Hand-clapping and rope-skipping memories

Hi neighbors. There is a commercial currently on television with a background song that got stuck in my head. Finally the lyrics came to me from long ago (although I still can’t remember what they were selling on the commercial.)

When I finally remembered the song lyrics, I recognized it as a one of those rope-skipping or hand-clapping songs from my childhood. I turned to the Internet to see what I could find out about it and to help remember the complete lyrics.

According to several referenced articles, hand clapping and rope skipping have been childhood favorite games all around the planet since the Middle Ages.

We’ve all heard about Lizzie Borden and her axe from the 1800s when the popular rope-skipping game came out: “Lizzie Borden had an axe; she gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done; she gave her father 41!”

In my research I was amazed at how much violence and sex were involved in the lyrics of these pre-teen games!

Many of the jingles involved counting. A strong rhythm and a steady, repetitive beat to jump rope by were necessary. Here’s another you might remember.

“Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

All dressed in black, black, black

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons

All down her back, back, back

She asked her mother, mother, mother

For fifty cents, cents, cents

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants

Jump the fence, fence fence

They jumped so high, high, high

They touched the sky, sky, sky

And didn’t come back, back, back

Till the Fourth of July, ly, ly.”

Of course young girls (who were the ones normally involved in jump-rope and hand-clapping) were often concerned about their romantic futures. Popular princesses became fortunetellers.

“Cinderella, dressed in yellow

Went upstairs to kiss a ‘fella

Made a mistake And kissed a snake

How many doctors did it take?”

That one sounded innocent enough, right? But how about this one that was even older. It seems young girls recorded in these verses some of the problems they heard older sisters talk about where romance was concerned. This is the tune from the commercial.

“I am a pretty little Dutch girl,

As pretty as I can be be be

And all the boys in the neighborhood come chasing after me me me.

My boyfriend’s name is Tony,

He comes from the land of bologna,

With a pickle on his nose and three sore toes

And that’s the way the story goes!

One day he gave me peaches,

One day he gave me pears,

One day he gave me 50 cents and took me to the fair!

After the fair was over,

I asked him to take me home,

he ran off with another girl

and left me all alone!

I gave him back his peaches.

I gave him back his pears.

I gave him back his 50 cents,

and kicked him down the stairs!”

Of course, true love always prevails as does counting. Remember this one?

“Girl and Boy sitting in a tree,

K-I-S-S-I-N-G,

First comes love,

Then comes marriage,

Then comes Girl pushing a baby carriage.

How many children did they have?”

Those that were around earlier were even more “adult” than we like to think children’s verses would be. For example:

“Miss Susie had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell

Miss Susie went to heaven

The steamboat went to

Hell-o operator please give me number nine

And if you disconnect me

I’ll kick you from behind

the refrigerator, there was a piece of glass,

Miss Susie sat upon it and broke her little

Ask me no more questions,

please tell me no more lies

The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their

Flies are in the city the bees are in the park

Miss Susie and her boyfriend are kissing in the

D-A-R-K- D-A-R-K D-A-R-K.”

And inevitably:

“Miss Susie 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 Susie called the doctor,

Miss Susie called the nurse,

Miss Susie called the lady with the alligator purse.

In walked the doctor,

In walked the nurse,

In walked the lady with the alligator purse.

“Mumps” said the doctor,

“Measles” said the nurse,

“Nothing” said the lady with the alligator purse.

Out walked the doctor,

Out walked the nurse,

Out walked the lady with the alligator purse.”

These verses may help us feel more confident about today’s children. After all, we all skipped rope to these lyrics and most of us have turned out alright!