hell-o Operator...etc,
was one of a whole genre, including "Sweet Violets" which as I recall was even made into a popular song about that time:
"There once was a farmer who took a young miss
In back of the barn where he gave her a
Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs
And told her she had the most beautiful
Manners that suited a girl of her charms
A girl whom he's like to take into his
Washing and ironing and" (I misremember the next line or two)
"...They could get married and raise lots of
Sweet Violets, sweeter than the roses,
Covered all over from head to foot,
Covered all over with Sweet Vi-i-o-lets"
and so on for several more verses...
The rhythmic hand-jive routines that I was exposed to were used for jump-rope chants, and the shorter ones bounce-ball routines (remember "Spaldeens" - the pink rubber balls made by the Spalding company?)
"Oh I won't go to Macy's any more, more, more,
There's a big fat policeman at the door, door, door.
He'll take you by the collar
And he'll make you pay a dollar
So I won't go to Macy's any more, more, more."
I'm too close - is it possible to read them without the rhythm coming through?
And just for fun - any cats-cradle or fifteen-puzzle aficionados handy?
PS for the non-folk-music-savvy - the "child" in american variants of child ballads doesn't refer to immature humanoids but rather to one Harold Childe (?) who went about the English countryside many years ago collecting and cataloging and recording (on paper) all the folk songs he could gather, from the Middle Ages forward, a formidable reference work now known as the "Childe Ballads". (Somebody should check the details of this)
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Remember "Spaldeens" - the pink rubber Spalding Hi-Bounce balls-- it a favorite of mine..
een as a diminutive is pure irish! and the irish influence in NY made little balls, spaldeens!
eens shows up in Maureen (Maura is the proper name) Kathleen, (a diminute of Cathrine) Pegeen, (beloved of David Copperfield, a most likely a Margaret, made Peg, made to Pegeen!-- and in on of my all time favorite word (wrong thread i know!) smithereens!
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One that we played when I was a kid--long, long ago--was:
Two Lips Together
Two lips together
Tied up forever--
Bring back my love to me.
What is the meaning
Of all the flowers?
It is the story
Of my true from me to you!
Et vous?
It had a kind of Caribbean rhythm performed over the steady beat of the hand jive. On "et vous?" we slapped our hands out together in a final double clap.
Beat regards,
WordWhythm
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Oh WOF, do you think I could cajole you into writing out all the verses on those tappe la main songs.
(I love the switch in the Hell-o operator one.)
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[honorary girl] One I remember listening to in the playgrounds of Kent: My Mother said My Mother said that I never should Play with the gypsies in the wood If I did she would say Naughty girl to disobey Disobey, disobey, Naughty girl to disobey A site with a few soundtracks amongst other things… http://www.firebirdtrust.sagenet.co.uk/clap/clap.html[/honorary girl] and wow, was that a ruthless sisterhood thang - get too close at your peril!
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Pooh-Bah
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The "patty cake" connection you spoke of rang a bell with this ex-coed-schoolperson. We used to hear the girls chant and clap:
Pat a cake, pat a cake baker's man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Pat it and prick it and......there my memeory fails me, but perhaps it will jog someone else's.
Don't know why it was Baker's man rather than Baker man, but I feel sure it was.
dxb
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Pat it and prick it and......
...mark it with C,
And put in the oven for baby and me
ok, ok, I always liked the girls ;)
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old hand
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Here's the whole version of the steam boat one (from my childhood): Miss Mary had a steamboat,
The steamboat had a bell,
When Mary went to heaven,
The steamboat went to hell-
O operator,
Give me number nine,
And if you disconnect me,
I'll kick you in be-
Hind the yellow curtain,
There was a piece of glass,
When Mary sat upon it,
She cut her little
Ask me no more questions
Tell me no more lies
The boys are in the washroom
Doing up their
Flies are in the city
Bees are in the park,
Boys and girls are having fun
Kissing in the dark, dark, dark!
What great memories! I have more - maybe for later - gotta work now!
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Pat-ta cake, pat-ta cake,
Baker's man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it and pat it and mark it with a "B"
And put it in the oven for baby and me!
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Hi girls, can I join in?
Here are the lyrics for the 1894 song by Petrie and Wingate which Sparteye mentioned:
Once there lived side by side, two little maids,
Used to dress just alike, hair down in braids,
Blue gingam pinafores, stockings of red,
Little sun bonnets tied on each pretty head.
When school was over secrets they'd tell,
Whispering arm in arm, down by the well.
One day a quarrel came, hot tears were shed:
"You can't play in our yard,"
But the other said:
Chorus: (All together now!)
I don't want to play in your yard, I don't like you any more,
You'll be sorry when you see me, sliding down our cellar door.
You can't holler down our rain-barrel,
You can't climb our apple tree,
I don't want to play in your yard if you won't be good to me.
Next day two little maids each other miss,
Quarrels are soon made up, sealed with a kiss,
Then hand in hand again, happy they go,
Friends all thro' life to be, they love each other so.
Soon schooldays pass away, sorrows and bliss
But love remembers yet, quarrels and kiss.
In sweet dreams of childhood, we hear the cry:
"You can't play in our yard,"
And the old reply: [Chorus]
And from the collection of Australian children's play rhymes ("Cinderella dressed in yella"), from which I've posted several times before, here are some local variations on some of the rhymes in this thread:
Mary Mack, dressed in black,
Silver buttons down her back.
She likes coffee, I like tea,
She likes sitting on a Chinaman's knee.
Went to a river, couldn't get across,
Paid ten pounds for an old blind horse,
Jumped on his back, gave him a crack,
Goodbye, Mary Mack, she never came back.
My mother said I must never
Go where the gypsies are,
For if I did, she would say
"Naughty girl to disobey,"
One spank, two spank, three spank,
You're out.
My mother said I never should
Play with the sailors down the bay,
If I did, she would say:
"Naughty girl, I'll have you spayed."
And here's one that hasn't been mentioned yet (I think):
Oh, I'm a pretty little Dutch girl,
As pretty as can be, pom pom,
And all the girls around the place
Are crazy over me.
My boyfriend's name is Fatty
And he comes from Cincinnati
With a pimple on his nose
And two auburn toes
And this is how my story goes:
One day when I was walking
I met my boyfriend talking
To a pretty little girl
With a dirty big curl [chocolate]
And this is what he said to her:
"I love you very dearly,
But I love one more sincerely,
So let's go down to the apple tree
And see how happy we can be."
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old hand
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Dear WW,
I think it was my mother's fault that I was so interested in words. When I was small, it went:
Patty-cake, patty-cake
Baker's man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with C
And put it in the oven for Cristina and me!
(Even at that young age I was being taught, for example, that my name started with "C" - I don't remember learning the alphabet, for example...as far as I'm concerned, I've "always" known it! So even as a baby, I was a wordie already - and the rest, as they say, is history!)
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Anna Banana play the piano;
All she can play is the (pause) Star Spangled Banner.
Anna Banana (clap, clap, jump, land with feet apart).
Two children face each other, feel close together. On beats 1 and 3, they clap ownd hands together; On beat 2 partners clap left hands together; the last line is action only--they clap own hands on first beats, snap with both hands on third beat and jump to a position with feet slightly apart. When their feet as so far apart that they're in splits (or fallen over), the game is over.
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old hand
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Here's the lyrics (if nonsense words can be called that) to a game where everyone stood in a circle, as if you were holding hands but with palms up, with your right hand above the hand of the person on that side, and your left hand below the hand of the person on the other side. Someone would start off by clapping their right hand toward their left hand; since there was someone else's hand there they would receive the clap and the next beat they would clap the hand of the person to their left, and so on. The song goes:
Stella ola ola, clup, clup, clup
Singin' ess chico chico, chico chico chup chup
Ess chico chico valow, valow, valow valow valow valow
One-two-three-four-five!
(I've tried to highlight the strong beats in bold, there were actually two slaps per beat. You guys have no idea how long it took me to work all that out!)
Whoever's hand was supposed to be hit on "Five" had to move it so as not to be hit. If they dodged the hit, the hitter was "out", if they were hit, they were "out". The game would continue to smaller and smaller circles until just one person was left. They were the winner, and then everyone re-joined the circle and started over again!
I always wondered if this song was a bastardization of a song in another language. It sure just seems like very rhythmic gibberish written out like this!
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old hand
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> I always wondered if this song was a bastardization of a song in another language. It sure just seems like very rhythmic gibberish written out like this!There's a warmup we do in rehearsal for improv... it's based on an African circle chant, and one of my fellow team members *hates* doing that warmup because he finds it insulting to the tradition it represents. I've never seen Roots, so I don't know how best to describe it. We've got it going as a name game/rhyme thing: Shock boo ya, shock, shock, shock boo ya, Roll Call, Shock boo ya, shock, shock, shock boo ya, Roll Call My name is Dagny (Yeah) Eyelids are saggy (Yeah) Got a plastic baggy (Yeah) And I breathe air (Roll Call) Shock boo ya, etc - moving around the circle in the group. Uh oh. Speaking of rehearsal, I'm going to be late...  Better find my shoes.
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I don't remember the the
Shock boo ya, shock, shock, shock boo ya, Roll Call,
Shock boo ya, shock, shock, shock boo ya, Roll Call
at all, but Fiberbabe reminded me of
A my name is Anna
and i come from Alabama
and i eat apples
Bmy name is betty
and i come from Boston
and i eat bananas
and so on.. it was a jump rope song, specifically double dutch, and you jumped in, did your letter, and jumped out.. and with out missing a beat, the next girl jumped in..
it was great in the school yard, where lots of girls waited for a turn to jump in.. usually you had two lines, and you alternated.. entered right, exited left, enterd left, and exited right.. the second round of the alphabet required all new names, places and foods.. Q was hard enough once second go round, no one wanted it, same with X.. but z has more names and you could eat silly things like zinnias.
(i am right in presuming every one here knows what double dutch is? this years winners were a team from Japan.. )
in Fiberbabe's example, the words rhyme, in ours, they followed a letter pattern
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Did you ever, ever, ever in your long-legged life
See a long-legged lover and his long-legged wife?
No, I never, never, never in my long-legged life
Saw a long-legged lover and his long-legged wife
Variation on a theme - inevitable; expect many. This is how I learned this one:
Did you ever, eever, iver in your leaf, loaf, life
See the Devil, Deevil, Duyvil kiss his weef, wofe, wife?
No, I never, neever, niver in my leaf, loaf, life
Saw the Devil, Deevil, Duyvil kiss his weef, wofe, wife!
(There was only the one verse.)
Regarding Pattycake/Pat-a-cake: the letter for marking was always adjustable, so the song could be personalized for whatever Baby's name was. B was for Baby, of course, but any first-name-whose-initial-sounded-like-ee would do fine. If your name began with a B,C,D,E,G,P,T,V, or even a Z you had your very own song!
One from my wife's childhood:
(Baby is facing you, being gently bounced on your lap)
Ride a horse to Boston,
Ride a horse to Lynn,
Watch out, little {baby's name}
You don't fall INNNN !!!! [legs spread apart suddenly and of course baby does exactly that!]
(both giggle madly; pull up child, put legs together again, repeat ad libitum)
But I guess that's not exactly a "tappe les mains" game, is it...
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Ditto this--
Ride a horse to Boston,
Ride a horse to Lynn,
Watch out, little {baby's name}
You don't fall INNNN !!!! [legs spread apart suddenly and of course baby does exactly that!]
but we said,
Trot trot to boston,
trot trot to lynn
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Sweet Violets was apparently recorded by Mitch Miller and went something like this:
There once was a farmer who took a young miss
In back of the barn where he gave her a
Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs
and told her that she had such beautiful
manners that suited a girl of her charms,
A girl that he wanted to take in his
washing and ironing and then if she did
They could get married and raise lots of --
Chorus: Sweet violets, sweeter than the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets.
(Guess I didn't misremember all that much after all!)
Didn't find the second or third verse on a brief Google, though.
The original song is, not unexpectedly but not very helpfully either, "traditional."
Did find that, while it's gently misleading to the hearer as to what the next word will be, it's really _very_ much cleaned up (had to be, I guess, to be a Hit Parade song aroung 1950) and what the violets were Covered All Over with was much stronger indeed...
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Oh and remember
Lavenders blue dilly dilly
Lavernders green,
when i am king dilly dilly
you shall be queen
Who told you so, dilly dilly
who told you so?
it was my own heart dilly dilly
that told me so.
i think there are other verses.. and i am 99% sure its very old, and a Child Ballad.. maybe i'll go look
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Pooh-Bah
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Roses are red, dilly dilly
Violets are blue
Because you love me, dilly dilly
I will love you
Let the bells sing, dilly dilly
And the lambs play
We shall be safe, dilly dilly
Out of harm's way
or the one that I knew:
Rose are red, dilly dilly
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet, dilly dilly
So are you
Or the modern alternative:
Roses are red, dilly dilly
violets are blue
Rubbish is dumped, dilly dilly
So are you
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old hand
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Neat stuff, wofahulicodoc, especially
"...see the devil, deevel, duyval, kiss his weefe, woofe, wife"
Thanks, be cool,
Milo.
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Such a great thread, bel!
And thanks, WW... I'd been struggling to remember that "Two Lips Together" and couldn't get past the first line.
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Roses are red, dilly dilly
..or the alternative modern alternative
Roses are red, dilly dilly
Violets are blue
Daffodils are expensive
Will dandelions do?
Who said romance was dead?!?
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My Mother said I never should
Play with the gypsies in the wood
My father said that if I did
He'd beat my head with a teapot lid
(...which may explain a lot...)
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and i learned i always sang a mondegreen..
two lips together,
twilight forever!-- d'oh, how dumb was i?
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oh, what a fun thread! We sang about Sally's steamboat
another one included non-clapping actions to convey professions and mannerisms:
My father was a garbage man, a garbage man, a garbage man
My father was a garbage man
Pee-yu (plugging your nose and wrinkling your face)
My mother was a hairdresser, a hairdresser, a hairdresser
My mother was a hairdresser
Curly (making curly gestures at ears)
My brother was a baker, a baker, a baker
My brother was a baker
Yummy (patting the stomach)
those are all the verses I remember right now
we also played some where the clapping patterns were VERY complicated - I'm so impressed that my former self could catch on!
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Hi, bel! Great thread! I was wondering if the clapping rhymes weren't also transferred over to, or gave rise to, a pantheon of jump rope jingles I used to hear the young girls on the playground merrily playing before and after school, and at recess. I'm sorry I don't remember any, but I know there had to be at least 20 more in use regularly (at least at my school). Ladies?.... The Only WO'N!
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WO'N,
Yeah! Thanks for another memory jog! some of these tunes we transferred to jump rope when we outgrew patty-cake. Way cool. :)
and Helen (& WW), speaking of mondegreens, I now remember our little song went:
"The spades put two lips together
Tie them together'... etc
What on earth were spades to 8-year-old girls?
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old hand
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> What on earth were spades to 8-year-old girls?
I think I was about 8 when I learned to play pinochle.
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Lincoln, Lincoln, I've been thinkin'
What in the world have you been drinkin'?
Was it whiskey?
Was it wine?
No, it was a bottle of turpentine!
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an other varient
Lincoln, Lincoln i've been thinkin'
What in the world have you been drinkin'
Smells like whiskey,
Looks like wine.
Oh my gosh, its turpentine!
and very young, we did action songs
Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the station master
Loading all the the trains.
1)Have you gotten all your wood?
....Yes, we've gotten all wood?
2)Have you gotten all your water?
.... Yes we've gotten all the water?
and your wood?
... and our wood!, oh its
(down by the station..0
3)Have gotten all your coal?
.....Yes we've gotten all the coal!
and the wood?
... and the wood,
and the water?
....and the water! Oh, its
(down by the station...)
(and so on for many commodites!)with down by the station between each set) each verse got longer and longer..
and the finger song..
start with both hands behind your back, bring them forward, and put them back--(verbal clues in the song!)
Where is thumbkins? Where is thumbkins?
Here I am! (right hand now in front of you, thumb up, and bends like bow)
Here I am! (ditto with left!)
How are you today sir?
Very well, I thank you !
Run away, run away! (both hand are behind your back again)
Where is pointer?
(and the same deal as above)
Where is tall man?
Where is ring man?
Where is pinkie?
Where are all my fingers?
and very, very young, there was rattlesnake...
all the kids lined up, holding hands, and the leader was the head.. and we chanted..
R-A-T-T-L-E-S-N-A-K-E-- spells rattlesnake! and we would slither about the play ground, chanting! in the end, the leader would have us coil up, tighter and tighter, untill the very end and we would finally explode!
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this is a song from a page of Child ballads.. some years ago, Peggy Seager (Pete's sister) and Ewan McCall did a LP (well that date it for sure!) of Child ballads... He sang UK versions, either english or scotish, and on the flip side, she sang US versions, either inner city, or apalaitchian... I remember knew about half of the songs Peggy sang, and 2 of Ewan's. this is link is to a version of Acken Drum -- The use version is quite different.. and yet, it might just be enough to spark a memory.. especially if you download the midi file and hear it.. http://www.contemplator.com/folk4/aikendrm.html
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Italian nonsense song for that game;
ciampompimpolo
pimpololaschi
ciampompin
polo nord (= north pole)
again...
I had to ask my son.
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Speaking of nonsense...
When I was around 7 and my brother was 11, he learned a nonsense verse in French class, that I've never been able to remember. It started out 'Ram scram ...', then several lines, before finishing with 'Roulie, boulie, ram tam tam' (or something like that). Does this ring bells for anyone????
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Does anyone remember (or know of at all) the words to Doctor Knickebocker? I remember it starting like this: Doctor Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker number one He sure got drunk on a bottle of rum Now lets here the song about the eyes (and we'd all roll our eyes) Now lets here the song about the eyes (eye rolling again) Now lets here the song about the number two. Doctor Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker number two... And the rest is lost in the mists of time, ladies and gents. Help. Thanks all, I really appreciate all the wonderful input, keep 'em coming Baronia, I have wracked my brains but your clue rings no bells. Ooo, and how about some Tape la main songs from Ontario? Remember any from your childhood Baronia?
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over in link the lyrics.. connie posted
Found a peanut, found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now,
Just now I found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now.
Cracked it open, cracked it open,
Cracked it open just now,
Just now I cracked it open,
Cracked it open just now.
It was rotten, it was rotten,
It was rotten just now,
Just now it was rotten,
It was rotten just now.
my version is Last night, when i was sleeping,, not just now, but its the same song..
So,
Found a peanut, found a peanut
Found a peanut last night,
Last night, when i was sleeping,
Found a peanut, last night..
you'll notice the verses follow a pattern..
in my version, there were many verses..
Ate it any way, ate it anyway...
Got sick, got sick,....
Called the doctor, called the doctor....
Died any way, died any way...
Went to heaven, went to heaven...
couldn't get in, couldn't get in...
went to hell, went to hell...
(more verses.. end up with...)
I was dreaming, i was dreaming...
**************************************
and of course the all time favorite classic
Does your chewing gum loose its flavor
On the bed post overnight?
When your mother says "don't chew it"
Do you swallow it for spite?
Can you catch it on your tonsils,
and dang it left and right?
Oh, does your chewing gum loose is flavor
on the bed post over night!
we also sang old classic UK kids songs, like:
I've got sixpence, jolly, jolly sixpence
Ive got sixpence to last me all my life
Ive got tupence to spend,
and tupence to lend,
and tupence to bring home to my wife, (poor wife!)
No cares have i to grieve me,
No dirty little (boys/girls) to decieve me,
Im as happy as a lark, believe me,
as we go rolling rolling home (dead drunk!)
rolling home, rolling home,
by light of the silvery mo, oo, oo, on,
Im as happy as a lark, believe me,
as we go rolling rolling home (dead drunk!)
next verse, four pence, (and no pence to bring home to the wife,
then tupence, and No pence lend, and no pence to bring home to wife,
and finally, i've got no pence! no pence to spend, no pence to lend, and no pence to bring home to my wife, (poor wife!)
i remember mamy more songs that clapping games or jump rope songs.. the peanut song, and the six pence song were bus trip songs.. for school trips or camp.
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I have a skipping song I thought of right off the bat. I needs names of a boy and girl, so I'll use AnnaS and Faldage as the characters since they're a "couple" that we all know already:
The wind, the wind, the wind blows hi-igh,
Blowing Anna across the sky-y,
She plays accordion, one, two, three-ee,
Pray-o, pray-o, who is he-e?
Faldage, Faldage, says he loves her,
All the boys are fighting for her,
Took her in the garden,
Sat her on his knee,
And said, "Honey, baby, will you marry me?"
[now go pepper i.e. turn the rope fast]
Yes, no, maybe so, yes, no, maybe so...
Until you miss, and whatever word you miss on, that's the answer to The Question.
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Pooh-Bah
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Took her in the garden
Just where are the gutter police????
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Does your chewing gum loose its flavor
On the bed post overnight?
When your mother says "don't chew it"
Do you swallow it for spite?
Can you catch it on your tonsils,
and dang it left and right?
Oh, does your chewing gum loose is flavor
on the bed post over night!
I don't know this one, but the tune sure reminds me of the Smarties jingle (sorry to get commercial):
When you eat your Smarties, do you eat the red ones last?
Do you suck them very slowly, or crunch them very fast?
They're candy-coated chocolates
So tell me when I ask
When you eat your Smarties, do you eat the red ones last?
As kids, we used to sing it faster and faster - it was fun at the time.
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Pooh-Bah
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Hmmmmm. So, Canadian Smarties are like M&Ms? Around here, the candies called "Smarties" are tart sugar tablets. http://www.oldtimecandy.com/smarties.htm
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So, Canadian Smarties are like M&Ms?Only "like" in the sense that they are "candy coated chocolates". There's something different about the taste. European Smarties are the same as Canadian ones - I remember an Italian Smarties song about "una pioggia di Smarties" = "a shower of Smarties". Mmmm. For other US-Canada differences (I know this is a YARTlink but it's a short one) see: http://www.icomm.ca/emily/how.html
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My girls used to do this thing that went something like
"Down by banks of the hanky-panky where the bullfrogs
jump from bank to banky,
they say eep aip ope opp fiddle-dee-dee and they go kerplop"
Something like that.
k
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I was going to say "Gee, you must have come from New York too, you know the same songs I do..." - but you (oT) did. So of course you do!
The version of Found a Peanut I grew up with had no mention of sleeping: the third line was "last night I found a peanut" (next verse "last night I cracked it open," next verse "last night it was rotten," etc). It finally ended by working its way around to "went to Hell", "didn't like it", "went walking", and finally inevitably "Found a peanut!" and here we go again from the top. Loud laughter, of course, and unable to continue...
But I must have come from further uptown, because when we did I've Got Sixpence, it was always
"...no pretty little girls to deceive me."
Then there was "The-bear-went-over-the-mountain-and-whaddaya-think-he-saw?." The verses of that went on to "the other side of the mountain" and "he saw another mountain...and whaddaya think he did?" . These songs, like "a hundred bottles of beer on the wall," somehow all had a way of becoming repetitious eventually. (BTW, it takes only a little over twenty minutes for all 100 bottles to fall off the wall.)
For those unfortunates out there with a deprived childhood [tongue-firmly-in-cheek-e], the song goes:
"One hundred bottles of beer on the wall,
A hundred bottles of beer,
If one of those bottles should happen to fall,
Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall..."
(Repeat thusly down one bottle at a time, ad nauseum or until you get to [hallelujah!] "No bottles of beer on the wall...").
[Music supplied on request ;-) ]
These (bus-ride) songs, you understand, came mostly not from the sidewalks of New York itself as did the jump-rope or bounce-ball chants above, but rather from the summer camp or the bungalow colony/day camp in the Catskills.
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If one of those bottles should happen to fall,
Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall..."
Maybe I grew up in the land of drunks - we learned those lines as:
Take one down, pass it around, 99 bottles of beer on the wall...
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to the tune of "On top of old smokey"
On top of spagetti,
all covered with cheese
sat one little meatball,
till i happened to sneeze
it rolled off the table
and onto the floor
it rolled out the door,
and now more meat ball,
is a meat ball no more..
but there are lots of diffent things that happened to the meat ball..one version has the meat ball rolling under a bush, and the bush growing meat balls..
and the tree song.. some varients are very close to the irish, but the are american versions too
bog, bog, boggy-o, there's a tree down in the boggy-
on on this tree there is a limb, the finest limb you ever did see
and the tree is in a hole,
the holes is in the ground,
and the green grass grows
all around all round,
and the green grass grows all a round.
Now on this limb there is a branch, the finest branch
you ever did see,
the branch is on the limb,
the limb is on the tree,
the tree is in a hole,
the hole is in the ground,
and....
tree, limb branch, twig, nest, bird, chick, eye, eyelash.. progressively!
and there was an old woman who swallowed a fly...
and the boa constrictor song
and more.. i'll be back!
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Take one down, pass it around..
Uptown strikes again. (The Bronx, no less!)
Always knew I was missing something !
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OK. Here's how our gang sang the peanut song:
Found a peanut, found a peanut, found a PEEEEEEEEEEEA-nut
last night,
Last night I found a peanut, found a peanut last night.
Cracked it open, cracked it open, cracked it OOOOOOOOOOOO-pen last night;
Last night I cracked it open, cracked it open last night.
It was rotten, it was rotten, it was RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROT-ten last night;
Last night it was rotten, it was rotten last night.
Ate it anyway, ate it anyway, at it ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNy way last night;
Last night I ate it anyway, ate it anyway last night.
Got a bellyache, got a bellyache, got a BELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLyache last night;
Last night I got a bellyache, got a bellyache last night.
Called the doctor, called the doctor, called the DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCCCtor last night;
Last night I called the doctor, called the doctor last night.
Died anyway, died anyway, died AANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNyway last night;
Last night I died anyway, died anyway last night.
Went to heaven, went to heaven, went to HEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAven last night;
Last night I went to heaven, went to heaven last night.
Gates were locked, gates were locked, gates were LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCKED last night;
Last night the gates were locked, gates were locked last night.
Went to the other place, went to the other places, went to the OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHER place last night;
Last night I went to the other place, went to the other place, went to the other place last night.
It was a dream, it was a dream, it was a DREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAM last night;
Last night it was a dream, it was a dream last night.
Now, I suspect that the word hell was probably in this song, but since southern kids weren't supposed to say the word hell, I suspect the word was edited out by frowning adults.
Best regards,
WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRDwind last night
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Hi helen,
We did the bog song as "High-ho, the rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley-o" but otherwise the same.
This is a really serendipitous thread because just last weekend I resurrected some childhood tapes by Raffi, Sharon Lois & Bram, and Fred Penner (all Canadian kids' entertainers) and they did a lot of those tunes. As a matter of fact, for belM's original query, I'd advise getting anything by Sharon Lois & Bram. They do clapping games, tongue twisters, folk songs, kids' songs, and a lot of the ones I thought of when you queried come from them. They also do some songs in French, as does Raffi. (But I would say Raffi's accent is terrible - but give him points for trying!) A bit of everything, just like Canada.
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Getting back to the very first post and question, I think there ought to be a considerable literature already out there on the subject of children's chants and games, though perhaps not from the particular locale you're most interested in.
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In reply to:
So, Canadian Smarties are like M&Ms?
Only "like" in the sense that they are "candy coated chocolates". There's something different about the taste. European Smarties are the same as Canadian ones - I remember an Italian Smarties song about "una pioggia di Smarties" = "a shower of Smarties". Mmmm.
Smartie people are happy people because they smile all the time.
Bingley
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To my amazement, we uncovered several different versions of this over on the Poetry Archives eMule Phorum last year...I was sure there could only be one. But this is the version I remember using: The worms crawl in, The worms crawl out, The worms crawl in 'Til you're inside out! Little green bugs That look like flies Go in your mouth And out your eyes! And Tami* forgot her spoon! *insert any name here (usually the moment's target, but everybody got a turn). here's the thread url for the other versions of the "worm song," including an offically titled rendition from across the Pond: http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=3968&t=3960Here's another: Great green gobs Of greasy grimey gopher guts, Little birdies' dirty feet, Mutilated monkey meat, Great green gobs Of greasy grimey gopher guts Floating in your soup! (and, of course, you'd all pre-plan to point to someone on the word your) Ah, those were the days! Hey!...we're workin' on volumes for you here, bel! It should be quite a project! The Only WO'N!
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In reply to:
So, Canadian Smarties are like M&Ms?
Purely in the interests of science you understand, I have purchased a packet of M&M's and a packet of Smarties for the purpose of comparison. I have bravely volunteered myself as the guinea pig. The Smarties were produced in Malaysia, and the M&M's in Australia. The Smarties of course come in a tube, while the M&M's come in a bag. The Smarties have a larger diameter while the top to bottom axis in the M&M's is greater, leaving the volume of each sweet about the same. The M&M's taste a little sweeter and are rather cloying. The Smarties are bit more crunchy.
Bingley
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and over the weekend i remembered a song, an old scotish one.. . there were other verses i think.
My bonnie lies over the ocean,
My bonnie lies over the sea
My bonnie lies over the ocean,
Oh, bring back my Gordy to me!
Bring back, oh bring back,
Oh bring back my bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, oh bring back,
Oh bring back my bonnie to me, to me
The winds have blown over the ocean,
The winds have blown over the sea,
The winds have blown over the ocean,
And brought back my Bonnie to me.
Bring back, bring back,
Bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.
Bring back, bring back,
Bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.
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My Bonnie has tuberculosis,
My Bonnie has only one lung,
My Bonnie, she coughs up raw oysters,
And rolls them around on her tongue...
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If I remember rightly, this (of troy's version rather than Fiberbabe's) was originally a Jacobite song.
Bingley
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Hi of Troy: here are two more children's parodies from "Cinderella dressed in yeller"
My bonnie leaned over the gas-tank,
The height of its content to see;
She struck a match to assist her --
Oh bring back my bonnie to me.
My father lies over the ocean,
My mother lies over the sea,
My daddy lies over my mummy,
And that's how they got little me.
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Re: My bonnie lies over the ocean..
Yes, i thought so, too.
its sad-- a long tradition of song is disappearing.. for 300 years (circa 1650--1950) children have song the song.. and now, in a generation, gone!
my kids know some of the the songs i have post here, but not all of them.. they grew up with TV (and MTV) and bubblegum rock and all the old songs are being lost
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hang down your head, tom dooley
hang down your head and cry,
hang down your head tom dooley
poor boy, you're going to die!
* * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * **
the first song i remember learning was
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' forth to bring me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
coming forth to bring me home
i looked over the jordan
and what did i see?
coming forth to bring me home
a band of angels come towards me
coming forth to bring me home!
i remember distincly, chariot was char e o not char e ott..
i remember learning this while my mother was in hospital, for two weeks just before the birth of my sister (she had complications) i was just 2 and half-- and thought it a strange song.. i though a chariot was some kind of cheerio, the breakfast cerial..
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Purely in the interests of science you understand, I have purchased a packet of M&M's and a packet of Smarties for the purpose of comparison. .... The Smarties of course come in a tube, while the M&M's come in a bag.
I don't think I've ever seen Smarties in a tube - just in a box. And, re: different versions of treats: this weekend, I had a Caramilk bar that had been made in South Africa - instead of creamy caramel inside pockets of chocolate, it was a golden-ish-coloured bar of solid pieces, but it somehow managed to taste pretty much the same!
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Dear Bingley and boronia,
In other parts of the world, Smarties come in a tube, so you're both right. As I recall, Italian Smarties came in a tube. They come in a box in Canada. And Italian Smarties had blue Smarties long before Canadian Smarties did.
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Thank you, Bingley, dear sir, for so gallantly interposing yourself in the path of not one but two different kinds of candy so to very kindly answer the pressing query as to the distinctions between them. Rarely have I been the beneficiary of such noble and altruistic sacrifice. And *they say chivalry is dead....
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Personally, I think Smarties are made with a creamier chocolate than M & M's.
When I buy Smarties in the grocery store in Canada, they come in a box, but when I get them at the Duty Free they come in a large tube...about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and about 8 inches long.
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Max, do you have Treats in Zild? How do they compare with peanut M&Ms? There is a similar local sweet here called Cha-chas, which I must confess to a certain degree of fondness for (i.e., I scoff down a packet every chance I get ). Bingley
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of troy, you might be interested in a book called "The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren" by Peter and Iona Opie. I haven't actually read it myself but at one time it was always being recommended as a sourcebook for the history of playground chants and so on.
Bingley
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Forgive me belMarduk, for resurecting this long dead thread but my six-year-old granddaughter and I wrote a new tappe la main yesterday and this thread is our only hope for publication. All you need for this production is a granddaughter, a grandfather and a queasy audience and a nearby desk. Permit me... ON THE ROAD writen by
milo and danielle
washington
(wide spread of hands) I thought I saw an elephant.
(paw scrach) I thought I saw a cat.
I thought I saw a dinner plate.
(head shake no.) Then I saw it wasn't that.
Oh...
(cradling arms) It was a little bitty squrril
(slap hands on desk) MASHED FLAT!
------
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thanks milum, because i was thinking about something, (couldn't sleep) and remembered
There were five little bears all snug in a bed,
and the littlest one said "roll over, roll over"
and they all rolled over and one fell out,
and there were four little bears all snug in a bed,
and the littlest one said "roll over"
and they all rolled over and one fell out,
then there were three little bears all snug in a bed
and the littlest one said "roll over, roll over"
and they all rolled over and one fell out,
now there were two little bears all snug in a bed
and the littlest one said "roll over, roll out"
and they all rolled over and one fell out,
Now the littlest bear was snug in the bed
and the littlest one said "Good Night!"
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In the version I learned as a kid, the song never ended, because:
And the little one said, "I'm lonely, I'm lonely"
So they all rolled over and one jumped in
There were 2 in the bed and the little one said "I'm lonely, I'm lonely"
So they all rolled over ...
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milum,
How cool that you and your granddaughter create verse together!
Helen,
We perform your bear song here in kindergarten classes, and our version, which is sung, goes like this:
There were five in the bed and the little one said,
"Roll over! Roll over!"
They all rolled over and one fell out;
He hit the ground and began to shout:
"Please remember! To tie a knot in your pajamas!
Single beds are not for one.."
There were four in the bed and the little one said,
"Roll over! Roll over!"
They all rolled over and one fell out.
He hit the ground and began to shout:
"Please remember! To tie a knot in your pajamas.
Single beds are not for one!"
[This continues till there's one in the bed]
There was one in the bed and the little one said: [sudden change in melody]
"I've got the whole bed to myself!" [to the tune of 'He's Got the Whole World in His Hands']
I've got the whole bed to myself!
I've got the whole bed to myself!
I've got the whole bed to myself!"
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They all rolled over and one fell out;
He hit the ground and began to shout:
"Please remember! To tie a knot in your pajamas!
Single beds are not for one.."
From my Girl Guide days I remember this as "Single beds are only meant for one!"... which seems to be more logical, but hey, since when are these type of songs necessarily logical.
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While it's not exactly what I was thinking of, it is a great thread and worthy of resurrection, so... "Rise, I say!"
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Pooh-Bah
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Yes. I was thinking of this, but couldn't find it! Good bit of searching!
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Whew! Great thread. Sorry I missed it the first time.
Let's see...
Spauldeens (small, rubber bouncey balls) appear in "The Fortress of Solitude" by J. Lethem which I just finished. Great book!
The "Shock-boo-ya" role call chant appears in the Spike Lee film "Get on the Bus." An amazingly poignant variant of it appears in the film "Glory."
The "line broke/the monkey got choke" line appeared in the song "Red, Red Wine" covered in the '80s by UB40.
Our version of "Lucy Had a Steamboat" had the sanitized line, "the boys are in the bathtub/putting on their ties." Or maybe we just misheard it.
And one last (dirty) "Abe Lincoln" clapping rhyme, from a black ex-girlfriend:
Abraham Lincoln was a great old man
Washed his face in a frying pan
Jumped out the window with his d___ in his hand
Said, 'Ooooo, baby! I'm Superman!'
On the prolonged 'Ooooo' of the last line, she'd place her hands on her hips and rotate her pelvis around and around. We'd both collapse in fits of laughter.
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I remember it *very* differently... from Little House on the Prairie, I'm slightly ashamed to admit...
Old Dan Tucker was a fine old man,
Washed his face in a frying pan,
Combed his hair with a wagon wheel,
Died with a toothache in his heel.
Get out the way for Old Dan Tucker,
Home too late to eat his supper,
Supper's over, dinner's a-cookin',
Old Dan Tucker just stands there lookin'...
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