Police Lady, Police Lady
Category : Jump Rope Rhyme
Source: Azizi Powell Collection {Pittsburgh, PA
early 1980s, Tazi Powell}
Police lady, Police lady,
do your duty
cuz here comes a lady with an African boody.
She can wiggle.
She can wooble.
She can do ah split (or flip).
But I bet you five dollars that she can’t do this.
Lady on one foot, one foot, one foot,
Lady on two foot, two foot, two foot
Lady of three foot, three foot, three foot
Lady on four foot, four foot, four foot
Lady, jump out!
I collected this jump rope rhyme from my daughter, Tazi, in 1995. Tazi
remembered it from her childhood in Pittsburgh, PA in the early 1980s.
I remember reciting almost the same rhyme when I was growing up in the
1950s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
But there were significant differences which reflected our time (and
perhaps, our geographic location. In the 1950's we said “Policeman do your duty”.
I'm not sure if there were any women police officers in those days. It
surprised me to here that the police officer in this rhyme had changed
genders...
Also, in 1950's we said "Here comes (girl's name). an American beauty.
Now, that may have been because we lived in Atlantic City, home of the
annual Miss America pageant, which we considered a beauty pageant even if
its producers did not promote it as such. However, in the
1950's, we wanted nothing to do with Africa, since we believed that
it was a backward jungle land like the Tarzan movies taught us. We
would have never said "Here comes (a girl's name), with an African boody".
In the more enlightened 1980s, it sounds like the girls jumping rope and
chanting this consider an African boody (i.e. "a big butt") to be a
compliment. I consider this progress.
When the "twist" became a popular dance in the early 1960s, I can remember
girls revising this jump rope rhyme to "She can
wiggle, she can wobble, she can do the twist, but I betcha five dollars you can’t
do this.”
A child’s first name or nickname is usually
substituted for the word “lady. “Cuz” is an abbreviation for
“because”. An “African boody” is generally thought to be a “big butt”.
“One foot” means to hop, on “two foot” (two feet) means to
jump”, on “three foot,” add one hand to your two feet; on “four”
foot,” add two hands to your two feet (by squatting down) and on “Jump
out!”, the person in the middle jumps out ,and another person jumps in
and the rhyme starts all over again. |
