OpalCat not only wrote about it but posted a tiny video showing her doing the thing. Let’s see if I can find it…
This is the one-person version, what you’re describing is a two-person version where you clap each others’ hands and not just your own.
here’s a jump rope rhyme:
blue bells cockle shells easy ivy over
here comes the teacher with a big fat stick
now its time for arithmetic
1+1 is…
◆2! ◆-what the jumper says
2+2 is…
◆4!
4+4 is…
8!
8+8 is…
◆16!
now its time for spelling
spell cat.
◆c-a-t!
spell dog.
◆d-o-g!
spell hot.
h-o-t!
then the swingers swing the rope fast until she misses.
handclap:
miss suzie had a steamboat
the steamboat had a bell
miss suzie went to heaven
the steamboat went to-
HELLO operator
please give me number nine
and if you disconnect me
i’ll kick you from-
BEHIND the 'frigerator
there was a piece of glass
miss suzie fell upon it
and broke her little-
ASK me no questions
i’ll tell you no more lies
miss suzie’s in the kitchen
making her mud pies
i do those at school
Lincoln, Lincoln I’ve been thinkin’
What the heck have you been drinkin’
Was it water
Was it wine
Blah blah blah blah turpentine.
That’s all I remember…
We did
Down in the meadow
where the green grass grows
There sat (name)
Sweet as a rose
She sang, she sang,
she sang so sweet
Along came (boys name)
and kissed her on the check
How many kisses did (name) receive
Then you started counting.
Doggie doggie Diamond step right out
Not because you’re dirty, not because you’re clean
just because you kissed a girl behind a magazine
Ink a dink a bottle of ink
the cork fell out and you stink
Here’s the long version plus a few more…
Miss Susie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell (ding ding)
Miss Susie went to heaven
The steamboat went to…
Hello operator
Give me number nine
And if you disconnect me
I’ll kick you from…
Behind the 'frigerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss Susie sat upon it
And broke her little…
Ask me no more questions
Tell me no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
Zipping up their…
Flies are in the meadow
The bees are in the park
Miss Susie and her boyfriend
Are kissing in the…
D-A-R-K D-A-R-K dark dark dark
darker than the ocean
darker than the sea
darker then the underwear
my mother gave to me
my mother is godzilla
my father is king kong
my sister is the is the stupid one,
Who tired to make me go to…
Hello operator give me number ten
If you disconnect me I’ll sing in the…
Dark is like a movie
A movie is like a show
A show is like a T.V. set
And that is all I…
know I know my ma,
I know I know my pa,
I know I know my sister,
with the 80 meter bra!
My mom was born in England,
My dad was born in France,
I was born in diapers,
I couldn’t fit in pants.
I know my dad’s a robber
I know my mom’s a spy
I know that I’m the little brat that
Told the F.B.I.
my Ma gave me a nickel
my Pa gave me a dime
my Sister gave me a boyfriend
Who kiss me all the time
My Ma took back the nickel
My Pa took back the dime
My Sister took back the boyfriend
and then gave me Frankenstein
He made me wash the dishes
He made me wash the floor
He made me wash underwear
So I kicked him out the door
I kicked him over London
I kicked him over France
I kicked him to Hawaii
Where he did the Hoola Dance!
Miss Lucy had a baby She named him Tiny Tim She put him in the bathtub To see if he could swim He drank up all the water He ate up all the soap He tried to eat the bathtub but it wouldn’t go down his throat Miss Lucy called the doctor The doctor called the nurse The nurse called the lady with the alligator purse In walked the doctor In walked the nurse In walked the lady with the alligator purse Measles said the doctor Mumps said the nurse Nothing said the lady with the alligator purse A dollar charged the docter Fifty cents charged the nurse Nothing charged the lady with the alligator purse Out walked the doctor Out walked the nurse Out walked the lady with the alligator purse
Apple on a stick
Makes me sick
My heart beat
2-4-6
Not because you’re dirty
Not because you’re clean
Not because you kiss the boys
Behind the magazine.
The boys boys having fun
Here comes a lady with some blueberry buns
She can wriggle
She can rock
She can even do the splitz
But I bet ya 10 bucks
She can’t do this
Close your eyes and count to 10
If you make a mistake
You’re a big fat hen.
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
You did/didn’t make a mistake
So that’s the end
And we are friends.
There’s a place on Mars
where the women smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
while the children drink martinis
when the snakes are dead
they put roses round’ their head
when the roses die
they put diamonds in their eyes
when the diamonds break
FREEZE! (first one who moves is out)
Have you ever, ever, ever, in your long legged life
met a long legged sailor with a long legged wife?
No, I never, never, never, in my long legged life
met a long legged sailor with a long legged wife
Have you ever, ever, ever, in your short legged life…
…pigeon toed life…
…bow legged life…
…spoon headed life…
Ten little angelsdressed in white
tryin to get to heaven on the tail of a kite.
But the kite string broke and down they fell.
Instead of goin to heaven they went to Hell.
Nine little angels … (repeat).
Eight little angels… 7…6…5…4…3…2…
One little angel dressed in white
tryin to get to heaven on the tail of a kite.
But the kite string broke and down she fell
instead of going to heaven she went to HELL!
The version I know of this, instead of counting down numbers had three:
angels in white / on a kite
girl scouts in blue / on a shoe
boy scouts in green / in a flying machine
and ended up:
Three little devils all dressed in red
Tried to get to heaven on the end of a bed
The bed knob was broken, so they all fell
Couldn’t get to heaven so they all went to…
Don’t be mistaken, don’t be misled
They couldn’t get to heaven so they all went to bed!
I have a vague memory also in my had of a finger-counting thing that went…
Jenny jenny jenny jenny WHOOPS! jenny WHOOPS! jenny jenny jenny jenny.
You counted each “jenny” on your fingers from pinky to thumb and back - the “WHOOPS!” was a slide between index finger and thumb. Does anyone else remember something like that? Or what on earth the reason for it was…
Ms Suzy had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell (ding ding)
Ms suzy went to heaven the steamboat went to
HELLo opperator please give me number 9
and if you disconnect me ill chop off your
BEHIND the fridgorator there lay a peice of glass
Ms Suzy say upon it and broke her big fat
ASK me no more questions ill tell you no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their
FLIES are in the city the bees are in the park
Ms Suzy and her boyfriend are kissing in the
D A R K D A R K DARK DARK DARK
Darker than the ocean darker than the sea
darker than the black boy kissing on my knee (muah muah)
I know you know my ma
I know you know my pa
But do you know my sister with a 14 acre Bra bra bra
Anyone who’s interested in this stuff should know about the record 1, 2, 3 and a Zing Zing Zing. It’s a field recording of children’s rhymes, jumprope songs, street games and clapping games made by a guy named Tony Schwartz in New York City in 1952. You can play samples from the record at the web site I linked to - a couple of my favorites are Clap Games and Camp Songs.
I believe the child is a teenager now and probably no longer needs these rhymes. Just saying.
There’s a new one nowadays about Tic Tac Toe, which oddly enough culminates in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. It starts off something like “Tic Tac Toe, give me an X, give me an O, three times in a row…”, but I don’t remember all of it.
I learned it as “Johnny” not “Jenny” and IIRC you folded down the finger you “landed” on each time and, if done correctly, you wound up flipping the bird.
I only know this from the Beatle movie Magical Mystery Tour. John Lennon does it while on the bus.
Resurrecting an old thread…does anyone know where these rhymes come from? They seem to be consistent, all over the country (maybe even world).
We said “Miss Lucy had a steamboat” and even as a child I thought it odd that someone would have a steamboat.
" hello operator, give me number 9" - how long ago would that have been done? Not In my time.
We did another one called The Spades which had a complicated hand clapping routine. Anyone else?