I learned a variation of Eenie Meenie Miney Moe as a child and I have never met anyone else who has ever heard of it. I know that children's rhymes are often regional in their variations, and I learned this one in North Carolina. It goes:
Eenie meenie jusileenie Oo ah alimeenie Osha posha bumalosha Out goes you
We loved this version because it was all nonsense and so much fun to say.
I was doing a bit of googling and found some interesting historical info about this rhyme. Apparently recently there was a lawsuit because some feel this rhyme was originally a racial slur. Apparently, though it has been used thus, it's origins are much older than that.
I found some other variations here, but none like the one I knew: linkolla
I would be very interested in hearing some of the versions y'all might have known from childhood, or other local children's rhymes for that matter. I think it is a fascinating phenomenon, the things arising from the culture of children, spread far and wide and passed down to younger generations.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I liked the rhymes kids used for jumping ropes or my favourite
quote: We're going to Kentucky. We're going to the fair to see the senorita with flowers in her hair shake it to the bottom shake it to the top Shake it like a milkshake and do the best you can
and turn around and turn around until you make a stop.
Ok, might have gotten that wrong, but it's one of my favourites...
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
How about Hebrew:
En den dino, Sof a la katino, Sof a la kati kato, Elik belik bom!
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Cool, Synth, I have not heard that one before.
Raia, are those Hebrew words, or non-sense syllables that have the Hebrew form? If words, what do they mean?
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
They're pretty much nonsense. Sorry to disappoint! Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
We'd do it in kindergarten and stuff. We'd dance in a circle with someone in the middle and they'd spin and point It was fun. I seem to remember a lot of these old things like the 10 little monkeys one and Miss Mary mack mack mack was dressed in black black black...
ect. I wonder where they come from.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
I remember Miss Mary Mack!! Any of you played "Chinese Jumprope"?
Posted by dangermom (Member # 1676) on :
I've never met anyone before or since who knew it, until my friend this year who is also from the center part of CA had one that was similar. I stated a thread on it at the Straight Dope and got several variations. If you're interested, I'll look it up.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Whoo-hoo! Dangermom, that is too close to be a coincidence! I have never encountered anyone who knew anything close to the version I learned in NC, and this one you learned looks like a close cousin. Yes, I would be interested in that link if you can find it.
Exciting! I wonder what else will turn up.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Man, people in Carolina are weird. Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
The only variation I heard other kids use replaced the offending word with "Tiger."
Not much of a variation, but I also never thought of the negative meanings when it was used. Now if I'd been a tiger, then...
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
(all those years of girl scout camp may actually have been good for something! )
Synth, it's:
We're going to Kentucky. We're going to the fair to see the senorita with flowers in her hair now shake it senorita shake it all you can all the boys are watching so do the best you can now rumble to the bottom rumble to the top turn 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round until we holler stop S-T-O-P stop! (there are actions that go with it, too)
Of course there may be different versions in different parts of the country and stuff, but that's the version I know.
Posted by cochick (Member # 6167) on :
Ip dip doo Cats got flu Monkeys got chicken pox Out goes you!
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
One my mother passed on to me...
Eenie meenie mackaracka air eye dominacka chikypocka lollypoppa air eye dom PUSH!
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I've heard this one a lot growing up:
quote:Eenie, meenie, miney, mo Catch a tiger by the toe If he hollers, make him pay Fifty dollars every day My mother told me To pick the very best one And you are not it With a dirty, dirty Dishrag on your toe Not because you're dirty Not because you're clean Just because you kissed a girl Behind a magazine
[ March 29, 2004, 10:14 PM: Message edited by: Jon Boy ]
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
dangermom, I know the one you mentioned. But I know a SLIGHTLY different variation.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Cool, Teshi! Another one that has a similar rhythm and sound to the one I know.
I would love to do a study on this and collect samples from different areas. Probably someone has already done that and written a book on it. If they did a good job, I would buy it.
Jon Boy, that one sounds very much like the popular one that so many people I meet seem to know. I have never heard the last few lines though.
We loved doing "One potato, two potato..." where you start with a "big" potato, split to two smaller ones, then when those are hit, they go behind your back. It made the pattern a bit more complicated.
Posted by dangermom (Member # 1676) on :
beverly, here you go. Enjoy.
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
-British Children's rhyme
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Thanks, dangermom, I'm gonna add those to my collection. Posted by Jill (Member # 3376) on :
Jon Boy: Ours was
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo Catch a tiger by the toe If he hollers, let him go. My mother told me To pick the very best And that is y-o-u.
We always used to play a clapping game to "Down by the banks of the hanky panky Where the bullfrog jumps from bay to banky Where the eeps ipes scooblideewops Hey mister lilipad he went kerplops."
Made absolutely no sense, but we loved it. There were a few minor variations.
Then a girl moved here from the South and had a new variation of the rhyme, with a different rythm but same hand motions:
"Bo bo si otton cotton nay nay I am your boom boom inny minni otton cotton bo bo si otton cotton bo bo si otton cotton boom!"
We loved it.
We played "Miss Mary Mack," and "Miss Suzie went to sea sea sea to see what she could see see see but all that she could see see see was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea." There were a lot of Miss Suzie rhymes.
We also had one that we thought was VERY risque, where we would almost say a bad word (this was third grade, so I'm talking about words like butt), but never quite. It started with: Miss Suzie had a steamboat The steamboat had a bell The steamboat went to Heaven Miss Suzie went to Hello Operator Please give me Number Nine" I don't remember the rest of it, but that's the gist.
[ March 30, 2004, 01:44 AM: Message edited by: Jill ]
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
I remember that last one! I remember the rest of it too.
And if you disconnect me I'll chop off your Behind the 'fridgerator there was a piece of glass Miss Lucy (we said Lucy) sat upon it and broke her big fat Ask me no more questions tell me no more lies The boys are in the bathroom zipping down their Flies are in the city bees are in the park Miss Lucy and her boyfriend are kissing in the D-A-R-K D-A-R-K Dark.
Yes, that was a bit naughty.
[ March 30, 2004, 02:08 AM: Message edited by: beverly ]
Posted by aka (Member # 139) on :
Eenie, meenie, miney, moe Catch a rabbit by his toe If he hollers make him pay Fifty dollars once a day I ___ ___ cause my mama told me to pick YOU.
The two missing words I can't remember.
Did anyone else first figure out modulo arithmetic because of this?
Posted by Jill (Member # 3376) on :
That's it!
Ahh... the good old days...
Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
I remember that last one! I remember the rest of it too.