REFERENCES TO MICHAEL JACKSON IN PLAYGROUND RHYMES, PART I
This is Part I of a two part post which present selected examples of English language playground rhymes that mention recording artist and entertainer Michael Jackson. These examples are from the playground rhyme family "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
The Michael Jackson versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" document two historical events: the soda marketing wars of the 1980s and the January 1984 accident where fireworks set that King of Pop's hair on fire while he singing a version of his hit song "Billy Jean" during the filming of a Pepsi Cola television commercial.
WARNING: Some content in this page may be considered inappropriate for children & youth.
Part I of this post contains selected examples of rhymes that mention Michael Jackson but do not include any lines such as "Michael Jackson is a fag" or "he used to play with little toys/now he plays with little boys". Part II of this post presents selected examples that include those lines. Click http://cocojams.com/content/references-michael-jackson-playground-rhymes... for Part II of this post.
The examples and comments in this post are presented for the folkloric record and for sociological reasons that are given below. See my comments below about this subject under "Overview".
WHERE EXAMPLES ARE FROM
I have collected examples of these rhymes since 2006. Most of these examples are from postings to this discussion thread that I started that year on Mudcat Discussion Forum: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034 Posts from that thread and from other threads on that website are used with permission of that site's founder & owner.
Other examples republished on this post are from this page of my Cocojams website: http://cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes and from other websites, including YouTube videos' viewer comment threads. I use such internet mining to identify examples. A link to the website and other identifying information are included with examples. If any website is unhappy with my use of examples which were originally posted on their site, I can be contacted at this email address: cocojams17@yahoo.com.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to all those whose examples are showcased on this post. Special thanks to Max Spiegel, founder & owner of Mudcat Discussion Forum for his permission to repost examples from that site.
SEND IN EXAMPLES AND LINKS
Readers may send additional examples of these rhymes and any links to YouTube videos of these rhymes for possible addition to this post.
Although it is optional, for the folkloric record, please remember to include demographical information. including when the example was performed (such as year or decade), where the example was performed (geographical place such as city or state if within the USA, or city & nation if outside of the USA), gender, who performed the rhyme (gender, race/ethnic group), how the rhyme was performed. Please also include any comments about this play experience. Thank You.
Submission of examples & comments to this website means that you are conferring permission to me to republish this material in any other online or off-line publication.
I reserve the right not to add those examples which are the same as or very similar to those posted or those examples which don't meet the standards of this website.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Comments about this topic and Please email me at cocojams17@yahoo.com.
To date, I've been unable to find any YouTube videos of Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes that mention Michael Jackson. If you know of such videos, please send those links to my email address.at cocojams17@yahoo.com. Your email address is never posted or shared.
Or if you are on facebook, I can be reached there under the name cocojams jambalayah.
Editor: Ms. Azizi Powell
Latest update - May 20, 2012
****
PART I - OVERVIEW
Michael Jackson was known as the King of Pop. He and his music are still loved by millions of people throughout the world. It's therefore both sad & ironical that most of the references to Michael Jackson in English language playground rhymes are negative. Some neutral or only mildly negative rhyme examples can be found. But it's much more common to find mildly negative put-down (insult) examples of Michael Jackson/Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (such as "Michael Jackson makes me gag") or some other relatively inoffensive word that rhymes or near rhymes with the word "flag".
However, there are also much more offensive references to Michael Jackson in a small number of these rhymes - "Michael Jackson is a fag" and "He used to play with little toys/now he plays with little boys".
My purpose in presenting these examples isn't to support or disprove these allegations. Instead, I am presenting these examples for the folkloric record.
I think that it's a shame that there are so few (if any) off-line documentation of these rhymes. I like the fact that these "Michael Jackson/Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes document & provide social commentary about specific historical events
(the "soda marketing wars" of the 1980s, and the January 27, 1984 accident in which a fireworks malfunction resulted in Michael Jackson's hair catching on fire while he was making a Pepsi Cola television commercial),
Furthermore, these examples are creative compositions that deserve to be documented as a legitimate part of the complete collection of children's playground rhymes. I'm sure that there are other people beside me who are interested in how children and youth combine various playgrond rhymes. I'm also sure that there are other people besides me who are interested in how these rhymes remain the same and change over periods of time. Thanks to the internet, it's easier to document such changes now then it was before.
I collect playground rhymes because I enjoy reading the different ways that children incorporate slang and other popular sayings & famous people in their examples. I smile at how slang phrases that are no longer in use are often misunderstood. For example, in these "Michael Jackson" rhymes, the slang phrase "out of sight" (meaning "great", "wonderful") is usually given its literal meaning "hidden from view". And judging from the wide variation in the titles (the beginning lines) of these rhymes, I gather that a lot of these rhyme contributors didn't know that "Hanky Panky" 'originally' referred to a body of water.
And I smile when I read the way the female name "Billie Jean" has been changed in goes multiple ways as a result of folk etymology. I gather that a lot of those chanting these rhymes have no idea who or what "Billie Jean" is. In some examples "Billie Jean" becomes "Jelly Bean". That's actually not that big of a jump.
Also, I believe it's important to document the differences in the types of rhymes chanted by various populations and the differences in the performance activities used by those populations. To some extent, the comments written by some of these rhymes' contributors, and my comments about these rhymes (given here but mostly elsewhere in provided links) address those points of interest. For those reasons, I'm publishing this two part post as a companion piece to the Cocojams post on "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky http://cocojams.com/content/text-analysis-down-banks-hanky-panky Text Analysis: Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky". That post explores the development and sources of that rhyme.
In addition, from a sociological aspect, it's important to note that on YouTube, an increasing number of viewers preface their example with comments like "I played it like this" or "we sing it this way" instead of writing "No that's wrong" or "the real way it goes" . This marks a significant change in perception about & change of attitudes toward playground rhymes. When I was growing up in the 1950s, I thought that there was only one version of a particular rhyme- the way I learned it. Thanks to the internet, and to YouTube in particular, people can now see and read that there may be multiple versions of any particular rhyme, and no version is necessarily the wrong way that rhyme goes. In my opinion, such a change of perception may signify an increase in flexibility & acceptance of diversity in other areas of life (such as there being more than one standard of beauty, and more than one acceptable lifestyle). I think this is worth exploring, and I hope some researchers take on such a study.
DESCRIPTION OF MICHAEL JACKSON PLAYGROUND RHYMES
All of the Michael Jackson playground rhymes that I am referring to are a part of the HUGE "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" family of rhymes.
Here's an example of the four line rhyme that I refer to as a core "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhyme:
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
With an eep, ipe, oop, opps
He missed the lily pad, Kerplop!
The online versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes that mention Michael Jackson (hereafter referred to as "Micheal Jackson rhymes") usually follow this specific pattern:
1. Write a 4 line version of Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhyme
2. Add a version of the two line rhyme "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag"
3. Add a version of Coca Cola Came To Town"
It is very common for other playground rhymes to also be added to these Michael Jackson rhymes.
"Cola Cola Came To Town") rhymes is a parody of the song "Yankee Doodle Came To Town" and usually has the same tune as that song.
To date, I've found very few "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" rhymes that mention persons other than Michael Jackson. Those persons who are mentioned in these rhymes are disliked by the public for one reason or another. For instance, one example that I read gave these lines as "I pledge allegiance to the flag/miley cyrus makes me gag". http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=jI2ckZAG4nk ;lilcheynestoke; 2010). KweenBrat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC8INeM0w5A ; July 2010) indicates that the verse is "I pledge allegiance to the flag/ (any celebrity) sings so bad". Another blogger extends this verse to refer to schools: "I pledge allegiance to the flag/ my school makes me gag" (http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=O2CSWmfiNKM ; Julia908, 2011)
I believe that these "Michael Jackson/Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes and other [but by no means all] "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes are part of or very similar to the African American insult exchange rhymes known as "the dozens". Apart from the reference to Michael Jackson, in these playground rhymes an anonymous person is "dissed" (taunted) with insults such as "your mama stinks and so do you".
The purpose of "the dozens" is to build up self esteem and street cred (credibility) by not giving in to anger in the face of taunts and quickly giving taunts back better than you receive. Given that many persons reciting these "Michael Jackson/Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" insult rhymes known little if anything about "the dozens", it may be that these rhymes have become seperated from their cultural context.
Perhaps the main reason for reciting these rhymes is that these rhymes allow people to be naughty without any real consequences. In this sense, the reason for reciting these rhymes is the same as the reason for reciting the widely known handclapping rhyme "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat".
It's important to recognize that only a small number of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes include any mention of Michael Jackson. In my research of almost 400 examples of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" to date (most of which were found online), only about a third of those rhymes mention the now deceased King of Pop music Michael Jackson. And only a small number of those rhymes include the rhyme "Michael Jackson is a fag" and/or the line "he used to play with little toys/now he plays with little boys".
Click http://cocojams.com/content/text-analysis-down-banks-hanky-panky Text Analysis: Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky for more information and comments about "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
For comments about homosexuality in English language playground rhymes, including "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky", click this link to a discussion that I started in 2009: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=119441
****
PRESENTATION OF RHYMES
This is only a small portion of the rhymes tthat mention Michael Jackson which I've collected from Internet mining (searching the internet) . However, these examples presented here are representative of the "Michael Jackson/Down By The Banks Of The HankyPanky" rhymes that I have collected to date.
These examples are presented-usually without editorial comment or explanations, though I'd love to do so :o). Examples are presented in chronological order, with the examples with the newest dates being posted first. For referencing purposes, I've assigned each example a number.
All examples are posted in poetry format, although some of these examples were posted online in paragraph formats. No other revisions have been made to these examples.
PART I - DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKY RHYMES THAT MENTION MICHAEL JACKSON
DOWN BY THE BANKS WHERE THE HANKY PANKS (Example #1)
mine goes
down by the banks where the hanky panks
and the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
singing eeps ips ops oops
chilly willy ding dong
your momma smells liKe king kong
i pledge allegiance to the flag
michael jackson makes me mad
coca cola burned his but
now were talking seven up
seven up has no caffein
now were talking billy jean
billy jean is outta sight
now were talking dynamite
dynamite blew up the school
now were talking really cool
really cool is really neat
now were talking stinky feet *
-kkboonyslome1210; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=3aas7bwcjms, May 2012
* The last word was given as "fe" probably because the word limit for YouTube was exhausted. I added what I think is the probable ending to that word based on the rhyming pattern.
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANK (Example #2)
down by the banks of the hanky pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
say eep opp epapapa skittle diddle kernal pop
say one two three four five six seven eight
I pledge alligence to the flag
Michael Jackson makes me gag
pepsi cola came to town
dr.pepper knocked them down
dr.pepper got the flu
now were drinking mt.dew
mt.dew fell off the mountain
now were drinking from a fountain
fountain broke now were drinking plain old coke !
-x0x0Angelfacex0x0 ; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=3aas7bwcjms, May 2012
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANK (Example #3)
I played it like this
Down by the banks of the hanky pank
where a bullfrog jumped from bank to bank.
I say iies I oo iies.
Listen to the sound of the ding dang dong.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson sings so rad.
Coca Cola burning up now I'm drinking 7Up.
7up has not caffeine now Im drinking gasoline.
Gasoline has no taste now I'm eating toothpaste.
Toothpaste is soft and chewy.
Now I'm eating something gooey.
Mickey Mouse had a house
and couldn't pay the rent
so he go kicked OUT
- Kelenerz, http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=3aas7bwcjms, April 2012
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANKY (Example #4)
I play it like:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
eeps opps lollipops
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson makes me gag
coca cola burned his butt
now we're talkin' 7up,
7up has no caffeine,
now we're talkin Billie Jean,
Billie Jean got the flu,
now we're talkin red white blue,
red white blue GREEN! (Whoever gets green is out.)
-Misshawtie4; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=3aas7bwcjms, April 2012
****
DOWN BY THE BAY WHERE THE HANKY PANKS (Example #5)
down by the bay where the hanky panks
where the bull frogs jump from bank to bak
singin eep opp eep op op
skiddle diddle curdle pop
i pledge allegiance to the flag
micheal jackson makes me gag
seven up caught the flu
now were drinkin mountain dew
mountain dew fell off the mountain
now were drinkin from the fountain
fountain broke
now were drinkin plane old coke
down by the river
down by the sea
little johnny peed oon me!
akmasucci ; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A , March 2012
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANK (Example #6)
We sing it sooo different where I'm from. I think it's like this:
Down by the banks of the hanky pank,
and the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
saying eep op eep op op
skittle diddle turtle pop,
I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Michael Jackson makes me gag, (That's pretty bad now, considering he's dead... o.o) Coca Cola has caffeine,
now we're drinking gasoline,
gasoline ran out of fuel,
now we're drinking Mountain Dew,
Mountain Dew fell off the mountain,
now we're drinking from the fountain
-Teeethys, http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A , March 2012
****
DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN BY THE RIVER HANKY PANKY (Example #7)
Down down down down down by the river hanky panky.
Pokemon the one named mankey.
Es eis os es es I delly ding dong.
Why u hit my hand so hard
tell me what I did so wrong.
Es eis os es es a delly ding dong.
I pledge aligence to the flag
michael jackson is so bad.
Cocacola burnin up now we drinkin 7 up
7 up had no caffeine
now we doin billie jean.
Billie jean is outa style
now we doin buck wild.
Buck wild outa style
no we doin eis eis os es es
a delly ding dong
-4evanoel; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A .January 2012
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANKY (Example #8)
ITs THIS:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky.
Oops i said yo booty stanky.
Oooh Ahh Skit Skat,
big fat dirty rat.
I pledge alegence to the flag.
Michael jackson is my dad.
Coca cola burning up,
now its time for 7-up.
7-up had no cafine,
now its time for Billy jean.
Billy jean went out of town riding on a pony,
stuck a feather in his head
and called it macaroni.
-uallnomecuz; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A .January 2012
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANKS (Example #9)
u r all wrong its
down by the banks of the hanky panks
fe fi fo fom me say ding dang dong
i pledge allegiance to the flag
Michel Jackson makes me gag
cocola fizes up
now i am talking 7up
7up has no caffeine now
i am talking jelly bean
jellybean is outa sight
now i im talking dynamite
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 boom
and who ever boom land on is out
-Kissyxblythe; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=iqhvCN0Uvfk ; 2011
****
DOWN BY THE RIVER OF THE HANKY PANKY (Example #10)
no its
down by the river of the hanky panky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky
and i said eeps ipes oops umps
..............michael jackson is a beast
coke a cola buned his butt
now were talking 7up
7up has no caffeine
now were talkin jelly beans
red blue orange GREEN
and whoever is landed on green is out
-taylorchavis1 ; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=iqhvCN0Uvfk ; 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANKY (Example #11)
down by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
singing epps eyps ops chili Willie ding dong
i pledge elegance to the flag Micheal Jackson makes me gag
coco cola burns my butt now were talking 7 up 7 up has
no caffeine now were talking billy jean billy jean
is out of site now were talking dynamite dynamite blows up the school now were talking really cool 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ! BOOM -Ur out-
-Guest, lacie, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034 [hereafter given as Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes], October 18, 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANKY (Example #12)
I learned it like this:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
saying e, i, o, u, chilly willy ding dong
lets play a game of ping pong,
i pledge alligence to the flag
Michael Jackson dances rad,
coca cola bust it up,
now were talking 7 up,
7 up has no caffiene,
now were talking billie jean,
billie jean ran out of sight,
now were talking bobby brown
had a big frown
-marymuch; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A .November 2011
****
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE HANKY PANKY (Example #13)
Down by the riverside hanky panky
Where the bulfrogs jump from bank to banky
Sayin eas ise oas wes
Chilly willy ding ding dong
Michael Jackson went downtown
Coca cola brought him down
Diet pepsi picked him up
Now we're talkin 7 up
7 up has no caffeine
Now we're talkin bily jean
Billy jean went down the street sayin:
Doo a ditty ditty dum ditty doo
- Guest K. Hunter; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; July 25, 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANKEY (Example 14)
Down by the bank of the hanky panky
where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank
going eeps ieps ops oop
Listen to the ker-plop
i pledge allegience to the flag
Michael Jackson stinks so bad\
Coca Cola burned him up
now he's drinking 7 up
7 up has no caffiene
now he's drinking gasoline
Gasoline has no good taste now he's drinking toxic waste.
(then it went to a different melody)
theres a place on mars
were the babys smoke cigars
and the boys wear bikinis
and the girls drink martinis,
and the mustard man puts mustrud on his......
then i forgot the rest
-Guest; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes, June 11, 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANK (Example #15)
"down by the bank of the hankey pank
where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank
singing fee fi fo fum
me say me say ding dang dong
i pladge alligence to the flag
michael jackson makes me gag
coca cola fizzes up
now were talking 7-up,
7-up has no caffine
now were talking jelly bean
jelly bean jelly bean
you stink at this GAME!"
thats the real way!
-Guest, guest, Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes, June 3, 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKS (Example #16)
Hi
the way I learned it maybe 8 years ago in Ooltewah, Tennessee was -
"Down by the banks, of the hanky panks,
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank,
eeps, eipes, ops, oops,
chilly willy, ding, dong,
I pledge alleigance to the flag,
michael jackson makes me gag,
coca cola brought it up,
now were talkin 7up,
7up has no caffiene,
now were talkin billie jean,
billie jean is outta sight,
now were talking dynomite,
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
and whoever messed up during it was out until there was two people left and the person that got smacked right after 1 was out.
-Guest, guest, Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes, June 1, 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANK OF THE HANKY PANKY (Example #17)
Down by the bank of the hanky panky
where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank
going eeps ieps ops oop
Listen to the ker-plop
i pledge allegience to the flag
Michael Jackson stinks so bad\
Coca Cola burned him up
now he's drinking 7 up
7 up has no caffiene
now he's drinking gasoline
Gasoline has no good taste now he's drinking toxic waste
(then it went into something it was totally different)
there's a place on mars,
where the baby - and the boys wear bikinis
and the girls were barganins
the muster man put muster on his head,
when the musturd dried...........
(then it ends something like this)mirrior mirror on the wall whos the fairest of them all!
-Guest, Jen Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; May 29, 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKY (Example #18)
Down by the bank of the hanky panky,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,
To the Hip Hop Shirley Pop,
I pledge allegience to the flag,
of Michael Jackson makes me gag,
Coca-Cola burnt his butt,
Now he's drinking Seven-Up
Seven-Up has no caffeine,
So Now he's drinking Jelly Bean
Jelly Bean is out of sight,
So Now he's drinking Sprite
Spell it!
S-P-R-I-T-E!
- Guest. Madison from Metro Detroit, Michigan; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; March 31, 2010
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANK (Example #19)
Down by the banks of the hanky pank,
where the bullfrogs jump from bank 2 bank,
sayin eeps, ipes, opes, oops,
listen to the rhythm of the ding dang dong.
Micheal Jackson went to town,
pepsi cola shot im down
Dr Pepper fixed im up,
now were talkin 7up
7up has no caffine,
now were talkin billy jean.
billy jean was walking down the street singin,
Ooh, I diddy diddy dum diddy doo.
Lincoln, Lincoln I been thinkin.
what on earth have you been drinkin
is it whiskey is it wine
OMG its turpentine 123...9
-MufinCat123; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZC8INeM0w5A , 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANK OF THE HANKY PANK (Example #20)
Down by the bank of the hanky pank,
where the bullfrogs jumped from bank to bank,
saying eeps, eipps, opes, oops,
your momma stinks and so do you.
So ping pong, ding dong, your daddy smells like King Kong.
I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Michael Jackson makes me gag.
Coca-Cola, mix it up,
now we're talkin' Seven-up.
Seven-up has no caffeine.
Now we're talking Billy Jean.
Billy Jean, your momma said,
whoop, there it is.
Whoop there it is. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.
-Kusenin; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=iqhvCN0Uvfk ; 2011
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY TANK (Example #21)
mine goes like:down by the banks of hanky tank
were the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
saying eeps ipes opes ums
skiddle diddle dong
my brother smells like king kong
pledge allegiance to the flag
micheal jackson is a rat
coca cola blew up
now im drinking 7up
7up has got caffeine
no im drinking billy jean
billy jean is out of sigh
now im drinking sunny light
say 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
your out
--MegaGirlzation; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=O2CSWmfiNKM ; 2010
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS WHERE HANKY PANPKYS (Example #22)
comment about when it was played
OK, i learned it like this...oh btw I might not enough room in this comment box.
"Down by the banks where hanky panpkys,
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank,
saying e si so su.
I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Michael Jackson is not bad.
Coca-Cola burned his butt,
now were drinkin 7up,
7up has no caffiene,
now were singin Billie Jean.
red, white, blue , GREEN!
and whoever was clapped/tapped when we said green was out BUT! they could move their hand at the last second which was hard as to how fast we were doin it. but yeah I played that when I was bored with some friends....and on picture day lol.
-Dracomancer3 ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC8INeM0w5A , 2010
****
DOWN BY THE BANK (Example #23)
Down by the Bank
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank,
sayin eeps, ieps, opes, oops,
Jilly willy and so are you!
I pledge alligance to the flag,
Micheal Jackson is a brag,
coke n cola burned your butt,
now were drinking 7-up,
7-up has no caffeine
Now were drinking Belly jean,
Belly jean is out of sight,
Girl scouts, girl scouts do your duty,
but don't forget to wipe your booty.
(I dont know what there saying after..) attempt to transcribe the video; I also understood the line “Yankee Doodle went to town/ riding on a pony/ stuck a feather ???
-sparklybratz; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP85IV4cX-Y” ; September 2010
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS WITH THE HANKY PANKS (Example #24)
That is all wrong. It goes;
Down by the banks with the hanky panks
when bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
with the eeps ipes opes opps
listen to the curb pop,
I pledge alliegence to the flag,
(any celebrity) sings so bad
pepsi cola burned their butt
now hes drinking 7 up.
seven up has no caffine
now hes drinking gasoline
gasoline is no good
taste now hes drinkin toxic waste
there is a place on mars
where the babys smoke cigars
and the men wear bikins
and women drink martines
every step you take
Is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
you put mustard on his head
when the mustard dries,
you put diamonds in his eyes
when the diamonds break,
it is 1948
mirror, mirror on the wall,
whos the fariest of them all.
thats how it goes
-KweenBrat ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC8INeM0w5A ; July 2010
****
DOWN BY THE BANK BY THE HANKY PANKY (Example #25)
The words we sang in YMCA Afterschool during my years there as a kid(1997-2004)
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
saying eep opp
eep opp opp
Skittle Dittle Kerr plop
Ding dong my breath smells like King Kong
I pledge allegience to the flag
Michael Jackson is a drag
Coca Cola blew up
Now I'm drinking Seven Up
Seven Up caught the flew
Now I'm drinking Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew went up the mountain
Now I'm drinking from the fountain
After that the fountain broke
Now I'm back to drin-king COKE
-Guest, theshortone (Eugene, Oregon); Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; February 28, 2010
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS Of The HANKY PANKY (Example #26)
down by the banks of the Hanky Panky
where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky
With the epps
ipps
ohpps
opps
chilly willy ding dong
your mother smells like king kong
micheal jackson came to town
coke cola shot him down
docter pepper brought him up
now were talkin 7up
7up with no caffine
now were takin billie jean
bille jean is out of sight
now were takin' dinamite
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
boom!
A friend taught me that and afew
other things awhile ago....
- Guest, Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; February 14, 2010
****
DOWN BY THE BANK BY THE HANKY PANK (Example #27)
Down by the bank by the hanky pank
where the bullfrog jumped from bank to bank
singing eeeps ops ohps ooops
listen to the rythym of the ding dang dong
michael jackson went to town
pepsi cola shot him down
dr. pepper fixed him up
now we're talking 7up
7up has no caffiene
now we're billie jean
billie jean went down the street singing
dooo waaah diddy didy dum diddy dooo
-Guest; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; November 6, 2009
****
DOWN BY THE BANK OF THE HANKY PANK (Example #28)
i learned this at my friends birthday party
it was sooo fun!!
down by the bank of the hanky pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank sayin
Fe
fi
fo
foam
mi sa mi sa ding dang dong
i pledge alligance 2 the flag
that micheal jackson is my dad
pepsi cola burnt him up
now were talking 7 up
7 up has no caffine now were talkin billy jean
billy jean went out of sight now were talkin dynomite
dynomite blew up the school now were talkin really cool
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
mickey mouse built a house
donald duck messed it up
who will pay the consequinces
Y-O-U spells you!!
-Guest, SOUR Skittles #1; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; February 27, 2009
****
DOWN BY THE RIVER WITH THE HANK TO PANK (Example #29)
Down by the river with the hank to pank
where the bullfrog jumped from bank to bank
saying eeps ipes opes oops
chilly willy ding dong
i pledge allegiance to the flag
michael jackson sings so bad
coca cola roots me up
now we're talkin 7Up
7Up has no caffine
now we're talkin billy gene
billy gene whent outta sight
now we're talkin bobby white
bobby white went out of town
riding on a rocket
stuck a feather in his hat
and called it hershey's chocolate"
-Guest, Deana Ashley :); Mudcat: “I’m Rubber; You’re Glue ; August 24, 2008
****
DOWN ON BY THE RIVER SIDE HANKY PANKY (Example #30)
downon by the river side hanky panky
were the bullfrogs jump from bank
saying a-e-i-o-u bamboo
a-e-i-o-u bamboo
michel jakson came to town
coca cola shot hem down
dr.pepper fixed him
up now were talking 7-up
7-up has no cafene
now were talking bilajean
bilajean has no caffeine
no caffene no caffeine
1234 shut the door enless u ant to here more
-Guest , maeson A. Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; June 27, 2008
****
DOWN BY THE RIVER TO THE HANKY PANK (Example #31)
Down by the river
To the hanky pank
Where the bullfrog jumps
from bank to bank
saying E I O U
Your mama stinks and so do you
So ding dong ping pong
Your daddy smells like king kong.
Michael Jackson went to town
Dr. Pepper brought him down
Coca Cola brought him up
Now he's drinking 7-Up
7-Up with no caffine
Now we're talking Billy Jean
Inky Binky Bonky, Daddy had a Donkey
Donkey died
Daddy cried
Inky Binky Bonkey
- Guest, ME!; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; June 25, 2008
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS WITH THE HANKY PANK (Example #32)
Down by the banks with the hanky pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
say E-I-O You
Yo Momma stank and so r u
ping pong donky kong
Yo Momma smell like king kong
Micheal Jackson went to town riding on the pony
stuck a feather in is hat n called him macaroni
resse pieces butter cup
u mess wit me ill bust you u up
i woke up in the morning i looked up on the wall
i saw a bunch of cocka roches playin basketball
and they score was 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9 and on 10
they have to try to slap the other person hands if the person misses n slaps their own hand they are eliminated
- Guest, Me![Her's The Miami Version] (Miami, Florida); Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; June 20,2008
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS WITH THE HANKY PANK (Example #33)
Down by the banks with the hanky pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
say E-I-O You
Yo Momma stank and so r u
ping pong donky kong
Yo Momma smell like king kong
Micheal Jackson went to town riding on the pony
stuck a feather in is hat n called him macaroni
resse pieces butter cup
u mess wit me ill bust you u up
i woke up in the morning i looked up on the wall
i saw a bunch of cocka roches playin basketball
and they score was 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9 and on 10
they have to try to slap the other person hands if the person misses n slaps their own hand they are eliminated
- Guest, Me![Her's The Miami Version] (Miami, Florida); Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; June 20, 2008
****
DOWN BY THE BAY WHERE THE HANKY PANKY (Example #34 and Example #35)
Down by the bay where the hanky-panky
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky
Says eep, op, eep op op
Skiddle diddle kernel pop
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson makes me gag
Coca Cola has caffeine
Now we're talking jelly beans
Jelly beans are out of style
We've been talking for a while
Charlie Brown is it!
Or, some people play it like this:
Down by the bay where the hanky-panky
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky
Says eep, op, eep op op
Skiddle diddle kernel pop
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson makes me gag
Coca Cola has caffeine
Now we're drinking gasoline
Gasoline has no fuel
Now we're drinking Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew fell off the mountain
Now we're drinking form the fountain
Fountain broke and made me choke
And now we're drinking plain old Coke!
-Guest, bob, Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; April 26; 2008
****
DOWN BY THE BANK BY THE HANKY PANKY (Example #36)
My friends play it like this:
Down by the bank by the hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jumps from bank to bank
We're sayin ep op ep op op
skiddle diddle kernal pop!
I pledge alligence to the flag
Micheal Jackson makes me gag
Coca Cola messed him up
now we're drinking 7up
7up has no caffine
now we're drinking gasoline
Gassoline not good for you
now we're drinking Mt. Dew
Mt. Dew fell off the Mt.
now we're drinking from a fountain
The fountain broke
and now we're back to drinking coke
-Guest, Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; March 17; 2008
****
DOWN BY THE BANK OF THE HANKY PANKY (Example #37)
Its amazing that out of all these posts there isn't one like mine.
Down by the bank of the hanky panky
where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank
going eeps ieps ops oop
Listen to the ker-plop
i pledge allegience to the flag
Michael Jackson stinks so bad
Coca Cola burned him up
now he's drinking 7 up
7 up has no caffiene
now he's drinking gasoline
Gasoline has no good taste now he's drinking toxic waste
-Guest, Rebecca; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhyme ; December 19; 2007
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS WITH THE HANKY-PANKY (Example #38)
Growing up in Maryland, I learned it this way:
Down by the banks with the hanky-panky
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky
Saying eeps, ipes, opes, oops
Listen to the doorbell ring
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Michael Jackson sucks so bad
Pepsi-Cola burned his butt
Now he's drinking 7-Up
7-Up is bad for you
Now he's drinking Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew has no caffeine
Now he's drinking gasoline
Gasoline is made for cars
That's why he is so bizarre
Down by the banks with the hanky-panky
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky
Saying eeps, ipes, opes, oops
Listen to the Keeerplop!
We sat or stood in a circle with each person's right hand palm-up on the next person's left hand, and each right hand would slap the next right hand. You were out if your hand was hit on "plop", and you could avoid this by pulling your hand out.
-Guest, anonymous (Maryland); Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; August 13; 2007
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANK
this is a game that me and my friends play
down by the banks of the hanky pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
singing eeps iips oops ummps
chilly willy ding dong
i plege alligence to the flag
micheal jack makes me gag*
coca-cola burned it's butt
now we're talkin 7-up
7-up has no caffeine now
we're talkin billy jean
billy jean is outta sight
now we're talkin dynamite
dynamite blows up the school
now we're talkin really cool
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
-Allie ; http://cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes ; 7/14/2007
****
DOWN BY THE BAY WITH THE HANKY PANKY (Example #39)
Down by the bay
with the hanky panky
where bull frogs jump
from bank to banky
with a
Heep
Hop
Heep
Hop Hop
and a skittle
and a dittle
and a kernal pop
i pledge allegiance
to the flag
Micheal Jackson
makes me gag
Coca Cola messed him up
now hes drinking 7up
7 up has no caffine
now hes drinking gasoline
Gassoline not good for you
now hes drinking Mnt. Dew
Mt. Dew fell off the Mt.
now hes drinking from a fountain
-------------------------
fountain water has no taste
now hes drinking milkshake
milkshake goes down wrong,
now he's drinking alcohol.
alcohol is against the law
now hes drinking nothing at all.
-GUEST,Dana; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; June 11; 2007
Editor: That doted line probably means that there is a line missing or there may be a pause before reciting the next word.
***
DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKS (Example #40)
Wow my version seems really weird in comparison. we did do the hand clapping around a circle. Once the last bit was said you were supposed to pull your hand before the clapper got to you. If you did they were out, if not you. So the circle got smaller and smaller. Here was Kennesaw, Georgia's version
Down by the banks of the hanky panks
Where the bullfrogs jump from banks to banks
Singing eeps iips ops oops
Chili willi ding dong
Lets play a game of ping pong
In the year of 1995
I pledge alligance to the flag
Micheal Jackson is a fad
Coca cola busted up
Now I'm drinking 7 up
7 up has no caffeine
Now I'm singing Billy Jean
Billy Jean went out of style
Now I'm singing bob....ie...brown!
-Guest, Mudcat (Kennesaw, Georgia) Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; April 26; 2007
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS WITH THE HANKY PANK (Example #41)
I learned this a long time ago while in day care. All of the kids who played were 7 to 11 years old. This version is like many others except on the last verse...
Down by the banks with the hanky pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
singing eips ieps oops umps chilly willy ding dong
I pledge allegiance to the flag
michael jackson makes me gag
Coca Cola burns his butt
now we're talking 7-up
7-up has no caffeine
now we're talking beligene
beligene is out of sight
now we're talking dynamite
tic, toc, tic, toc, tic, toc boom!
And then on boom! whoever had their hand slapped was out and the game continued until it narrowed down to one winner. I'm not sure how they decided the winner when two people were left
- Guest,Allison; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes; February 20, 2007
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANK (Example #42)
here's what I've heard.
Down by the banks of the hanky pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank 2 bank
singin' eeps ipes opes oops chilly willy ding dong
I pledge allegience to the flag
Michael Jackson makes me gag
Coca Cola has caffeine
Now we're talkin' Billy Jean
Billy Jean is out of sight
now we're talking DYNA-MITE!
I haven't done it for a while, but there's a longer version that says something about "kissed my boyfriend behind a magazine... hey girls, wanna have some fun? here come the boys with their pants undone"
Yes, these were actually sung by young children (1st-5th grade). not that many of them understood what they were saying...
- Guest, Guest. Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes ; January 9, 2007
****
DOWN BY THE BANKS OF HANKY PANKY (Example #43)
Down by the banks of hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
singing eeps, ips, ops, oops
billy willy bing bong
i pledge allegiance to the flag
micheal jackson makes me gag
coca cola brought 'em up
now we're talking 7Up
7Up has no caffine
now we're talking gasoline
gasoline is out of sight
now we're talking dy-no-mite
- Guest, Deanna; Mudcat: Hanky Panky Rhymes: January 9, 2007
****
DOWN BY THE RIVER NEAR THE HANKEY PANKY (Example #44)
Down by the river near the hankey pank
where the bullfrogs jump from bank, to bank,
and they say E I O U,
your momma stinks and so do you
so ping pong ding dong
your daddy smells like king kong.
Ask your teacher what she wears,
polka dotted underwear.
Not too big and not too small,
just the size of city hall.
Michael Jackson went to town,
coca-cola brought him down.
Coca-cola brought him up,
now he's drinking 7up.
7up with no cafiene,
now he's seein' belgain (pronounced beligene).
Belgain is outta sight,
now we're talking dynamite.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BAM!
-Veggie; http://cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes; August 21, 2006
****
DOWN BY THE BANK SAID A HANKY PANKY (Example #44)
I know a hand game and it goes like this-Down by the bank said a hanky panky when a bull frog jumped from bank to bank
i said A-E-I-O-U
micheal jackson went to town
coca cola shot him down
mountain dew shot him up
now were talking 7 up
7 up has no cafine
now were talking billy Jean
billy jean went down the street singing
DO NOT EAT ME I'M A ROTTEN PIECE OF MEAT
look'n good look'n fine just a $1.99 and you are out.
-chrissi ; Octoblog [website no longer active]; May 24, 2006
RELATED LINKS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson for information about Michael Jackson.
**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/song-sources-for-down-by-banks-o...
**
Click http://cocojams.com/content/text-analysis-down-banks-hanky-panky Text Analysis: Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky
***
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola_Wars for information about the Cola Wars
****
Thanks for visiting this page.
Viewer comments & examples are welcome. Emai cocojams17@yahoo.com
Cocojams - Share! Learn! Enjoy! - cocojams17@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2001-2011 Azizi Powell; All Rights Reserved