Racist Playground Rhymes

Jun

Submitted by Azizi on Tue, 2012-06-26 13:13

RACIST PLAYGROUND RHYMES

This page contains examples of and comments about selected English language playground rhymes that include the pejorative referent for Black people that is now known as "the n word".

This collection is compiled for the historical & folkloric records, and for purposes of sociological and educational research.

Ms. Azizi Powell, Founder/Editor
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Latest update: June 27, 2012

DESCRIPTION OF THIS COLLECTION
This page features examples of racist playground rhymes* that include the pejorative referent that is now known as "the n word". These examples were chanted by children, teens, and adults in the United States, and/or the United Kingdom, and other English speaking nations. Some of these rhymes were taunts by White people that targeted Black people or other dark skinned people. When people chanted those rhymes, they were often aware of those rhymes pejorative nature.

Other rhymes in this compilation were chanted as jump rope (skipping) rhymes, counting out rhymes, or for other recreational purposes. As noted in some of the comments that contributors posted with these examples, those rhymes were often recited from rote memory without any awareness of the offensive meaning of "the n word".

It's my position that a pejorative referent shouldn't be used regardless of whether the intent in that use is malicious or not. The history of "the n word" documents that the n word was considered to be offensive by some Black people and some non-Black people as early as the mid 19th century.

From: http://books.google.com/books?id=zd3yIaoBjrMC&pg=PA144&lpg=PA144&dq=nigg...
The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Agatha Christie
By Dick Riley, Pam McAllister, Julian Symons

Continuum International Publishing Group; p. 144

The word n___r* originated as a Northern English (and Irish) dialect pronunciation of Negro and was first written negar in 1587. The first reference to Blacks in America dates back to John Rolfe’s Journal of 1619 “ A Dutch ship sold us 20 Negars…”

By the seventeenth century nigger was a common word and was considered a variation of Negro until about 1825, when the American abolitionist and blacks objected to that word, claiming it was a derogatory reference to people of the Negro race. Since the American Civil War, nigger has been considered a contemptuous word...

-snip-
WHY I BELIEVE THAT THESE THESE RHYMES SHOULD BE PRESERED
I believe that these problematic rhyme should be preserved and studied for the historical and folkloric record as they document the lifestyles, conditions, and racial attitudes of people in the past.

In addition, I believe that these contributor comments are also worthy of preservation and study as they reflect people's changing attitudes toward Black people and the changing attitudes about the acceptability of public (and perhaps also private) use of pejorative referents.

I purposely use past tenses in regards to these rhymes as it's my sincere hope that none of these rhymes are still chanted, and that none of these rhymes will be chanted because of this compilation except for educational purposes.

*By "playground rhymes", I mean taunts, jumprope rhymes (skipping rhymes), and other compositions, usually by unknown authors that were mostly sung by children and youth. Categorizing an example as a "playground rhyme" or "street rhyme" does not mean that those rhymes were composed by children, but means that children recited or recite those rhymes.

This collection does not nursery rhymes (also known as "Mother Goose rhymes".) This collection also does not include examples of folk songs or other songs that include "the n word". A hyperlink to an article about the 19th century American song/rhyme "Ten Little N___rs" is found below.

COMMENTS ABOUT OFFENSIVE RHYMES THAT TARGET ASIAN PEOPLE
Although this post does not include examples of racist English language playground rhymes other than those that include "the n word", I'm very concerned about the large number of racist playground rhymes that target Chinese and other Asian people. I believe that the pejorative words & actions in those rhymes need to be removed, or those rhymes need to be retired. The fact that "the n word" was excised from the widely circulated "eenie meanie miney mo" rhyme so successfully that many people don't even know that it was ever a part of that rhyme proves that racist playground rhymes can be cleaned up and reclaimed by people who have the will & the determination to do so.

Click http://www.playgroundjungle.com/2009/12/me-chinese-me-play-joke.html for an article about the offensive playground rhyme "Me Chinese". Also, click http://imaginationsoup.net/2011/01/innocent-hand-clapping-racist-song/ "Innocent Handclap Or Racist Song" for an article about the another widely known playground rhyme "I Went To The Chinese Restarurant" . I reposted the comment that I wrote on that article's viewer thread as an Addendum to this post. That Addendum is found towards the end of this page.

THE SOURCES FOR THESE EXAMPLES
Almost all of examples on this page are reposted from the internet.

I always acknowlege reposted material by including a hyperlink to its original site or by including offline publishing information. However, if any site manager, editor, or book publisher would like me to remove examples that I have reposted from their site or their published work, please contact me at cocojams17@yahoo.com , and I will remove those examples.

HOW THESE EXAMPLES ARE PRESENTED
Examples of rhymes that include "the n word" non-English language game songs & rhymes are posted in alphabetical order based on the first letter of the title of the example, and in chronological order based on the internet posting date of the rhyme or the article in which the rhyme appears. In the case of the example not having any posting date, the example is posted based on the date that I retrieved it from the internet.

With the exception of the n word, the featured example is presented as is, including with prefacing or subsequent comments and demographical information.

Hyperlinks are presented to the internet source of these selected examples.
When it is known, the nation of origin or the nation from which the contributor of the rhyme comes is included as part of the citation that is given with the example.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive collection of children's playground rhymes that include "the n word". Nor is this collection meant to suggest that rhymes that include pejorative referents for Black pecple are the only examples of racist playground rhymes. I have included some comments on this page about rhymes that are offensive to Asian people. I am also aware that there are playground rhymes that are offensive to Jewish people and to other populations. This page is just one small segment of a study and documentation that, hopefully others, will participate in.

MY COMMENTS ABOUT THE USE OF "THE N WORD"
As founder/editor of Cocojams.com I have decided that the "n word" will only be included on this website with asterisks or dashes or with the euphemistic term "the n word". In this particular Cocojams.com page, "the n word" will be presented by the use of the euphemism "n___r" or "n__a in the case of the shortened version of that word.

I chose to use those euphemisms because I consider any form of "the n word" to be very offensive and highly inflammatory. I cringe when I hear or read that word regardless of who is using it. I also cringe when I read the n word in the title or the content of discussion threads about 19th century or earlier songs on folkloric music discussion sites such as http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm . I realize that there are differing opinions about the use of this word. However, I don't agree with other Black people who believe that that pejorative referent can be "reclaimed", meaning that through repeated use of that word, it would no longer carry any pejorative connotations. I also don't agree that variant forms of the n word mean something different than the n word, or are only acceptable for Black people to use. I join with other Black people and non-Black people who are opposed to the use of the "n word" or variant forms of that word, in songs, speech, or writing.

I recognize the folkloric responsiblity to document, share, and study songs, rhymes, and prose as artifacts from the past. I also recognize the fokloric responsibility to document current songs, rhymes, and other written, sung, and spoken creative works for future generations. However, I've decided that I will not use that word on this website (or elsewhere, though I've done so several times online with regard to secular slave songs) because I've concluded that for me those folkloric responsibilities don't supercede the concern that I have that documenting and showcasing songs or rhymes that include offensive language practices particularly without disclaiming comments about the use of those terms
1. could be interpreted as condoning those practices in the present and/or
2. could be interpreted to mean that the person showcasing those songs doen't have any concerns or opinions about the use of those words and/or
3. could be used to condone and/or encourage the continuation of the use of those words in the future.

My decision to use the euphemism "the n word" was also made because I want it noted and documented that some Black people (and some non-Black people) in this day & time still have negative reactions to and strong opinions about the current (and past) use of rhe word "n___r".

In the case of the examples posted on this page, when I have substituted the euphemism for the completely spelled "n word", I note that by the placing an asterisk after that euphemism, for example n___r*.

It should be noted that some of the examples and comments presented here use the euphemism of "the n word" and "n___r".

HOW TO SEND IN EXAMPLES / MY CONTACT INFORMATION
Please send examples of English language rhymes which include the "n word" to cocojams17@yahoo.com.

Your email address is never posted or shared.

Or, if you are on facebook, visit me at cocojams jambalayah and send me a private message!

Although it's not required, please include information about how this rhyme is performed. Also, for the sake of folkloric research, please include the following demographical information: where you learned the song or rhyme (please include the nation, when you learned this rhyme (year or decade such as 2008, the 1990s, or the mid 1970s); and who performed this rhyme (age, gender). Thanks!

I reserve the right not to post examples of rhymes on this page that are exactly the same as a previously posted example. I also reserve the right not to post examples of songs or rhymes that I feel don't meet the standards of this website.

Thanks to all those who have submitted examples for possible posting on this page. Thanks also to those websites from which I have found rhymes examples which I have reposted to this page.

FEATURED EXAMPLES
[ As a reminder, I have substituted the completely spelled n word or a shortened form of that word with the euphemism "n___r" or "n__a" followed by an asterisk.]

A, B

C, D

E, F
EENIE MEANY MINY MO (Version #1 and #2)

"Controversial version
Older versions of this rhyme had the word n__r* (instead of tiger) and are less popular now because of the waning public acceptability of the word, including:

Eeny, meena, mina, mo, Catch a n___r* by the toe; If he hollers let him go, Eena, meena, mina, mo.

This version was similar to that reported as the most common version among American schoolchildren in 1888. It was used in the chorus of Bert Fitzgibbon's 1906 song "Eeny,
Meeny, Miny, Mo:"

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo,
Catch a n___r* by his toe,
If he won't work then let him go;
Skidum, skidee, skidoo.
But when you get money, your little bride
Will surely find out where you hide,
So there's the door and when I count four,
Then out goes you.

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeny,_meeny,_miny,_moe

****
EENIE MEANY MINEY MO (Version #3)
(ed: there's a Warning here of some racist content. Shoul I leave it.. or censor. Leave it I think, this is essentially a historical store.. and this is just how it was in 'the bad old days'.)

Eeny meany miney mo
Catch a n__r* by his toe
If he squeaks let him go
Eeny meeny miney MO
(sometimes with 'You are it' or 'You are NOT it' or 'You are out', added, but more commonly with MO being the declaration if "it-ness")

(Contributor's note: "In later years n___r* was replaced by mousey, but in earlier years we didn't know any better.")
Source: http://www.odps.org/glossword/index.php?a=term&d=3&t=889

****
EENIE MEENEY MINEY MO (Version #4)
Eeney-meeney-miney-moe!
Catch a n___r* by the toe
If he hollers, make him pay
Fifty dollars every day!

Source: Porter , Kenneth. “Racism in Children’s Rhymes and Sayings, Central Kansas, 1910-1918.” Western Folklore 24(3): 191-196. p. 192Porter p. 194Porter p.193

Posted by JMay on http://jmat1414.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/the-n-word-in-nursery-rhymes/

Retrieved from that website bon 6/25/2012

-snip-
According to JMay, the blogger who edited this post, Kenneth Porter labeled this the "ruthless variant”

****
EENIE MEENIE MINEY MOE (Version #5)
I came to see this thread late. Many of the postings bring back (dim) memories of 55-60 years ago. We recited many of the same counting out games or put downs with some variation in the Los Angeles area. eg….

Eenie Meenie Miney Moe
Catch a N....r by the toe,
If he hollers let him go,
Eenie meenie miney moe.
O U T spells out you go.
(my dad heard us say this and punished us for the racial slur. So somehow we started to substitute the word t...r,I mean tiger).
- John on the Sunset Coast, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350 , I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes, May 22, 2005

G, H

I, J
I KNOW A N___R* BOY
and we certainly were not PC in those days as this demonstrates

I know a n____r* boy and he's double jointed
He gave me a kiss and made me disappointed
He gave me another to match the other
My word ....... (here the name of the skipper was shouted)
I'm going to tell your mother
for kissing ................ (the name of a local boy was shouted out)
Down by the river.
How many kisses did you give him
One - two - three and so on until the skipper tripped

-Shirley in a rather warmer Dent [England] ; http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/YORKSGEN/2001-03/0985995988 , 2001

****
[INSERT NAME] IS MAD
(So-and so)’s mad and I am glad
And I know what will please him
A bottle of ink to make him stink
A bottle of wine to make him shine
And a little n____r* (colored) girl to squeeze him!

Source: Porter , Kenneth. “Racism in Children’s Rhymes and Sayings, Central Kansas, 1910-1918.” Western Folklore 24(3): 191-196. p. 192Porter p. 194Porter p.193

Posted by JMay on http://jmat1414.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/the-n-word-in-nursery-rhymes/

Retrieved from that website bon 6/25/2012

Here's a quote from that blog:
"In 1965, a white man named Kenneth Porter wrote about racism that was pervasive in the nursery rhymes of his youth. As a young boy growing up in Central Kansas, Porter explained that it was common place for young white school boys to recite rhymes that contained the n-word".

K, L

M, N
N____R*, N____R* BLACK AS TAR
James Agee, in _A Death in the Family_, records the following from Knoxville, Tennessee, ca. 1915:

N___r, n____r, black as tar,
Tried to ride a lectric car,
Car broke down an broke his back
Poor n____r wanted his nickel back.

It was shouted at Agee, tho he was white, because he had a "n___r name", Rufus
-Joe_F, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653 Lyr Add: Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes ; June 24, 2012

****
N___R*, N____R* NEVER DIE
Ni____r*, n____r* never die
Black face and shiny eye

Source: http://books.google.com/books/about/Nigger.html?id=g_tUxHbgwKgC

N___r*: The Strange Career Of A Troublesome Word
Randell Kennedy
Random House Digital, Inc., Jan 14, 2003 ; page 6
Google e-book

-snip-
Here's an excerpt from that book:
"N___r* has seeped into practically every aspect of American culture, from literature to political debates, from cartoons to songs. Through the 1800s and for much of the 1900s as well, writers of popular music generated countless lyrics that lampooned blacks…

Throughout American history, nigger has cropped up in children’s rhymes, perhaps the best known of which is [presents an example of "eenie minie miney mo"]
and there are scores of others.."

****
NOT LAST NIGHT BUT THE NIGHT BEFORE (Version #1)
In the version I learnt as a kid it was:

You know last night, you know the night before
Three little n___r boys come to our door
One 'ad a thrumpet, one 'ad a drum
And t'other 'ad a poncake stuck to 'is bum).
-Weasel, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=115045 , Not Last Night But The Night Before-rhyme, January 4, 2009

-snip-
Here's a follow-up comment that Weasel wrote on that same discussion thread the next day:
"I wouldn't dream of performing it at all nowadays nor of teaching it to kids, but when we were kids it was just a rhyme and meant as little to us as all the other versions. I mentioned it because no-one else had.

Cheers "

****
NOT LAST NIGHT BUT THE NIGHT BEFORE (Version #2)

[EDITOR'S WARNING: The following example also includes one curse word,]

the one i heard was: not last night but the night before,24 n-words knocked on my door,ran upstairs to get my gun,tripped on the toilet on the run,couldn't swim couldn't float,goddamn log went down my throat,ran downstairs to get a drink,smashed my balls on the kitchen sink..i forget the rest. my stepbrother taught it to me when i was 10 or so.
- Guest,alfred , http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=115045 , Not Last Night But The Night Before-rhyme, March 10, 2009

****
O, P

Q, R

S, T
TEACHER TEACHER DON'T WHIP ME
Teacher, teacher don’t whip me!
Whip that n___r* behind that tree!
He stole honey and I stole money.
Teacher, teacher, wasn’t that funny?

Source: http://books.google.com/books/about/Nigger.html?id=g_tUxHbgwKgC

N___r* r: The Strange Career Of A Troublesome Word
Randell Kennedy
Random House Digital, Inc., Jan 14, 2003 ; page 6
Google e-book

-snip-

This example is based on a 19th century floating verse that is found in a number of Southern African American social songs from that period. According to Abby Sale, a poster on this mudcat discussion forum thread, this verse is also found in a version of the song "Run N____r* Run"

Do, please, marster, don't ketch me,
Ketch dat n___r* behin' dat tree;
He stole money en I stole none,
Put him in the calaboose des for fun!

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=16308 "Run, Jimmie, Run", December 18, 1999

-snip-

An early version of this verse is also found in Thomas W. Talley's now classic 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Other Wise and is apparently a floating verse found in some other 19th century and earlier African American Southern dance songs. The first line is "master" instead of "teacher teacher". Here's one example:

T-U-TURKEY Tally #10

T-u, tucky, T-u, ti.
T-u, tucky, buzzard's eye.
T-u, tucky, T-u, ting.
T-u, tucky, buzzard's wing.

Oh, Mistah Washin'ton! Don't whoop me,
Whoop dat *feller back 'hind dat tree.
He stole tucky, I didn' steal none.
Go wuk him in de co'n field jes fer fun

-snip-
I believe that *"fellow" here is a replacement for "n__r".

Posted by Richie http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123317 Negro Folk Rhymes (Thomas W. Talley) on Sept 2, 2009

****
THERE WAS A LITTLE N____R* BOY
Skipping song Salford Lancs late 1950's [England]

Also (forgive the language, no one though twice about it then, sadly)

There was a little n____r* boy, his knees were double- jointed,
He gave me a kiss and he left me disappointed.
He gave me another, just to match the other,
Oh, Eileen, I'll tell yor mother,
Kissing little n____r* boys down by the river.
- Guest, Paul Burke,
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=18352 , Lyr Req: Playground songs, November 19, 2002

U, V

W, X
WHITE MAN, HE SMELL LIKE CAS-TEEL SOAP
From my mother's days...on the Colorado prairies....at the "Buckeye School"
White man, he smell like Cas-teel Soap
N__a*, he smell like a ol' billy goat
An I don....like a n__a*.
An I don....like a n__a*.
No How!
It is sung in the tune of a 4/4 "one", "four" chord.
(ie key of C) GGGE,EEG-G,FFFD,DDF-F,FFEC,CCC-,ECCC-,D-C-.
Not PC....sorry...this one I believe dates back to the civil war....(and from the "Union Side" ta boot.)
- gargoyle, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 Children's Street Songs, November 3, 1998

Y, Z

****
ADDENDUM
Playground rhymes that include "the n word" are seldom recited. My online research of English language playground rhymes since the mid 1980s confirms that the population that is most often targeted by racist playground rhymes are East Asians. Judging from YouTube and other websites, there are a number of apparently widely circulated playground rhymes that negatively depict Chinese and Japanese people which are recited by children & youth in the United States, the United Kingdom, Austrailia, and elsewhere with seemingly little recognition that those rhymes are offensive and hurtful.

Among those playground rhymes are versions of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant". There are non-racist versions of "I Went To The Chinese Restaurant". Examples of non-racist versions of that rhyme can be found on http://cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes

Here's a link to a post about a racist version of that rhyme: http://imaginationsoup.net/2011/01/innocent-hand-clapping-racist-song/ "Innocent Handclap Or Racist Song" by Melissa Taylor on 11 Jan 2011
In 2011, I wrote this comment on that post:

"I’ve just happened upon this article. I’m an African American community folklorist who is interested in the sociological meanings/impact of playground rhymes & cheers. Regarding the “I Went To The Chinese Restaurant” rhymes, it may be of interest to those here to note that ALL of the versions of that rhyme are not insulting to Asian people. Yet, there’s no doubt that some versions of that playground rhyme, and a number of other well known English language playground rhymes contain insults directed to Chinese and Japanese people (and by extension to all Asian and many Pacific Island people, since most Americans think all Asians are Chinese or Japanese).

Regardless of the intent, these rhymes that negatively depict Asians can be hurtful to Asian children and other Asian people. And, in the long run, if not the short run, they are also harmful to those who say them, as it inculcates a disregard for other people’s feelings. In that sense, these rhymes are harmful to our entire society.

Btw, it’s unlikely that the little girl actually learned “I Went To The Chinese Restaurant” in school. It’s more likely that she learned it on the school bus or from some school girls who probably didn’t understand that it’s wrong to make fun of people. So yes, it’s important to CONTINUE to have CASUAL conversations about how we should never make fun of people. I emphasize the words “continue” and “casual” because having hostile, “you did something stupid”, “you did wrong” conversations about this subject, and the larger subject of racism can be very harmful to your relationship with your children in a number of different ways.

And while I commend those posters who have indicated that their children stand up for the Asian children they know, I’m concerned that too much of that would feed into the “White people as protectors of People of Color” meme. I would have perferred a balance in the comments about teaching the Asian children to stand up for themselves-and teaching them other coping skills. I believe that’s important because, as the sun will rise, these children WILL face racism. Also, those White parents of Children of Color are also going to have to get some backbone and learn how & when it’s best to advocate for their children, and when it’s best to let their children deal with this themselves, hopefully reflecting the self-esteem and (racial) group esteem you have inculcated in them, and the coping skills you have taught them. I wish you and your children well."

Racist Playground Rhymes

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