Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides my comments about the inclusion of the term "African booty" in "Mailman Mailman" (do your duty) children's rhymes.

I wrote the first comment that is highlighted in this post yesterday (November 14, 2018) and published it in the discussion thread for a 2009 "Mailman Mailman" YouTube video. That comment was written in response to a 2017 comment from an African American blogger who wrote that she considered the "African booty" to be racist.

I wrote the second comment in response to comments that were included in a 2017 online folkloric page about a version of "Mailman Mailman" that includes this "African booty" term. That folkloric page was published by an undergraduate student at University of Southern California - Los Angeles. That page doesn't accept any comments.

Two videos of "Mailman Mailman" that include the term "African booty" are showcased in this post. One video also includuTube video is also included in this post along with another video that is mentioned in my comments.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to all those who are featured in the embedded video, and thanks to the publisher of those videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/what-african-booty-means-and-examples.html for a previous pancocojams post on this subject that is entitled What "African Booty" Means And Examples of The Use Of The Term "African Booty" In "Mailman Mailman Do Your Duty" Children's Rhymes

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Mailman, Mailman



Celina Aguiniga, Published on Jun 24, 2009

My little sister and her cousin playing Mailman, Mailman after i taught them an hour earlier.

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COMMENT EXCHANGE FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE VIDEO THAT'S GIVEN ABOVE
Here's a comment that I read while surfing YouTube for examples of "mailman mailman [or "policeman/police lady") do your douty" rhymes:
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3G7c6Fj_WM&t=7s [video embedded above]
Iris Lash-Pitterson, 2017
"I'm a public school teacher and I just heard some students on the playground doing this. I asked them if they understood what this is implying. I told them and they did not want to say it any longer (which made me very happy and proud of them). They changed it to "chicken booty". I'm sorry so many people do not see the racist overtones in this rhyme. Being a teacher I know it is important that children practice rhymes like this. It helps with their reading development. But the wording is pretty poor."
-snip-
The photograph that accompanies this comment is of a Black woman.

**
REPLY
Azizi Powell, November 2018
"As an African American female, I find it interesting that non-African American children are reciting "here comes a lady with an African booty".

My definition of "African booty" is a person with a big butt. This descriptor is usually used for females, but it could also be used for males. My sense is that in the United States (and also in some other cultures) female teenagers and women prefer having a big butt to a flat butt and females of Black African descent are said to have big butts. I therefore don't consider "African booty" to be inherently negative when females want to have a big butt, and don't have a problem with people of any race or ethnicity using this term within the context of chanting and performing this rhyme.

That said, I do have a problem with children or others using "African booty" in a taunting manner apart from chanting and performing this rhyme."

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FOLKLORE UNDERGRADUATE ASSIGNMENT: COLLECTION OF "MAILMAN" RHYME, THAT COLLECTOR'S NOTES & COMMENTS
Here's another example of "Mailman Mailman" collected by Helen Kong, April 26, 2017 and published on April 29, 2017

This example is given with Helen Kong's folklore analysis. It appears that this is part of an undergraduate university assignment.

http://folklore.usc.edu/?tag=clapping
"Main piece:

The mail man one, “Mailman mailman do your duty here comes a lady with an african booty she can do the pom pom she can do the twist most of all she can kiss kiss with her red hot lips k i s s i n g”

Background information (Why does the informant know or like this piece? Where or who did they learn it from? What does it mean to them?):

It was one of the rhymes the kids knew. It wasn’t a favorite but it sticks because it’s the most ridiculous one out of them all. Learned it in 1st grade from some female peer in her class. Informant thinks this one is ridiculous and doesn’t know why little kids sing it because it’s a little inappropriate.

Context (When or where would this be performed? Under what circumstance?):

It’s a hand clapping game for little kids to sing together.

Personal Analysis:

The “african booty part” is kind of racist. Even the informant said that it’s a weird song to think about. As a kid, she just went along with what the others were doing. I think it has a lot of strange connotations that kids don’t know about. I don’t think this has anything to do with Africa, but I wonder why American kids sing it. Why is it the mail man’s duty to kiss the lady? It’s actually really uncomfortable to think about. “do the pom pom” isn’t even proper grammar. I wonder who was the first person to start this song."
-snip-
The page cited above included this information:
"Nationality: Korean-American
Primary Language: English
Other language(s): Korean
Age: 18
Occupation: undergraduate student
Residence: LA
Performance Date: 2017-4-26"
-snip-
I don't know if this was Helen Kong's information or information about her informant [The person who chanted that version of "Mailman Mailman" that Helen Kong collected].

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MY RESPONSES TO THIS COLLECTOR'S COMMENTS
1. "African booty" means a person with a big butt. That phrase carries the erroneous and admittedly stereotypical idea that all Black African females (teens/women), including females of some Black African descent- have big butts. Although, this is a stereotype, my sense -as an African American woman- is that "African booty" is either considered by chanters as something that is neutral or something positive, i.e. having a big butt is thought to be a desired physical trait for teenage girls and for women.

In some YouTube videos of "Mailman Mailman" that I've watched, girls (who appear to be White) shake their butts from side to side when they say "African booty", and, in doing so, emphasizing their butt. Here's one of those videos:

mailman mailman game



KellyJulia12, Published on Jul 11, 2010

Weird, huh?
-snip-
One reason why people might say that that rhyme is weird is because they don't understand where the rhyme came from. [Read #5 below]. Also, they may not understand what "African booty" means. That said, I find it interesting that chanters who don't know what "African booty" means would choose to chant that version of "Mailman" instead of the "standard", older versions that say "American beauty".

But perhaps I've answered my own question since "American beauty" may sound "old fashioned" to those chanters and "African booty" may sound hip and (perhaps also) risque, largely because of the Black slang word "booty". I'm sure most American teens know what the African American slang word "booty" means.

That said, children and pre-teens who chant playground rhymes tend to "group-select" a version of a particular rhyme. That is, they usually chant whatever version of a rhyme that they picked up from their peers or whatever version of a rhyme they were taught by someone else.

[This partly answers your question "Why do American kids sing this song". For more of my thoughts on that question read #2]

2. "African booty" is either a folk processed form of "American beauty", an early (if not the original) referent that was used in those "Mailman" (and "Policeman") rhymes or "African booty" was first used* on purpose as a replacement for the term "American beauty". People who learned the rhyme that way or eventually saw it written that way on the internet (since this version is unlikely to have been written off-line), picked it up and the rest-as they say- is history.

*I wrote "used" instead of "coined" because I believe that the referent "African booty stratcher" pre-dates the use of "African booty" in these children's rhymes. "African booty stratcher" is definitely racist as it equates Black people (and particularly Black Africans) to monkeys or and apes. However, I'm not convinced that "African booty" is an insult when it is chanted in the context of that children's rhyme

It's very likely that African American girls were the first to use the term "African booty" in "Mailman Mailman" rhymes since that population would be most familiar with the African American Vernacular English term "booty" which means "butt"/"behind". The word "African" in the term "African booty" is an adjective.

Also, since the oldest documentation of the phrase "African booty" that I found was in the 1960s, it's possible that that term was first used on purpose as a replacement for "American beauty" because the 1960s (particularly the mid or late 1960) was when a number of Black Americans began embracing our African heritage in a number of ways, including the decision to call ourselves "African Americans". One major reason for this was because a number of African nations achieved their independence from European colonization in the 1960s and African Americans became more aware of the richness of African cultures.

And, as a friendly reminder, it's very inappropriate to write "African" with a lower case "a" just as it would be very inappropriate to write "American" with a lower case "a" or "Korean" with a lower case "k".

3. I agree with the collector that a lot of children "go along with what other are doing" when they chant and perform hand clap rhymes
or other recreational singing and movement rhymes. Sometimes these chanters don't fully understand what is being said, bu try to make sense out of the words that they are chanting. That's one reason why th- which is one reason why folk processed words and phrases occur.

4. American kids (and kids in other nations who've learned it) perform this hand clap/movement rhyme because it's fun. My guess is that the people who chant this rhyme like the somewhat competitive movements* more than they like its words.

*The two chanters playing this hand clap/movement game may try to be the first one to perform a full split without falling down. In the 1950s I jumped rope to the version of "Mailman Mailman Do Your Duty". I'm not sure when the "doing splits" performance activity was first documented while chanting "Mail man Mail man".

5. The versions of "Mailman Mailman" that are chanted nowadays (including the ones with the "African booty" term) are folk processed forms of much older versions. These versions include old lines and newer lines. Here's a version of "Postman Postman" that makes sense in reference to the "do your duty" words:

"Postman, Postman, do your duty.
Send this letter to an American beauty.
Don't you stop and don't delay.
Get it to her right away."
-https://www.buyjumpropes.net/jump-rope-rhymes/postman-postman-do-your-duty/

6. "Do the pom pom" can be considered correct English. A lot of 1990s/2000 R&B/Hip Hop dance trends have the name "Do the ___"- for example "Do the Dougie".

"Do the pom poms" means to shake your hands in front of your chest the way cheerleaders shake pom poms.

7. "I wonder who was the first person to start this song." I take it you mean the version of "Mailman" that includes the term "African booty". I also wonder who was the first person to chant this rhyme that way. We'll never know, but if anyone remembers this version from the 1960s or 1970s or 1980s (or earlier), I'd love to "hear" from you.

Please share any examples of this rhyme that you remember in the comment section below, along with demographics [city/state or nation if outside of the United States and the decade you remember it].

Also, I'm interested in feedback about my comments on this subject. Please share your thoughts on whether the term "African booty" in children's rhymes is racist.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the song by the South African group

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Also, thanks to all those involved with producing this video and thanks to the publishers of this video on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Amaviyo #Uyangithanda Na?



Sphamandla ngongoma, Published on Apr 23, 2018

Amaviyo first music video

Statistics as of November 15, 2018 (8:17 PM EST)
total number of views:
total likes:
total dislikes:
-snip-
Google translate from isiZulu to English: Do you love me?

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
These comments are given in chronological order based on their publishing date with the oldest comments given first except for replies. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
alpha alph, September 2018
"which country practises this amazing culture?"

REPLY
2. Daniel Mtweve, August 2018
"South Africa"

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REPLY
3. Justine Ruth, Sept. 2018
"alpha alph South Africa, (some clues are) you can see Table Mountain in the background & the flag is on the van."

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4. Maryam Jabiry, August 2018
"Pls who can translate for me ,and what is language ,amazing"

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REPLY
5. Hlalefang Thamae, August 2018
"Maryam Jabiry zulu language from south africa!"

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REPLY
6. stimela zungu, Sept. 2018
"Song is about love, Girl is wondering if the guy is still inlove with her since he spends most of the time away from home working."

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7. Salvador dè masinde, August 2018
"Good song instead a'm not understand even a single world and what country are they from"

REPLY
8. stimela zungu, September 2018
"Africa, Country South Africa in KwaZulu Natal Province, Inanda semi rural Township. Language in the song: Isizulu.
Song is about love."

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9. slindile madonda, August 2018
"yes yes yes yes #proud zulu"

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10. Nkeshimana Emmanuel, August 2018
"what country ?"

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REPLY
11. Nqobile Treasure Smith, September 2018
"Nkeshimana Emmanuel South Africa 🇿🇦"

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REPLY
12. Nqobile Treasure Smith, Sept. 2018
"Nkeshimana Emmanuel Zulu culture"

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REPLY
13. Nkeshimana Emmanuel, Sept. 2018
"Thanks.It's wonderful people, so it's Mandela's language ?"

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REPLY
14. Nqobile Treasure Smith, Sept. 2018
"No Mandela is a Xhosa this is Zulu(Jacob Zuma's) but they sound almost the same"

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15. Michelle Wolfe, Sept. 2018
"What is this song about?"

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REPLY
16. stimela zungu, Sept. 2018
"Song is about love, as the woman is wondering the her lover still loves her since he spends his time away from home at wk."

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17. Michelle Mhlanga, Sept. 2018
"Got this video here in China from an African WeChat group and I’ve been searching for y’all, finally nginithoile. 😍"

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18. Matha Mdlalose, Sept. 2018
"they sing in Isizulu & they from South Africa I'm proud of u gyuz big up"

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19. Patsy Black, Sept. 2018
"I am enjoying this dance with such graceful movements. Love to Africa that holds beauty that is beyond compared."

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20. korea mudenda, Sept. 2018
"good heritage. we need to be proud of our identity"

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21. Brianne Martindale, October 2018
"the leopard skin headdress is from the Zulu tribe the women's beadwork and clothing patterns are from the Zulu and ndebele tribes headdress red is from the Zulu tribe staff is from the Zulu Xhosa ndebele and Swazi tribe all from south Africa and Swaziland in case this helps"

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REPLY
22. Sibanda Ndumiso, November 2018
"also Zimbabwe, ndebele tribes"

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23. Azizi Powell, October, 2018
"Sphamandla ngongoma, thanks for sharing this video with the world. I'm African American and I LOVE the singing and dancing. I also love the performers' outfits.

I read most of the comments in English thus far and learned that this is a Zulu song about love.

I'm very interested in learning more about this song and its accompanying dance.

A number of commenters wrote that this song is traditional. Is there a name for this type of music and this type of dance? I wondered if it was isicathamiya but I read that that type of singing is performed mostly by men.

If this style of singing and the style of dancing is traditional, did the singers/dancers add anything new to the song and the dance? And if this dance is traditional, what was the purposes/occasions that it was performed?

Also, is Amaviyo a new performing group? What does Amaviyo mean in Zulu and what is the lead singer's name?

I hope that someone will answer these questions. I have a cultural blog called pancocojams and I'd like to showcase this video on that blog along with some information and some selected comments from this discussion thread.

Thank you again and keep on keeping on.

One love!!"

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REPLY
24. Mbulelo Zulu, Novemeber 2018
"Aziz I think u should go on the internet u will find more about the group

This is typically a wedding song"

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REPLY
25. Mbulelo Zulu, November 2018
"Amaviyo = a small group

it was usually a military term for a smallest unit in an army

a band of young man"

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REPLY
26. Azizi Powell, November 2018
"@Mbulelo Zulu, thank for your responses in English.

I have tried to find information online in English about the music group Amaviyo, but the only thing I found is a brief mention from Allmusic that Amaviyo is a "Mzolo Mbube group" . What does mzolo mean?

I had read information about Mbube music before. As I also read about isicathamiya music, the articles
indicate that this music style is mostly sung by males. Are there other Mbube groups beside Amaviyo that
have female singers?

I love learning about South African cultures. Thanks again!

Best wishes and one love!"

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REPLY
27. Sphamandla ngongoma, November 2018
"The lead singer is Sbongakonke Ngcwensa who's also the leader of the Group yes it is a Traditional group categorized under UMSHADO (wedding songs) I think the name Amaviyo is a term word used for a group of people with power and energy"

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28. Eniola Apata, Oct. 2018
"Even with foreign domination for hundreds of years, African kept their traditions language alive. That what make me proud as African, I speak my native language, with other four languages. I am very proud of African Continent, it beauty, it rich ancestral Culture that flourished, since the beginning of time is still flourishing. This great Zulu singer, still retained, the melodic voice singing tradition. This is only Voice, it evoke emotion, and to be proud of this beautiful, amazing Continent"
-snip--
I think that this blogger may have meant to write "This is not only Voice, it evokes emotion"...

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29. Charity Dell, October 2018
"SOUTH AFRICAN BASSES ROCK THE SOUND!"

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30. Meluleki Mvundla, Oct. 2018
"Amaviyo reminds me of Shabalala Rhythm. Muhle umusebenzi wenu."
-snip-
Google translates from Zulu to English: "Muhle umusebenzi wenu" = You're fine for your job.
-snip-
Here's some information about the reference to "Shabalala Rhythm":
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladysmith_Black_Mambazo
"Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards,[1] dedicating their fifth Grammy to the late former President Nelson Mandela[2].

Formed by Joseph Shabalala in 1960, Ladysmith Black Mambazo became one of South Africa's most prolific recording artists, with their releases receiving gold and platinum disc honours.[3] The group became a mobile academy[4] of South African cultural heritage through their African indigenous isicathamiya music.[5]"

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31. Melody Mkhize, Oct. 2018
"Wow this video is good and the track is amazing"

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32. Abdulrazak Yussef, Oct. 2018
"absolutely beautiful perfomance"

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33. Esther Bahati, Oct. 2018
"dont understand isixhosa but love the song."

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REPLY
34. Nduduzo Ntombela, Oct. 2018
"this is isiZulu by the way"

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35. NIKOLAY DIMITROV, Oct. 2018
"south africa, Kwazulu Natal not Cape Town, this is Zulu musicians in Zululand my brada.."

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36. Denis Okoth, Nov. 2018
"OOOh Mama Africa i love you"

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37. labonte Blessing, November 2018
"Love u south africains my people😍💖💞💓✌🙌"

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38. lizwi gwala, November 2018
"Izingane zangakithi lezi bakithi, congratulations who would have thought guys 1 million views in counting👏👏👏"
Google translate from Zulu to English: "Izingane zangakithi lezi bakithi" = My siblings are these

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39. hery kauli, Nov. 2018
"What is the meaning of the song?it's so touching with the nice vibe. 🇹🇿🇹🇿"

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REPLY
40. Mbulelo Zulu, November 2018
"meaning


its conversation between girl and boy

BOY
I looked at her and she had love

She was a pretty girl in a pretty dress

GIRL
The beauty of a man is his works


Where ever he is, does he still love me

BOY
Let us GO

GIRL
Let us ride on cloud nine
Let us leave for loveland"

**
REPLY
41. hery kauli, November 2018
"Thanks so much for your explaination 👍🏾"

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited By Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about Mayotte which is located off the coast of Southeast Africa and is officially a region or department of France.

Videos of Mayotte are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the producers of these videos and these videos' publishers on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT MAYOTTE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayotte
Mayotte .... is an insular department and region of France officially named the Department of Mayotte (French: Département de Mayotte).[3] It consists of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa, between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. The department status of Mayotte is recent and the region remains, by a significant margin, the poorest in France. Mayotte is nevertheless much more prosperous than the other countries of the Mozambique Channel, making it a major destination for illegal immigration.

Mayotte's area is 374 square kilometres (144 sq mi) and, with its 256,518 people at the 2017 census, is very densely populated at 686 per km2 (1,777 per sq mi).[1] The biggest city and prefecture is Mamoudzou on Grande-Terre. However, the Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport is located on the neighbouring island of Petite-Terre. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands. The territory is also known as Maore, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of the Comoros.

Although, as a department, Mayotte is now an integral part of France, the majority of the inhabitants do not speak French as a first language,[4] but a majority of the people 14 years and older report in the census that they can speak French (with varying levels of fluency).[5] The language of the majority is Shimaore, a Swahili language variety closely related to the varieties in the neighbouring Comoros islands. The second most widely spoken native language is Kibushi, a Malagasy language variety most closely related to the Sakalava dialect of Malagasy with influences from Shimaore. The vast majority of the population is Muslim.

The island was populated from neighbouring East Africa with later arrival of Arabs, who brought Islam. A sultanate was established in 1500. In the 19th century, Mayotte was conquered by Andriantsoly, former king of Iboina on Madagascar, and later by the neighbouring islands Mohéli and then Anjouan before being purchased by France in 1841. The people of Mayotte voted to remain politically a part of France in the 1974 referendum on the independence of the Comoros. Mayotte became an overseas department on 31 March 2011 and became an outermost region of the European Union on 1 January 2014, following a 2009 referendum with an overwhelming result in favour of the department status."...

[...]

Demographics

As of the September 2017 census, 256,518 people were living in Mayotte.[1] According to the 2007 census, 63.5% of the people living in Mayotte were born in Mayotte, 4.8% were born in the rest of the French Republic (either metropolitan France or overseas France except Mayotte), 28.3% were immigrants from the Comoros, 2.6% were immigrants from Madagascar, and the remaining 0.8% came from other countries.[20]

Most of the inhabitants of the island are Comorians. The Comorians are a blend of settlers from many areas: Iranian traders, mainland Africans, Arabs and Malagasy. Comorian communities can also be found in other parts of the Comoros chain as well as in Madagascar."...

Religions
The main religion in Mayotte is Islam,[21] with 97% of the population Muslim and 3% Christian.[22]

The main religious minority, Roman Catholicism, has no proper diocese but is served, together with the Comoros, by a missionary jurisdiction, the Apostolic Vicariate of Comoros Archipelago.

****
Excerpt #2:
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://lescabanonsamayotte.eklablog.com/manzaraka-a108948690&prev=search The Cabanons in Mayotte By yannick976 in Home on August 11th, 2014 at 16:33

[This article is translated from French to English by Google translate and presented without photographs.]
"Saturday, Camille, Clara and I were invited to a manzaraka by Faouzia.

The manzaraka is a part of the Mahorais marriage.

So, to get married in Mayotte, one must first make the Mafounguizo, it is the private religious ceremony that celebrates the wedding before a cadi (= Muslim judge).

If you want to legalize the religious union, then you have to go to the town hall.

The manzaraka is the public officialization of marriage. It is a question of accompanying the groom in procession to the residence of the bride.

The men walk in front of:


The women follow:

The groom walks among eight other men from his close entourage. Women shelter them with their parasols, and fan them with small flags.

[...]

The procession then separates: men on one side, women on the other (that's why my lover he did not want to come: he did not want to be away from me all day). As I know how to stand, so I followed the women until under the stretched canvases where the meal awaited us:

There are a few people, Faouzia estimated at the ladle 500 or 600 women ... Small precision by the way, the months of July and August are the months of weddings in Mayotte, and that morning, when we left Kani-Be with Clara, we met women who were going to manzarakas in Bandrele and Chiroungui. There were cars parked everywhere, it is the parents of the married who charter these cars to transport their guests ...

How come so many people? Good question. In fact, this is partly due to the fact that each guest has the right to invite whoever he wants. For example, Faouzia was invited by the families of the newlyweds; she invited Camille, Clara and me; if we had wanted we could invite other people, who themselves could have invited other people, who themselves could have invited other people, who themselves could have invited other people, who they themselves could have invited other people, who themselves could have invited other people ...

The meal is punctuated by the songs and the percussions of the mbiwis:

After the meal (which has been prepared by members of the extended family of the bride, and I can tell you that it is complicated, since we do not know how many guests are going to be there), the bride is brought on the place of the women's meal, and installed on a throne:

[...]

In fact, the bride remains hidden under a veil. It is her stepmother who will get the right to discover her by dancing for her and making an offering (tickets)."...
-snip-
Here's information about "mbiwis" musical instrument (translated from French to English)
From http://mavieamayotte.blogspot.com/2006/01/les-instruments-traditionnels.html The Traditional Instruments
"MBIWI: sticks used as percussion by women and girls. The instrument gave the name to a dance practiced exclusively by married women"

Some videos of performances with mbiwis are found below.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: MAYOTTE, The Island In The Lagoon



Best Documentary, Published on May 5, 2016

Encircled by one of the world’s largest enclosed lagoons, the 101st French department is a real cultural crossroads between Africa, the Indian Ocean and Europe. This film by Pierre Brouwers is the true-to-life portrait of an island where little villages live in pace with age-old customs, where nature reveals a surprise package of flora and fauna. A guaranteed change of scenery…

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Example #2: Mbiwi de Manzaraka Miss Mayotte 2017



Kavou Kaivo, Published on Aug 20, 2017

Les candidates à l'éléction Miss Mayotte 2017 à un Mandzaraka avec Fleur d'Ylang

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Example #3: Chorégraphie d groupe Tsara Mandrosso au Manzaraka de Mme Fatima Ahmed et Mr Anrichidine



usv prod, Published on Jan 8, 2018

Chorégraphie d groupe Tsara Mandrosso au Manzaraka de Mme Fatima Ahmed et Mr Anrichidine
-snip-
Google translate from French to English: "Choreography by Tsara Mandrosso group in Manzaraka by Mrs Fatima Ahmed and Mr Anrichidine"

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Example #3: Traditional Wedding in Mayotte




Global Island Girl TV, Published on Jan 24, 2018

In this video you get to see my adventure attending a traditional wedding in Mayotte!!! This was such a fun and unique experience for me because weddings are done very differently there!

Enjoy watching the pre wedding preparation, exclusive chat with the bride, the procession through the streets and me being super confused at the reception!

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch this!!! Also, don't forget to leave a comment below to let me know what you think and if you have any questions!

With Love and Light,
Flo

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Example #5: Manzaraka Show .. Mayotte



Kavou Kaivo, Published on May 6, 2018

Vive nos mariés à Mayotte, et Manzaraka Show avec les jolies femmes de Mayotte


Fleur d'Ylang de Tsingoni : Manzaraka de Rouzouna 14/07/2018 .



usv prod, Published on Jul 14, 2018

Manzaraka fleur d'Ylang de Tsingoni . 14/07/2018

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell
his pancocojams post presents information about Comoros, an African island nation between northeastern Mozambique, the French region of Mayotte and northwestern Madagascar.

Videos of Comoros are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the producers of these videos and these videos' publishers on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT COMOROS
From https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13229685
Comoros country profile; 20 July 2018
"After more than 20 coups or attempted coups, the archipelago of islands that make up Comoros are trying to consolidate political stability and use their picture-perfect beaches to climb out of poverty.

There are four major islands, as well as many smaller ones, in the country: Grande Comore; Moheli; Anjouan; and Mayotte. Mayotte, however, voted against independence and is still governed by France.

To add to the country's troubles, two of the four major islands, Anjouan and Moheli, declared unilateral independence in a violent conflict in 1997.

The descendants of Arab traders, Malay immigrants and African peoples contribute to the islands' complex ethnic mix.

Natural resources are in short supply and the islands' chief exports - vanilla, cloves and perfume essence - are prone to price fluctuations. Money sent home by Comorans living abroad is an important source of income."...

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comoros
"The Comoros... is an island country in the Indian Ocean located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off the eastern coast of Africa between northeastern Mozambique, the french region of Mayotte and northwestern Madagascar. The capital and largest city in Comoros is Moroni. The religion of the majority of the population is Sunni Islam.

At 1,660 km2 (640 sq mi), excluding the contested island of Mayotte, the Comoros is the third-smallest African nation by area. The population, excluding Mayotte, is estimated at 795,601.[1] As a nation formed at a crossroads of different civilisations, the archipelago is noted for its diverse culture and history. The archipelago was first inhabited by Bantu speakers who came from East Africa, supplemented by Arab and Austronesian immigration.

The sovereign state is an archipelago consisting of three major islands and numerous smaller islands, all in the volcanic Comoro Islands. The major islands are commonly known by their French names: northwestern-most Grande Comore (Ngazidja); Mohéli (Mwali); and Anjouan (Nzwani). In addition, the country has a claim on a fourth major island, southeastern-most Mayotte (Maore), though Mayotte voted against independence from France in 1974, has never been administered by an independent Comoros government, and continues to be administered by France (currently as an overseas department). France has vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that would affirm Comorian sovereignty over the island.[5][6][7][8] In addition, Mayotte became an overseas department and a region of France in 2011 following a referendum passed overwhelmingly.

It became part of the French colonial empire in the end of 19th century before becoming independent in 1975. Since declaring independence, the country has experienced more than 20 coups d'état or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated.[9] Along with this constant political instability, the population of the Comoros lives with the worst income inequality of any nation, with a Gini coefficient over 60%, while also ranking in the worst quartile on the Human Development Index. As of 2008 about half the population lived below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.[10] The French insular region of Mayotte, which is the much prosperous territory in the Mozambique Channel, is the major destination for Comorian illegal migrants who flee their country. The Comoros is a member state of the African Union, Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Arab League (of which it is the southernmost state, being the only member state of the Arab League with a tropical climate and also entirely within the Southern Hemisphere) and the Indian Ocean Commission. Other countries near the Comoros are Tanzania to the northwest and the Seychelles to the northeast. Its capital is Moroni, on Grande Comore. The Union of the Comoros has three official languages—Comorian, Arabic and French.

[...]

The Comoros is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, the European Development Fund, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Indian Ocean Commission and the African Development Bank. On 10 April 2008, the Comoros became the 179th nation to accept the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.[44]"...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Comoro Islands - Traditional Dance



SEKAMOKE FOUNDATION A US 501c3 Tax Charity, Published on Jul 11, 2008

AFRICA FROM A-Z : COMORO ISLANDS

****
Example #2: Island stories: Anjouan, Comoros Islands - BBC News



BBC News, Published on Oct 19, 2015

Anjouan is one of the three Comoros Islands that declared independence from France in 1975. One of its main crops is the ylang ylang flower, which is distilled into one of the constituents of perfume in numerous small distilleries. But many of the inhabitants of Anjouan try to leave for what they think will be a better life in the neighbouring island of Mayotte, which remained part of France and has a higher standard of living.

BBC Swahili's Zuhura Yunus talks to a teenager in Anjouan whose brother is trying to make a living in Mayotte. Then she visits the brother, Ousmani, in Mayotte, to see how he is getting on.
Charlie Newland (graphics and titles), Chris West (camera and editor), Owain Rich (director), Elise Wicker (producer).


****
Example #3: Comoros: The Grand Marriage - Al Jazeera World



Al Jazeera English, Published on Jun 7, 2016

Yehia Mohamed Elias, a former Comoran minister for education, married his wife Zakiya 20 years ago. He married his 'new' wife Zuleikha just two years ago.

But now Elias and his wives have decided to take part in the great Comoran tradition of the 'grand marriage'.

The 'grand marriage' is an age-old institution which has been passed from generation to generation on the islands of Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan.

It's a symbol of social status on the islands and a must for any self-respecting Comoran, a commitment not even the President of the Republic can avoid embracing.

A Comoran man can only wear certain elemens of the national dress or stand in the first line at the mosque if he's had a grand marriage.

There are two types of legal unions in the Comoros - the small marriage and the grand one.

The ordinary wedding is an intimate gathering and one which has to satisfy the appetite for celebration until the married couple decide it’s time for - or they can afford - the grand marriage.

This is normally at least a year after the smaller ceremony and involves a major series of parties, processions and gatherings that can last up to two weeks and take over the whole village.

The grand marriage is as important for the bride as it is for the groom, with some beauty preparations starting as long as six months before the event. Other women might only take a week of pre-nuptial make-up preparations, depending on the couple's social and financial status.

The grand marriage certainly doesn't come cheap and Elias claims to have spent all his money, over €20,000, on the wedding - not much by modern international standards but a small fortune on the Comoros.

These festivities are a huge extravagance, particularly on these islands which are among the 20 poorest nations in the world.

But while half the population continues to live beneath the poverty line, the grand marriage remains an important beacon of Comoran social standing.

****
Example #4: African Diva Comoro Islands - Swahili Wedding Song for YouTube Red - Samra - Bora - UHD 4K



SEKAMOKE FOUNDATION A US 501c3 Tax Charity, Published on Jun 21, 2016

Like Afro ladies Beyonce, Rihanna and Nicki?
There's more talent where they came from!
Discover African Divas on YouTube

****
Example #5: ZEL - Mwana Mgazidja / Comores Music 2018



Al Comorya, Published on Apr 10, 2018

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about Comoros, an African island nation between northeastern Mozambique, the French region of Mayotte and northwestern Madagascar.

Videos of Comoros are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the producers of these videos and these videos' publishers on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/information-about-cultural-videos-of.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Information About & Five Cultural Videos Of Mayotte (Located Off The Coast Of Southeast Africa):
****
INFORMATION ABOUT COMOROS
From https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13229685
Comoros country profile; 20 July 2018
"After more than 20 coups or attempted coups, the archipelago of islands that make up Comoros are trying to consolidate political stability and use their picture-perfect beaches to climb out of poverty.

There are four major islands, as well as many smaller ones, in the country: Grande Comore; Moheli; Anjouan; and Mayotte. Mayotte, however, voted against independence and is still governed by France.

To add to the country's troubles, two of the four major islands, Anjouan and Moheli, declared unilateral independence in a violent conflict in 1997.

The descendants of Arab traders, Malay immigrants and African peoples contribute to the islands' complex ethnic mix.

Natural resources are in short supply and the islands' chief exports - vanilla, cloves and perfume essence - are prone to price fluctuations. Money sent home by Comorans living abroad is an important source of income."...

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comoros
"The Comoros... is an island country in the Indian Ocean located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off the eastern coast of Africa between northeastern Mozambique, the french region of Mayotte and northwestern Madagascar. The capital and largest city in Comoros is Moroni. The religion of the majority of the population is Sunni Islam.

At 1,660 km2 (640 sq mi), excluding the contested island of Mayotte, the Comoros is the third-smallest African nation by area. The population, excluding Mayotte, is estimated at 795,601.[1] As a nation formed at a crossroads of different civilisations, the archipelago is noted for its diverse culture and history. The archipelago was first inhabited by Bantu speakers who came from East Africa, supplemented by Arab and Austronesian immigration.

The sovereign state is an archipelago consisting of three major islands and numerous smaller islands, all in the volcanic Comoro Islands. The major islands are commonly known by their French names: northwestern-most Grande Comore (Ngazidja); Mohéli (Mwali); and Anjouan (Nzwani). In addition, the country has a claim on a fourth major island, southeastern-most Mayotte (Maore), though Mayotte voted against independence from France in 1974, has never been administered by an independent Comoros government, and continues to be administered by France (currently as an overseas department). France has vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that would affirm Comorian sovereignty over the island.[5][6][7][8] In addition, Mayotte became an overseas department and a region of France in 2011 following a referendum passed overwhelmingly.

It became part of the French colonial empire in the end of 19th century before becoming independent in 1975. Since declaring independence, the country has experienced more than 20 coups d'état or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated.[9] Along with this constant political instability, the population of the Comoros lives with the worst income inequality of any nation, with a Gini coefficient over 60%, while also ranking in the worst quartile on the Human Development Index. As of 2008 about half the population lived below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.[10] The French insular region of Mayotte, which is the much prosperous territory in the Mozambique Channel, is the major destination for Comorian illegal migrants who flee their country. The Comoros is a member state of the African Union, Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Arab League (of which it is the southernmost state, being the only member state of the Arab League with a tropical climate and also entirely within the Southern Hemisphere) and the Indian Ocean Commission. Other countries near the Comoros are Tanzania to the northwest and the Seychelles to the northeast. Its capital is Moroni, on Grande Comore. The Union of the Comoros has three official languages—Comorian, Arabic and French.

[...]

The Comoros is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, the European Development Fund, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Indian Ocean Commission and the African Development Bank. On 10 April 2008, the Comoros became the 179th nation to accept the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.[44]"...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Comoro Islands - Traditional Dance



SEKAMOKE FOUNDATION A US 501c3 Tax Charity, Published on Jul 11, 2008

AFRICA FROM A-Z : COMORO ISLANDS

****
Example #2: Island stories: Anjouan, Comoros Islands - BBC News



BBC News, Published on Oct 19, 2015

Anjouan is one of the three Comoros Islands that declared independence from France in 1975. One of its main crops is the ylang ylang flower, which is distilled into one of the constituents of perfume in numerous small distilleries. But many of the inhabitants of Anjouan try to leave for what they think will be a better life in the neighbouring island of Mayotte, which remained part of France and has a higher standard of living.

BBC Swahili's Zuhura Yunus talks to a teenager in Anjouan whose brother is trying to make a living in Mayotte. Then she visits the brother, Ousmani, in Mayotte, to see how he is getting on.
Charlie Newland (graphics and titles), Chris West (camera and editor), Owain Rich (director), Elise Wicker (producer).


****
Example #3: Comoros: The Grand Marriage - Al Jazeera World



Al Jazeera English, Published on Jun 7, 2016

Yehia Mohamed Elias, a former Comoran minister for education, married his wife Zakiya 20 years ago. He married his 'new' wife Zuleikha just two years ago.

But now Elias and his wives have decided to take part in the great Comoran tradition of the 'grand marriage'.

The 'grand marriage' is an age-old institution which has been passed from generation to generation on the islands of Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan.

It's a symbol of social status on the islands and a must for any self-respecting Comoran, a commitment not even the President of the Republic can avoid embracing.

A Comoran man can only wear certain elemens of the national dress or stand in the first line at the mosque if he's had a grand marriage.

There are two types of legal unions in the Comoros - the small marriage and the grand one.

The ordinary wedding is an intimate gathering and one which has to satisfy the appetite for celebration until the married couple decide it’s time for - or they can afford - the grand marriage.

This is normally at least a year after the smaller ceremony and involves a major series of parties, processions and gatherings that can last up to two weeks and take over the whole village.

The grand marriage is as important for the bride as it is for the groom, with some beauty preparations starting as long as six months before the event. Other women might only take a week of pre-nuptial make-up preparations, depending on the couple's social and financial status.

The grand marriage certainly doesn't come cheap and Elias claims to have spent all his money, over €20,000, on the wedding - not much by modern international standards but a small fortune on the Comoros.

These festivities are a huge extravagance, particularly on these islands which are among the 20 poorest nations in the world.

But while half the population continues to live beneath the poverty line, the grand marriage remains an important beacon of Comoran social standing.

****
Example #4: African Diva Comoro Islands - Swahili Wedding Song for YouTube Red - Samra - Bora - UHD 4K



SEKAMOKE FOUNDATION A US 501c3 Tax Charity, Published on Jun 21, 2016

Like Afro ladies Beyonce, Rihanna and Nicki?
There's more talent where they came from!
Discover African Divas on YouTube

****
Example #5: ZEL - Mwana Mgazidja / Comores Music 2018



Al Comorya, Published on Apr 10, 2018

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information and comments about the Gospel source of the "I Got Beans, Greens, Potatoes, Tomatoes U Name It" viral dance challenge videos/meme.

This post also showcases a video of the Gospel song "Hold My Mule" as sung by Shirley Caesar that is used for this dance challenge and in other videos about the "Beans, Greens, Potatoes, Tomatoes U Name It" challenge/meme*.

Most of the content of this post was published on pancocojams in November 2016 under the title "The Black Gospel Source of The "U Name It Challenge" (Thanksgiving Church Remix)".

Two videos that were embedded in that 2016 video are no longer available. However, I'm keeping the comments that were written about those videos in this post for the folkloric record.

*UPDATE: November 17, 2018- Judging from the internet listings, and my own experience, this Thanksgiving meme appears to be known as "Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes" rather than "U Name It" (Thanksgiving Church Remix)".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, folkloric, religious, entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Pastor Shirley Caesar, DJ Suede, and all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube videos.

Special thanks to Jennifer T. for letting me know about this dance challenge.
-snip-
UPDATE: December 13, 2016: Read an update in the comment section below about Pastor Shirley Caesar suing DJ Suede for the U Name It video.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE "BEANS, GREENS, POTATOES, TOMATOES (U NAME IT) CHALLENGE"
The snippet that is used for #UNAMEITCHALLENGE ("Beans, Greens, Potatoes, Tomatoes) videos is lifted from a 1988, a 1989, or a 1990s rendition of Pastor Shirley Caesar's introductory story of "Shouting John" (also known as "Hold My Mule"). Pastor Caesar tells the story of "Shouting John" as a prelude to her and her choir's rendition of the Gospel song "I'm Gonna Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance". As a result of the popularity of that Shirley Caesar remix, her versions of that song are widely (and erroneously) known as "Hold My Mule" or "Shouting John".

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE STORY OF "SHOUTING JOHN" ("HOLD MY MULE")
A transcription of a rendition of Shirley Caesar & choir singing "I'm Going To Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance" is included in this 2014 pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/11/shirley-caesar-shouting-john-hold-my.html.

This internet page http://www.thelyricarchive.com/song/1005551-133923/While-I-Have-a-Chance provides lyrics for another version of this song and credits African American Gospel composer, vocalist, and choir director James Bignon as its composer. However, the book that James Bignon authored* that contains a list of his compositions doesn't include "Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance".

*Google Books (Table of Content) for Timeless Gospel Music Collection : Songs written and arranged by James Bignon

I don't know if the highly regarded Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is the author of the "Shouting John"/"Hold My Mule" story, However, there's no doubt that many people know the "Shouting John" / "Hold My Mule" story because Shirley Caesar recorded it as a prelude to her rendition of "Praise The Lord" etc." in 1988. And there's also no doubt that Shirley Caesar's "Shouting John" story has become much more widely known as a result of Dj Suede's November 2016 production of the "U Name It Challenge".

Shirley Caesar first recorded "Shouting John" ("Hold My Mule") in 1988. http://www.blackenterprise.com/news/hot-topics/shirley-caesars-big-social-media-payout/. Here's an excerpt from that article:
"In the original song, Caesar tells the story of an 86-year-old man named Shouting John, who joined a church that didn’t believe in dancing and speaking in tongues. John was kicked put [sic] out of the church for shouting too loudly during the sermon.

He countered his ouster with a testimony that God had blessed him as a farmer.”Look!” he shouted. “I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, lambs, rams, hogs, dogs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits … you name it!” (See the 5:45 mark in the YouTube video [given in this pancocojams post as Example #1]. That line became the foundation for Suede’s “You Name It! ” remix."
-snip-
"Dancing" here refers to people doing "the Holy dance" (also known as "getting happy", "cutting a step" etc.) during a church service because they feel the Holy Spirit and want to praise God that way.

**
Explanation of the song title "Hold My Mule":
When the church deacons (church officials) went to John's farm to tell him that he was being ousted as a member of that church because he believed in "shouting", John said "Hold my mule" to one of the deacons so that he could praise God by dancing and shouting right then and there.

**
"You name it" is a shortened way of saying "I've got whatever you might name (list) in one or more given categories."

**
Here's more information about that "Shouting John" clip:
From http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7587981/gospel-legend-shirley-caesar-soars-thanks-to-remix-memes-of-hold
"Gospel icon Shirley Caesar's remix* of "Hold My Mule," featuring Albertina Walker and Milton Brunson, kicks onto Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs chart (dated Dec. 3) at No. 2, propelled by its No. 1 debut on Gospel Streaming Songs, as it surges by 7,510 percent to 821,000 U.S. streams in the week ending Nov. 17, [2016] according to Nielsen Music. The 79-year-old vocalist and pastor originally recorded the track in 1988. (Caesar first reached a Billboard chart in 1975.)

Why the sudden surge in the song's popularity? In the tradition of recent social media memes (like the Mannequin Challenge) comes the #UNameIt Challenge, which started when DJ Suede The Remix God created an update of "Mule," with special focus on the line, "beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes" among other food shout-outs, obviously timely just ahead of Thanksgiving."...
-snip-
*I added italics to highlight this sentence. Notice that the sentence indicates that this was the date that Shirley Caesar first recorded "Shouting John" ("Hold My Mule"). The article quoted above and other articles that I've found indicate that Shirley Caesar recorded a remix of "Hold My Mule" in 1988.

I believe that article's use of the word "remix" refers to Shirley Caesar's testimony and story of "Shouting John" ("Hold My Mule") that she used as a prelude to the Gospel song "Praise God While I Have A Chance".

That remix may be the same as or very similar to the one that is given as Video Example #1 below, i.e. the Shouting John story that leads up to the Gospel song "Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance."
-snip-
Click http://forwardtimes.com/whats-the-word/ for an informative article about Gospel singer Shirley Caesar. That article was written in March 2016, before the viral "U Name It" Dance challenge. Here's an excerpt from that article:
"Gospel music is known for its dominant vocals which command your attention while telling stories through Christian lyrics and experiences. Shirley Caesar embodies this definition over-and-over again with songs like “ I Remember Mama”, “He’s Working It Out For You”, “Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name” and “Hold My Mule”. As I mentioned earlier “Hold My Mule” is on my Top 10 list but as a young child the imagery she provided of “Old Shouting John” was questionable for me because I didn’t understand why John’s actions were frowned upon at his church. “I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people”, Psalms 35:18 states. I was always taught that praising God was a good thing and praise comes in many forms. Now as an adult the message is clear and the manner in which Pastor Caesar introduced the world to John will never be duplicated."
-snip-
It's important to emphasize that Shirley Caesar's introductory remarks/sermon and her renditions of "Shouting John" ("Hold My Mule") song have nothing whatsoever to do with the Thanksgiving holiday or with food.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/11/examples-of-gospel-song-im-going-to.html for Shirley Caesar & choir's rendition of "I'm Gonna Praise The Lord While I Have A Chance" and three other versions of that Gospel song.

****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE "U NAME IT (DANCE) CHALLENGE/MEME"
1. From https://genius.com/Dj-suede-unameitchallenge-thanksgiving-church-remix-lyrics posted by MarrissaPatterson
"On the heels of the #MannequinChallenge comes the #UNameItChallenge. On November 12, 2016, DJ Suede published a remix on YouTube of the gospel hit, “Hold My Mule” by Shirley Caesar, a traditional gospel music prodigy from a young age. The song combines Shirley’s predilection for ministry from personal stories and a sickening trap beat that could make even the most pious tap their feet.

**
2. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRqd4TFctbQ
(Video given as Example #3 below)
"This past week [November 17, 2016], Thanksgiving-inspired memes featuring a snippet from legendary gospel singer Shirley Caesar's "Hold My Mule" have been hitting the internet by storm.

The meme has been branded as the #UNameItChallenge and builds off of Caesar's chant, "beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes," in response to the question, "Grandma, what are you cooking for Thanksgiving?"
-snip-
DJ Suede remixed the brief portion of Shirley Caesar's "Hold My Mule" adding a trap beat.

Like other dance challenges (such as "Hit The Quan" and "Juju On The Beat"), #UNameIt Challenge videos consist of multiple clips of people doing the same or similar currently popular dance moves to very brief portion of a song.

**
3. From https://bcnn1wp.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/shirley-caesar-rebukes-people-dancing-in-a-sexually-suggestive-way-to-her-song-used-in-u-name-it-challenge/
Pastor Shirley Caesar loves the fact that a song she recorded decades ago is getting remixed into a viral cultural sensation, but she’s vehemently opposed it being used in sexually suggestive twerking videos that are being posted online.

Caesar, the 78-year-old pastor and gospel singer first recorded a song called “Hold My Mule” for the 1988 album, Live in Chicago. Close to three decades later, one portion of the song where Caesar sings ‘I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes,” has inspired people of all ages, various forms of undress and sexual poses to dance to her song, including an elderly grandmother who twerks while holding onto her walker.

While Caesar is grateful that even a small part of her music is reaching a new audience, she’s dismayed by the manner in which the song is being used.

“I’m really excited about everything that’s going on,” Caesar told TMZ before explaining the concerns she has with the “U Name It” challenge. “When you look and see all the gyrations and especially the women. I can even put up with the dancing, but all of the shaking and the twerking and all of that. I just want everybody to know that I’m a gospel singer, I’m a born-again believer, I’m a pastor, and I don’t ever want anything to bring a [negative] reflection on what I stand for.”...

The 11-time Grammy Award gospel singer who was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June went on to explain the shock that she experienced as she watched some of the dance videos inspired by her song.

“There’s those where they have women showing their rumps, their butts, I think they call it twerking. I want them to know that I see it as a sign of disrespect because I’m a pastor, I’m a gospel singer, and I love the Lord,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’m shocked they would do that.”

She added, however, that one positive aspect of the viral sensation is that her music is being heard by new generations. “They don’t really know who I am unless their moms or their grandparents tell them. I’m glad,” she said. “I mean, little 3-year-olds are singing, ‘I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes."...
-snip-
These excerpts are given as they are found in that article, including the word "negative" that was written in brackets.

****
LYRICS: #UNAMEITCHALLENGE (THANKSGIVING CHURCH REMIX) LYRICS
(from the sermon/introduction to a rendition of the Gospel song "Hold My Mule" -also known as "Shouting John" by Shirley Caesar)

[Produced by DJ Suede]


[Shirley Caesar]:
Look!

I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Lamb, rams, hog maw
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, rabbit (You name it)

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Lamb, rams, hogs, dogs
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, chicken, turkeys

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Lamb, rams, hog maw
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, rabbit
You name it!

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Beans, greens
Beans, greens
Beans, beans, beans, beans

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, chicken, turkeys
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, chicken, turkeys

You name it
You name it
You name it
You name it

I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Lamb, rams, hog maw
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, rabbit (You name it)

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Lamb, rams, hog maw
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, chicken, turkeys

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Lamb, rams, hog maw
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, rabbit
You name it!

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Beans, greens
Beans, greens
Beans, beans, beans, beans

Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, chicken, turkeys
Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes
Chicken, turkeys, chicken, turkeys

You name it
You name it
You name it
You name it

Source: http://genius.com/Dj-suede-unameitchallenge-thanksgiving-church-remix-lyrics

****
FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Hold My Mule



Pannellctp Traditional Gospel Music, Uploaded on Dec 5, 2010

Shirley Caesar "Hold My Mule" After 40 Years
-snip-
Here are selected comments from another example of this same video: Pastor Shirley Ceasar Hold My Mule You Name It ORIGINAL Video UnameItChallenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvE1YcJ58Ks

All of these comments are from November 15, 2016 to date November 25, 2016). I've added numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.

1. Lenext Owens
"What genius put that hard trap beat on this legendary woman's voice and looped into a viral sensation # Hold my mule"

**
2. Reply
82,094,361 views
"His name is Dj Suede, and i just uploader 2 videos of him introducing himself and all that, and the full studio tutorial session on how he made the beat here is the link and visit my page for other videos of him...thanks"...
-snip-
One of those videos is given as Example #2 below.

**
3. Mr. Pepper
"This isn't talking about an actual meal."

**
Reply
4. Elijah Quinn
"she said hogs, dogs not hot dogs. Btw after that"chicken, turkey, rabbit" YOU NAME IT"

**
Reply
5. Victor Hodges
This is a bit of a joke now, but listen to the message and you might find something in it. IMO, she's telling you to keep your faith in Christ, even when it all seems lost, and your harvest (read life) will be bountiful. Do not despair, as He walks with you. You only need to take your first step towards Him. Seek and you shall find.

**
6. ALLANA JACKSON1 week ago
The remixes are cute. I am not religious, but so many miss the message by not viewing the full version. This is not the full version. It skips the deacons of the church visiting the man who dances too much in church...the man who apparently has nothing: yet has everything he needs.

**
7. ALLANA JACKSON
"This gospel sermon is about the animals on John's farm...not a meal, and definitely not hot dogs. If you listen, Lamb rhymes with ram. Hog...dog...uh...they rhyme. Pull the full version because this is NOT it."

**
Reply
8. Dirtymane1
"+ALLANA JACKSON
The reason most people are confused is probably because they were introduced to this from the "Grandma what are you cooking for Thanksgiving" video

**
Reply
9. Nicole Nunya
"+Dirtymane1 yea that's true the song is lit, BUT some ppl are taking it too far and saying crazy things without any knowledge of the origin of the "song"

**
10. Callme
"you just have to pay homage for the original u name it!!!! I got peace, joy, faith, hope, love u name it!!!!!!"

**
11. gale Teel
"Amen Pastor Shirley"

**
Reply
12. Nicole Nunya
+dredvax the song isn't about food lol. it's about a farmer saying what all he has on his farm thanks to the Lord

**
13. caplin Grey
"thou shalt not kill. obey the commandments you hypocrite."

**
Reply
14. Adunola the Oracle
"caplin Grey What are you talking about??

She wasn't talking about killing the animals! If you would have heard the entire video or song call "Hold My Mule", she is telling a story of a farmer that was thankful to have all of those animals on his farm and is giving praise to God.

She is saying that the farmer is saying "Look at all these things God has blessed me with!"

It had nothing to do with eating Thanksgiving dinner originally. 🙄"

**
15. #PrettyonMe
"Like this if you are here because when the You Name it challenge came out you were a little confused as to why this woman was singing about lambs and rams and needed some context lol"

**
Reply
16. Killer Bee
"#PrettyonMe Exactly!! lol I'm like, is she in church rapping about food?! and the way the audience engaged her by looking, just intrigued me more lol"

**
17. Brittany Negron
she need some money for this song . it's going viral everywhere. THANKSGIVING ANTHEM FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS

****
Example #2: Do You Know Who Created UnameItChallenge? Meet The Genius Dj Suede Remixgodsuede



82,094,361 views, Published on Nov 18, 2016

Meet Remix God Suede The GENIUS Behind The Thanksgiving Anthem Making A Beat Sampling Pastor Shirley Ceaser's Hold My Mule Song To Create A Viral Thanksgiving Anthem Known As "U Name It Challenge"!

..."Dj Suede""Remix God Suede""Remixgodsuede"“The Thanksgiving Beat Producer” This is how the U Name It Challenge All Started

It is November 2016 and its almost Thanksgiving, we already know what song is gonna be played and what the World is dancing to right now but a lot of people seem to completely forget the Little GENIUS Producer behind the Thanksgiving Anthem, but we decided to find him and he shows Us how he made the beat, not the whole thing but a little insight! and in the end of the video Mama Shirley Ceaser Did The You Name It Challenge Herself..we can call that a Remix. May God Bless Her Soul for the Message."...
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:

82,094,361 views, November 17, 2016
"God Bless Pastor Shirley Ceaser for the powerful message, I am personally loving it. As a Producer myself, I was thinking "What about DJ Suede? " Hell yeah, the media somehow forgot about the Genius behind this whole #UnameItChallenge Thanksgiving Anthem thing. its a big thing and this dude need to get his fair share and exposure he deserves, without him there ain't gonna be no "Lit" Thanksgiving in 2016 !!

****
Example #3: Pastor Shirley Caesar Responds To U Name It Challenge Interview Video (Hold My Mule)



82,094,361 views Published on Nov 17, 2016

Pastor Shirley Ceaser Responds to U Name It Challenge.

....[In the] Interview She said It's also bringing her such joy.

...This past week, Thanksgiving-inspired memes featuring a snippet from legendary gospel singer Shirley Caesar's "Hold My Mule" have been hitting the internet by storm.

The meme has been branded as the #UNameItChallenge and builds off of Caesar's chant, "beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes," in response to the question, "Grandma, what are you cooking for Thanksgiving?"
Needless to say, the memes have been bringing us all sorts of much-needed joy, with Caesar herself recently sharing that she too has been "amazed" by the trending social media sensation involving her and her song.
During an interview on the Willie Moore Jr. Show, Caesar shares her reaction to the viral success of the light-hearted and creative meme and recalls how she found out about it in the first place.

“I was out in the middle of the ocean and one of the members of the church showed it to me,” Caesar responded, when asked if she got wind of the social media craze yet. “I’ve been doing it for years.”
"I was so shocked to see them dancing and boogeying," Caesar added. "The Lord is so good to me."
-snip-
Pastor Shirley Caesar's comment "I’ve been doing it for years.” probably refers to her singing her song "Shouting John" ("Hold My Mule").

****
Example #4: Chris Brown NAILS the U Name It Challenge! #unameitchallenge



17,289,122 views, Published on Nov 14, 2016

****
Example #5: Beyoncé U Name It Challenge



ctroughton01, Published on Nov 18, 2016

Beyoncé U Name it Challenge

Beyoncé Always On Beat
-snip-
The fact that this compilation video of scenes from R&B Beyonce's videos and the other video snippets shown in the Chris Brown challenge compilation given above fit the "U Name It" beat so well demonstrates how common (prevalent) that particular beat is (in African American culture).

****
ADDENDUM: SHIRLEY CAESAR LAWSUIT ABOUT THIS SONG
Here's two comments that I posted in the comment thread for the November 2016 post on this subject. These comments refer to an alleged lawsuit that Shirley Caesar filed against DJ Suede regarding this song.

[November 17, 2018 Note: While there are a number of online articles about this lawsuit, there are also articles denying that any lawsuit was filed. Furthermore, I can't find any article that indicates what the judgement was made regarding this lawsuit, if there actually was a lawsuit.]

Here's an update about the "U Name It Challenge" video that I happened upon this evening (December 13, 2016)
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDy8g8ZwA7U BREAKING NEWS! Shirley Caesar Files "$5 MILLION (LAWSUIT) for UnameItChallenge Song Real Video, [This breaking news YouTube video was posted by 82,094,361 views, December 10, 2016
UPDATE: 12/9/2016, 9 P.M. Caesar's legal team said they filed a contempt order against Keenan Webb, also known as DJ Suede, Jullian Boothe and Empire Distribution after they failed to take the video down.

The legal team representing Boothe, Webb and Empire distribution acknowledged they didn't have the rights to Caesar's image in creating the video, her lawyer said on Friday.

EARLIER: Shirley Caesar, now perhaps most widely known for a 2010 sermon that sparked the "U Name It Challenge", is suing over what her attorney said is an unauthorized use of her sermon and song.
Caesar, a Grammy-award winning gospel artist and preacher, says the video in question was posted by Gwinnett County's DJ Suede, née Keenan Webb, in November, after the so-called #UNameItChallenge went viral.

Her legal team is alleging the video is worth more than $5 million in losses.

Caesar's lead attorney, James Walker, saying a judge agrees with Caesar's claim that at least one of DJ Suede's videos needed to be taken down.

Walker said the judge decided the video, and its several images of alcohol "violate the brand, image and name of a Christian pastor", referring to Caesar.

Walker said, as of Thursday evening, the video was still up.
Judge Glenda Hatchett, the former juvenile court judge — now a high-profile Atlanta-area attorney is working with Walker's office on the case — alleges the song jeopardized a deal her client, Caesar, was working on with famed rapper Snoop Dogg, also known as Snoop Lion. They said the proceeds from that deal would have gone to help the hungry.

"DJ Suede and his management were in conversations with her lawyer. They didn't reach an agreement and they put it out anyway," Hatchett said.

Walker says an initial remix of the video, was a hit with Caesar and her family. During the craze of the "You Name it Challenge", it was one of many that were posted on social media.

"Unknown to us, he made the second video," Walker said.

That video, a full-fledged production which was sold on iTunes, is the one at the center of the injunction filed against DJ Suede, Jullian Boothe and Empire Distribution.

The version made by Snoop, also posted below was a clean version made in the midst of the craze as well. Walker said the goal of that video was to send a message to other people on the internet
"Snoop did his clean version to send the message that 'this is Shirley Caesar', We need to honor her,'" he said.

Walker said his video was made in response to lewd videos posted during the viral craze.

The case will return to court on December 21 (2016)"

**
Azizi Powell December 17, 2016 at 10:54 AM
According to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh-gn82hZi4, Published on Dec 13, 2016 by 82,094,361 views*:
"Shirley caesar sues DJ Suede for $5 Million Pastor Shirley Ceasar won the lawsuit against DJ Suede, his music video has been taking down by Youtube but music sales continues on iTunes, google play and Spotify."
-snip-
*This is that blogger's screen name.

**
Here's another article about that lawsuit before a decision was made on the suit, if indeed there was a lawsuit and there was a decision made on that suit:
https://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-shirley-caesar-sues-atlanta-dj-for-5-million-over-alcohol-in-u-name-it-challenge-172056/
"Pastor Shirley Caesar Sues Atlanta DJ for $5 Million Over Alcohol in 'U Name It Challenge'
Pastor Shirley Caesar Sues Atlanta DJ for $5 Million Over Alcohol in 'U Name It Challenge'"
By Anugrah Kumar ,Christian Post Contributor, 2016

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the Australian music group "Coloured Stone" and showcases their 1984 hit song "Black Boy".

Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Coloured Stones for their musical legacy. Thanks also to the producer of this video and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
This post replaces a pancocojams post on this subject that I published in 2012.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT COLOURED STONE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloured_Stone
Coloured Stone is a band from the Koonibba Mission, west of Ceduna, South Australia. Their sound has been described as having a unique feel and Aboriginal (Indigenous Australian) qualities. The band performs using guitar, bass, drums, and Aboriginal instruments – didjeridu, bundawuthada (gong stone) and clap sticks – to play traditional music such as the haunting "Mouydjengara", a whale-dreaming song of the Mirning people.

Background and members

Bunna Lawrie (Feb 2012)
The original Coloured Stone band members were three brothers, Bunna Lawrie (drums & lead vocals), and Neil Coaby (rhythm guitar & backing vocals) and Mackie Coaby (bass & backing vocals), and their nephew, Bruce (aka Bunny) Mundy (lead guitar & backing vocals). All are from the mission settlement of Koonibba, South Australia. Bunna Lawrie is the leader and singer of the band and he was also their original drummer.

Bunna Lawrie is also a member and respected elder of the Mirning Aboriginal tribe from the Coastal Nullabor, South Australia. He is a Mirning whaledreamer and songman, medicine man and story teller of his tribe. He is Coloured Stone's founding member and chief songwriter.

The band's single, "Black Boy" was a success when first released in 1984 -it became the number one song in Fiji and it sold 120,000 copies. It was followed by "When You Gonna Learn" and "Dancin' in the Moonlight". The lyrics of "Black Boy" included the line "Black boy, black boy, the colour of your skin is your pride and joy," which was a somewhat revolutionary sentiment for Aboriginals of Australia in the 1980s. It moved black audiences to increase their dancing each time it was played at an early gig in Alice Springs."...

****
LYRICS: BLACK BOY
(Bunna Lawrie)

Verse 1 :
A shy Black boy you came to the city.
To learn about life and how its people are .
He's very stubborn. He's just a child.
And now his life is mystified.

Chorus :
Black boy, Black boy,
Black boy, Black boy,
The color of your skin is your pride & joy.
Black boy, Black boy,
Black boy, Black boy,
Your life is not destroyed.

Verse 2 :
He didn't know school but they called him Black boy.
He hardly talked to the girls and boys.
Don't be a fool. Just obey the rules.
Cause you'll just learn the truth.

CHORUS

Verse 3 :
And one day you'll grow up to be a man,
To learn and live and understand
Sticks and stones may break your bones
But names will never hurt you.
You'll be the one who's having fun.
So you just keep learning on.

CHORUS

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/coloured-stone-black-boy-lyrics.html

Submitted by Thunderoad on Sat, 10/09/2016

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Coloured Stone - "Black Boy"



Yuggera Thompson, Published on Jan 28, 2012

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
These comments are given in relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.
1. James Stephens, 2014
"Rocked out to this song last night in Maningrida with the community! Coloured Stone were deadly."

**
2. Gum Nut, 2016
"I remember when if first heard this on the radio in '84, I was hooked, and bought the single. One of Australia's best songs for sure. But I like "I'm Going Back to Alice Springs" even more."

**
3. Captain Morgan, 2017
"the colour of your skin is your pride and joy, teach that to your kids, don't let them feel bad because of their skin colour like i did growing up, one of 3 black kids in my class"

**
4. SketchIs Boss, 2017
"Chor my uncle used to sing this to us all, reminding us to never forget were we come from! Kuku Djugan, Tagalaka, Mamu, Narrabulan, Wakawin."

**
5. John Que Noy, 2017
"I wads the Only black boy in my class reminds me when I was a little black boy in room full of white kids"

**
6. grace rigney, 2017
"proud Aboriginal"

**
7. Phillip John Oppermann, 2018
"the classics."

**
8. bradley lane, 2018
"too good coloured stone true 1 still today they the best"

**
9. Jordan Anderson, 2018
"this song has great beat , rhythm and beauty"

**
10. Will Purdie, 2018
"old school love it"

****
RELATED LINKS
Here are three links to posts that focus on conditions of indigenous Australians particularly with regard to race & racism:

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/australia?gclid=COXLmrCdt68CFYRM4AodIVLTkQ"Aboriginal Australians—The State of Play"

http://culturematters.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/on-being-black-in-australia-and-the-us/"On being “black” in Australia and the U.S."

**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/09/responses-to-racism-hildas-story.html"Responses To Racism In Australia - Hilda's Story"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the Australian song "Took The Children Away" by Archie Roach

The lyrics of that song are included in this post along with selected comments from that YouTube sound file.

The Addendum to this post presents information about Australia's child removal policies that resulted in what is called "stolen generations" of indigenous Australians.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Archie Roach for composing and performing this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

****
LYRICS- TOOK THE CHILDREN AWAY
(Archie Roach)

This story's right, this story's true
I would not tell lies to you
Like the promises they did not keep
And how they fenced us in like sheep.
Said to us come take our hand
Sent us off to mission land.
Taught us to read, to write and pray
Then they took the children away,
Took the children away,
The children away.
Snatched from their mother's breast
Said this is for the best
Took them away.
The welfare and the policeman
Said you've got to understand
We'll give them what you can't give
Teach them how to really live.
Teach them how to live they said
Humiliated them instead
Taught them that and taught them this
And others taught them prejudice.
You took the children away
The children away
Breaking their mothers heart
Tearing us all apart
Took them away
One dark day on Framingham
Come and didn't give a damn
My mother cried go get their dad
He came running, fighting mad
Mother's tears were falling down
Dad shaped up and stood his ground.
He said 'You touch my kids and you fight me'
And they took us from our family.
Took us away
They took us away
Snatched from our mother's breast
Said this was for the best
Took us away.
Told us what to do and say
Told us all the white man's ways
Then they split us up again
And gave us gifts to ease the pain
Sent us off to foster homes
As we grew up we felt alone
Cause we were acting white
Yet feeling black
One sweet day all the children came back
The children come back
The children come back
Back where their hearts grow strong
Back where they all belong
The children came back
Said the children come back
The children come back
Back where they understand
Back to their mother's land
The children come back
Back to their mother
Back to their father
Back to their sister
Back to their brother
Back to their people
Back to their land
All the children come back
The children come back
The children come back
Yes I came back.

Songwriters: Archibald William Roach
Took The Children Away lyrics © O/B/O Apra Amcos

From

TheRaaaaw, Published on Apr 27, 2010

Für alle, die es wie ich verzwifelt gesucht haben.. aber nur solche blöden Versionen gefunden haben ;)
Sehr cooles Lied, ich glaube die meisten hier kennen es aus dem Englisch Unterricht :D
-snip-
Google translate from German to English: "For all who desperately wanted it like me .. but only found such stupid versions;)
Very cool song, I think most of you know it from English lessons: D"
-snip-
Here are some comments from this sound file's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:
1. Alissa Xo, 2012
"Such a beautiful song that touch's the soul and such a blessed voice luv he's music =)

**
2. TheMimifur,2014
"This is not just a song. It's Archie's story and his life. The music was used in a film called Rabbit Proof Fence - a story about these children. This happened in our life time. Be outraged."

**
REPLY
3. Glenda Pospisil, 2017
"Yes certainly in my time but I was totally unaware of it and grew up beside an indigenous family. They were very close friends of mine."

**
REPLY
4. Anythya Silvadragon, 2018
"My great grandmother was one of those children stolen, I'm proud to be Koori, but sad that they white washed us."

**
5. Rebecca Jones, 2016
"my kids play this song all the time it makes us cry all the pain that our children have because they took way from there morther and farther this is never go to end"

**
6. Russell Lean, 2016
"I met Archie in 1993 at the last ever Maleny festival. What a beautiful voice, beautiful generous spirited man. Such stories of truth. The history white Australia doesn't want to hear. the stories we need to hear. Blessings Archie."

**
REPLY
7. Erin Redford, 2017
"im an Aussie and we learnt about this song In school!"

**
8. sallie6, 2016
"children (black and white) are still being taken from their families without realising the long term effects when these children become
adults"

**
9. Marche Singleton, 2016
"The sad thing is this is universal. In America it was the American Indian children. Now it is African American and Spanish. Social service will pay an unfit foster parent to raise someone's child, but will not give that same help to the parent. Sex, money and abuse too often falls on the child. You have to wonder about the evil intent of this madness."

**
REPLY
10. Gabby Thommo, 2017
"indigenous baby's got taken away for no reason"

**
11. Michelle Gillam, 2016
"where is the justice for children taken away in the 1970s because mother was single"

**
REPLY
12. TRACEY HANSHAW, 2018
"and in the 60s because their mother was single and their father was white ? Same sh&t* different decade. Nothings changed 50 years on"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this post.

**
REPLY
13. Michelle Gillam, 2016
"i Know what its like they took my baby .White mother.Single 1970 unmarried mother they just took Queen Victoria Hospital She never came back. How about the white children they took away"

**
REPLY
14. Kenneth Kelly, 2018
"Im sorry you lost your child. As an Aboriginal son whose dad was Stolen from his mother I understand your loss. This song is for you as well."

**
15. Meri Rowe, 2017
":'( Deeply damaging to the First Nation. Thanks for the honesty in your music , Archie. I'm sorry my people did such evil to your people :'("

**
16. colin macdonald, 2017
"stumbled upon this, done lots of homework,so sorry to the peoples who were bellonging for 60,000 yrs maybe longer
please do keep singing THE TRUTH."

**
REPLY
17. Ty, 2018
"Same things that happened in Australia happened in North America, look up ‘My Country Tis Of Thy People You’re Dying’ by Buffy saint Marie, if you change some words it’s similar to Australia’s story. I think y’all should start standing up for aboriginal Australia and raise more awareness about the history, that’s what I’m doing for my tribe, good luck from the Syilx tribe of the Salish Nation of Canada!"

**
REPLY
18. Leonard Carr, 2018
"Tyler 1/32 Ngai Tahu NZ Maori,nearly makes me cry.54 yr old biker looking fella!😢"

**
19. ritenrong jusayen, 2017
"I was taken,so yeah,this,I,do relate to.thanks for sayen&singing how it is.love u brother.still crying.."

**
20. Darren, 2017
"What a disgraceful part of this nations history. Good on you Archie for writing this song."

**
21. David Barker, 2018
"My Dad, and 3 Aunties were stolen. Because they lived the old ways and the government came and said it was child abuse?! Living the way that sustained our people for 1000s of years having strong families, food and shelter since time began was all of a sudden unacceptable for our people?! And the results of their so called actions for the health and well-being of my Dad and Aunties turned out to be the most damaging and abusive things that ever happened to them!
They elders and ancestors had it way harder than we do now... But they would curse us from the dreaming if we didn't continue to stand strong against todays continued injustices! Their lives are fuel for our spirits to continue holding people accountable..."

**
REPLY
22. Angie pangie, 2018
"@David Barker I'm so sorry for what happened to your family. My sons are damaged too.politics in my state told me oneday I'm not of aboriginal decent, when I grew up in the community😞 then they took my boys. I try so hard to remember all that elders taught me as a kid so I can help my boys now they home after being abused in care. I get scared that I will forget all that the elders taught me as I try to keep it alive for my healing sons"

**
23. Delleise Exton, 2018
"love this song always brings me to tears....love my people n love this song."

**
24. Barry Brown, 2018
"Im so sorry for all the hardship u indigenous ppl of australia suffered,even tho im a native of new zealand we had similar experiences maybe not as hard but we still had to fight for wat was originally ours and we still fighting we ended up getting a treaty and are the only indigenous to have so but our land is not as vast as yours and the minerals and treasures god gave australia was incredible so the british just had to have it unfortunately and take the whole lot there"

**
25. Amanda Crocker, 2018
"My kids dad dad is 1 that was taken back in the day I do not know a lot about this but I am getting there as my kids need to know where family come from"

**
26. Anythya Silvadragon, 2018
"My great grandmother was one of those children, stolen from her family and forced into a girls camp to grow up without her mob, so this resonates with me. I'm Proud to be Koori, even if i'm milky. Lol"

**
27. Super Bolt, 2018
"I'm aboriginal like u brother"

**
28. TURN DOG QUICK TV, 2018
"Playing this song on 26th January 2018 when Aboriginal children are still being taken by the Australian Government."

****
ADDENDUM- INFORMATION ABOUT AUSTRALIA'S STOLEN GENERATIONS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_Generations
"The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments. The removals of those referred to as "half-caste" children were conducted in the period between approximately 1905[1] and 1967,[2][3] although in some places mixed-race children were still being taken into the 1970s.[4][5][6]

Official government estimates are that in certain regions between one in ten and one in three indigenous Australian children were forcibly taken from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970.

Emergence of the child removal policy
Numerous 19th- and early 20th-century contemporaneous documents indicate that the policy of removing mixed-race Aboriginal children from their mothers related to an assumption that the Aborigines were dying off. Given their catastrophic population decline after white contact[7], whites assumed that the full-blood tribal Aboriginal population would be unable to sustain itself, and was doomed to extinction. The idea expressed by A. O. Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines for Western Australia, and others as late as 1930 was that mixed-race children could be trained to work in white society, and over generations would marry white and be assimilated into the society.[8][9][10]

Some European Australians considered any proliferation of mixed-descent children (labelled "half-castes", "crossbreeds", "quadroons", and "octoroons",[9][11]:231, 308 terms now considered derogatory to indigenous Australians) to be a threat to the stability of the prevailing culture, or to a perceived racial or cultural "heritage".[11]:160 The Northern Territory Chief Protector of Aborigines, Dr. Cecil Cook, argued that "everything necessary [must be done] to convert the half-caste into a white citizen".[12]

[...]

Feature film and television drama
The Australian film Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), directed by Phillip Noyce, was based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It concerns the author's mother and two other mixed-race Aboriginal girls who ran away from Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, and returned to their Aboriginal families. In a subsequent interview with the ABC, Doris recalled her removal in 1931 from her mother at age three or four, and subsequent rearing at the settlement. She was not reunited with her mother until she was 25; all those years, she believed that her mother had given her away. When the two women were reunited, Doris was no longer able to speak her native language and had been taught to regard Indigenous culture as evil.[79]”...

****
From https://www.australianstogether.org.au/discover/australian-history/stolen-generations The Stolen Generations
The forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families.
"Between 1910-1970, many Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families as a result of various government policies. The generations of children removed under these policies became known as the Stolen Generations. The policies of child removal left a legacy of trauma and loss that continues to affect Indigenous communities, families and individuals.

What happened and why?
The forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families was part of the policy of Assimilation. Assimilation was based on the assumption of black inferiority and white superiority, which proposed that Indigenous people should be allowed to “die out” through a process of natural elimination, or, where possible, should be assimilated into the white community.[1]

Children taken from their parents as part of the Stolen Generation were taught to reject their Indigenous heritage, and forced to adopt white culture. Their names were often changed, and they were forbidden to speak their traditional languages. Some children were adopted by white families, and many were placed in institutions where abuse and neglect were common.[2]

Assimilation policies focused on children, who were considered more adaptable to white society than Indigenous adults. “Half-caste” children (a term now considered derogatory for people of Aboriginal and white parentage), were particularly vulnerable to removal, because authorities thought these children could be assimilated more easily into the white community due to their lighter skin colour.[3]

Assimilation, including child removal policies, failed its aim of improving the lives of Indigenous Australians by absorbing them into white society. This was primarily because white society refused to accept Indigenous people as equals, regardless of their efforts to live like white people.

[...]

What has been done about this?
In 1995, the Australian government launched an inquiry into the policy of forced child removal. The report was delivered to Parliament on the 26th May 1997. It estimated that between 10 per cent and 33 per cent of all Indigenous children were separated from their families between 1910-1970.

The report, Bringing Them Home, acknowledged the social values and standards of the time, but concluded that the policies of child removal breached fundamental human rights. The Keating government commissioned the inquiry into the Stolen Generations, but the Howard government received the report. Howard’s government was skeptical of the report’s findings, and largely ignored its recommendations.”...

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents examples of rhymes or lyrics about ways to spell the names of certain cities and/or states in the USA.

Some of the content of this post is from this 2012 pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-in-car-and-car-cant-go-rhyme.html and from selected comments from the discussion thread for that post.

Some of the content of this post also comes from this 2016 pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/07/m-i-crooked-letter-in-country-music.html"M I Crooked Letter" In Country Music, Jump Rope Rhymes, R&B, & Hip Hop".

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION AND EXAMPLES OF "CHICKEN IN THE CAR" (SPELL CHICAGO) AND SOME OTHER CITY/STATE RHYMES

[Numbers added for referencing purposes only.]

1.
From https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/chicken_in_the_car_and_the_car_wont_go_chicago_spelling_rhyme/"Chicken in the car and the car won’t go” (Chicago spelling rhyme), August 21, 2016
“Chicken in the car and the car won’t go” (Chicago spelling rhyme)
"A chicken in the car and the car won’t go, that’s the way to spell Chicago” is a popular Chicago rhyme that has been cited in print since at least 1926. The children’s rhyme was used in games and activities, such as jump rope and hopscotch.

“A knife and a fork, a bottle and a cork; that’s the way to spell New York” is a similar rhyme.

Old Fulton NY Post Cards
1 April 1926, Harlem Valley Times (Amenia, NY), pg. 1, col. 6:

F. D. Philip With Chicken
In Car Has Narrow Escape
“A chicken in the car and the car won’t go; that’s the way to spell Chicago,” according to the rhymes which the kids pass out.

Old Fulton NY Post Cards
29 December 1937, New York (NY) Sun, pg. 23, col. 1:
JINGLE BELL INFLUENCE.
Foolish Rimes That Pop Into a Head Occasionally.
What Do You Think Editor—Sir: In addressing a letter to Chicago, recently, there flashed into my mind a saying which I used to hear in my childhood—“A chicken in the car, the car won’t go; that’s the way to spell Chicago.” For New York there was a similar verse: “A knife and a fork, a bottle and a cork; that’s the way to spell New York.” “...

**
2.
From the book: Harlem Photographs 1932-1940 edited by Aaron Siskind.

"Chicken in the car
Car wouldn't go
Chicken jump out
The car went slow."
-snip-
This rhyme was found in this book of photographs of Harlem (New York, New York) which a reviewer wrote was "perhaps the first time a white photographer documented this black community."http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/1999/08/13/25807.html.

**
3.
From Anonymous, July 16, 2013; http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-in-car-and-car-cant-go-rhyme.html
"My grandpa used to sing:
Chicken in the car,
Car won't go,
Chicken fell out
and broke his toe
That's how you spell
Chi-ca-go"

**
4.
From Unknown, November 18, 2018; http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-in-car-and-car-cant-go-rhyme.html
"My dad taught me a similar rhyme in the early 50's in Charleston, SC: Chicken in a car; car can't go, chicken fell out and stomped his toe; that's how you spell Chicago.
I don't know if he made it up."

**
5.
From Odis Smokeyrib, March 2, 2016; http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-in-car-and-car-cant-go-rhyme.html
"Chicken in the corn
Corn won't grow
That's the way you spell
Chicago
Knife and a fork
And a plate of greens
The way you spell
New Orleans
We go together
Hand in hand
Like a bowleg woman and a knock knee man
I've heard that sung as a blues a million times"

**
6.
From någon, November 24, 2016; http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-in-car-and-car-cant-go-rhyme.html
"Washing on the line and the line weighs a ton.
That's how you spell Washington."

**
7.
From Unknown, November 18, 2018; http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-in-car-and-car-cant-go-rhyme.html
"My dad taught me a similar rhyme in the early 50's in Charleston, SC: Chicken in a car; car can't go, chicken fell out and stomped his toe; that's how you spell Chicago.
I don't know if he made it up."

****
"M CROOKED LETTER" (SPELL MISSISSIPPI) RHYMES

1950 HITS ARCHIVE: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I - Red Foley (#1 C&W hit)



MusicProf78, Published on Sep 21, 2013

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I (Williams-Simmons) by Red Foley with The Dixie Dons (CD audio source)

If the title looks unfamiliar, you may recall the lyrics, which spelled out "M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I, etc"). Written by Curley Williams ("Half As Much"), this crossover hit reached #2 on the country music charts and also got some 'pop' action in recordings by Kay Starr, Art Mooney, and Bill Darnel.
-snip-
A comment from this sound file's discussion thread posted by Barry I. Grauman (2018) indicates that this song was "Recorded on April 4, 1950.".

Here's a portion of that song's lyrics:
"By The M I crooked letter, crooker letter, I crooked letter, crooked letter I
Hump-back, hump-back I of Mississippi flowing down to New Orleans
It flows right by my Tennessee home where history was make by Steamboat Bill
M-E-M-P-H-I-S, Memphis is the town I mean

Way down yonder in the land of cotton, folks like mine are ne’er forgotten
What a wonderful thrill just to be down in Memphis, Tennessee
By The M I crooked letter, crooker letter, I crooked letter, crooked letter I
Hump-back, hump-back I of Mississippi flowing down to New Orleans"...

Source: http://www.songlyrics.com/red-foley/m-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i-1950-lyrics/
-snip-
The letter "s" is the "crooked letter" because of the way that it is written. The letter "p" is called "hump back" (in standard English "hunchback") because that letter is written like a stylized drawing of a person with a hump on his or her back.

**
Example of a children's rhyme:
From http://www.buyjumpropes.net/resources/jump-rope-rhymes-songs-buyjumpropesnet/"The Great List Of Jump Rope Rhymes & Skipping Songs"
"How do you spell Mississippi?
M (cross arms over chest)
I (point to your eye)
Crooked letter (cross legs and jump)
Crooked letter (cross legs and jump)
I (point to eye)
Hunch back
Hunch back
I!
-Ellen Mason, AACS Music Teacher"
-snip-
Although this example includes actions that are done by a person (usually a girl) who is jumping inside a rope that is swung by two people at each end, nowadays "M Crooked Letter" (Spells Mississippi) may not be done with any other body movement but imitative actions.

****
NEW WAY OF SPELLING MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
1.
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40621#582183 [record] State Of Tennessee Blues", posted by Jim Dixon 29 Oct 01
..."I got a new way of spelling the dear old state of Tennessee.
I got a new way of spelling the state of Tennessee.
Double-E-double-R-O-double-E-double-N-O-C.

[As recorded by the Memphis Jug Band, 1927, Jennie Clayton and Will Shade, vocalists.]"
-snip-
Here's some comments about this spelling in that song:
From https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=5324.0"A new way of spelling"

arlotone, January 08, 2009
"In "State of Tennessee Blues" by the Memphis Jug Band (a duet between Will Shade and his wife Jennie Mae Clayton), Shade sings "I got a new way of spelling the state of Tennessee" and then says something like, "double-E-double-R-double-E-double-N-O-C."

EEREENOC? What the heck is that supposed to mean?

I've heard this verse in other songs with slightly different "spellings," but they don't make sense either."

**
2.
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=31008#1046121"Good Morning Blues" Leadbelly; source: The Leadbelly Songbook (edited by Moses Ash & Alan Lomax, Oak Publications, 1962"; posted by Joe Offer,
Date: 02 Nov 03.
"I got a new way of spelling, Memphis, Tennessee,
Aw... Memphis, Tennessee,
Double E, double T, Lord, N, X-Y-Z."


Joe Offer wrote that ..."Google Search will show how many versions of this song you can find - Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Van Morrison, Louis Jordan, and many others."
-snip-
Leadbelly first released this song in 1941. https://secondhandsongs.com/work/119832/all

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series presents information about and YouTube examples of the song "Ragg Mopp".

Part I presents information about and examples of the song "Get The Mop" and its adaptation - the much more widely known song "Ragg Mopp".

Selected comments from the discussion thread for the "Ragg Mopp" sound file are also included in this post.

Part II presents YouTube examples of the song "Ragg Mopp" from The Ames Brothers, The Treniers, and the Beany and Cecil television cartoon series.

The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

Thanks to the composer/s of these songs and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in YouTube examples that are embedded in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
WHAT IS A RAG MOP?
From https://www.thespruce.com/what-are-rag-mops-1901105
"Rag mops are a more old-fashioned style of mop that uses rags or strings on the mop head to absorb mop water and clean the floor. Both string and strip style mops fall into this category. Usually, the strips of absorbent fabric or thick strings are attached by being sewn onto the mop head. This is necessary since glue could disintegrate with different kinds of floor cleaner.”...

****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE OF THE SONG "GET THAT MOP" : Henry Red Allen 1946 Get The MOP w. Higginbotham soundie



hoffmannjazz, Published on Jan 16, 2012

in 1951 Red Allen had won on trial being alone composer in music and lyrics of Get The Mop (The Ignorant stick) = MOP = identical at all with Rag Mop , first played at the Garrick Stage, Chicago 1/21/46, NYC., R.C.A. Victor Studios (411 Fifth Avenue,) Soundies Distributing Corp. Of America, Inc. each 1 reel , ad., dir.:William F.Crouch - HENRY "RED" ALLEN & HIS ORCH.: Red Allen (t,v) Jay C.Higginbotham (tb) Don Stovall (as) Bill Thompson (p) Benny Moten (b) Alvin Burroughs (d) & Johni Weaver & Harry Turner (dancing); different stage-backgrounds; The sideline photography was done during the week commencing either January 21 and/or 28, 1946 , (probably the former), probably Filmcraft Studios (2826 Decatur Avenue, Bronx, New York City).Henry "Red" Allen and the combo were paid $210.00 for their soundtrack work in this series of soundies. The group was possibly paid and additional $300.00 for their sideline work in the five soundies in this series...
-snip-
The first sentence in that summary reads "in 1951 Red Allen had won [the] trial being [declared the lone] composer in music and lyrics of Get The Mop" was first [and] is identical to "Rag Mop"...

****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "GET THAT MOP"
From https://secondhandsongs.com/work/136205/all
"Get the Mop 59th in 1946
Written by Henry Allen
Language: English
ISWC : T-070.064.002-3
Published by INTERNATIONAL-MUSIC INC

First recording by Henry "Red" Allen and Orchestra featuring J. C. Higginbotham (January 14, 1946)

First release by Henry "Red" Allen and Orchestra featuring J. C. Higginbotham (1946)

ADAPTATIONS
An adaptation is a musical work which uses most of the music or lyrics of another musical work.

Get the Mop written by Henry Allen English 1946
Rag Mop written by Johnnie Lee Wills, Deacon Anderson English December 1949
Rat Fink written by Allan Sherman English 1963
-snip-
As a matter of information: Henry “Red” Allen was African American.
Johnnie Lee Willis, Deacon Anderson were White Americans and Allan Sherman was White American.

****
LYRICS: "GET THAT MOP"
(Henry Allen, 1946)

Various Artists – Get The Mop - Henry Red Allen Lyrics
(a prestissimo boogie!)

'Wamp-wamp'

(horns)

M
M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P, get the mop!
M-O-P-P
Mop, mop, mop, mop

M
M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P, get the mop!
M-O-P-P
Mop, mop, mop, mop

(sax, trumpet)

M
M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P, get the mop!
M-O-P-P
Mop, mop, mop, mop

M
M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P, get the mop!
M-O-P-P
Mop, mop, mop, mop

(trombone)

'Oh, get the mop! '

'Watch that thing with chicks'"

From https://www.lyricsfreak.com/v/various+artists/get+the+mop+henry+red+allen_10170293.html

****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: RAGG MOPP Johnny Lee Wills & His Boys



MissIvy, Published on Jan 13, 2011

RAGG MOPP Johnny Lee Wills & His Boys
-snip-
Here are some comments from this sound file's discussion thread with numbers added for referencing purposes only:
1. lyon406, 2011
"1949"

**
2. Mack thornton, 2012
"deacon anderson wrote this song not Johnny Lee Wills. I know him and played with him on several occasions. He was a great steel man. Played 6 string lap steel."

**
REPLY
3. Brazilian Atlantis, 2014
"deacon anderson wrote this song not Johnny Lee Wills." Henry Allen wrote it and copyrighted it in 1946 as "Get The Mop."

**
4. King Bee, 2014
"Beany and Cecil brought me here! Just kiddin'-love Western Swing...jazzy piano breaks and all"
-snip-
Beany and Cecil is the name of an American televised cartoon series in which that the sea monster Cecil often song this song. An example of this song from Beany & Cecil is found in Part II of this pancocojams series.

**
5. Dinkys Workshop, 2016
"not as entertaining as the black group who recorded it also, but the hair is the same in both bands."

**
REPLY
6. pattycakes smith, 2016
"+Dinkys Workshop what black group? all i know is the ames brothers and now this one , the ames brothers were jewish , let me know another one if you have it"
-snip-
An example of this song from The Ames Brothers and an example from The Treniers are found in Part II of this pancocojams series.

**
REPLY
7. Shawn Hawkins, 2016
"+pattycakes smith the treniers"

**
8. Ian Blakesley, 2016
"The Treniers performed this on a "Colgate Comedy Hour" in the early 1950s. I believe Jerry Lewis (co-host with Dean Martin) joined in with the band .

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "RAGG MOPP"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rag_Mop
""Rag Mop" was a popular American song of the late 1940s-early 1950s.

The song, a 12-bar blues, was written by Tulsa Western Swing bandleader Johnnie Lee Wills and steel guitarist Deacon Anderson and published in 1949. Considered a novelty song, the lyrics consisted mostly of spelling out the title of the song; because of the spelling used in the song, it is sometimes referred to as "Ragg Mopp".

While Johnnie Lee Wills and his band recorded it for Bullet Records in 1950, the most popular version of this song was recorded by The Ames Brothers, and released by Coral Records as catalog number 60140. The song was part of a double-sided hit; the flip side was "Sentimental Me." The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 6, 1950 and lasted 14 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1.[1] The song was re-released in 1951 by Coral as catalog number 60397, with the flip side "Hoop-Dee-Doo".[2] The group re-recorded the song several times. The 1950 recording is considered an example of proto-rock and roll as it contained elements that would later go into the defining of the genre.

In popular culture
On The Honeymooners episode "Battle of the Sexes" Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton sing the song as they dance and clean the Kramden's apartment.[3]

On the Beany and Cecil cartoon show, Cecil the sea-sick sea serpent would frequently sing the song.

Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1965 album The Chipmunks Sing with Children.

This song was played on M*A*S*H in Season 9, Episode 6 ("A War for All Seasons"), after Hawkeye and BJ ordered a radio from the Sears Catalog. The song irritates Major Winchester, as he is a strict classical music lover ("Those people can neither sing nor spell!"). In Season 11, episode 1 ("Hey, Look Me Over"), Nurse Kellye accuses Hawkeye of treating her like a rag mop; when he is taken aback by her comment, she elaborates "That's right! R-A-G-G M-O-P-P, rag mop!"”...
-snip-
That Wikipedia page doesn't include any information about Henry Allen's 1946 song "Get The Mop" and the law suit that Henry Allen won which concluded that the 1949 song "Ragg Mobb" was based on that 1946 song.

****
This concludes Part I of this two part series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series presents information about and YouTube examples of the song "Ragg Mopp".

Selected comments from some of these examples are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/examples-of-ragg-mopp-from-ames.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents examples of the song "Ragg Mopp" from The The Ames Brothers, The Treniers, and the Beany and Cecil television cartoon series.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-song-get-mop-and-its-much-more.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents information about and examples of the song "Get The Mop" and its adaptation - the much more widely known song "Ragg Mopp".

Selected comments from some of the discussion thread for the "Ragg Mopp" sound file are also included in that post.

The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

Thanks to the composer/s of these songs and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in YouTube examples that are embedded in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Rag Mop by the Ames Brothers 1950



jukejointjohnny48, Published on May 4, 2014
-snip-
Here are selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes:
1. J Boog, 2017
"wow this sounds really hip for 1950. one of the first early rock n roll songs?"

**
REPLY
2. Dario Witer, 2017
"It's not a rock song at all; it's more like a bluesy boogie woogie."

**
REPLY
3. Pottergoggles, 2017
"It's a style called Western Swing. Been around since the 40s. Buncha C+W players who could play jazz."

**
4. Leon Childs jr, 2017
"The version that went to no.1."

****
Example #2: RaggMopp



anw52, Published on Feb 23, 2008
-snip-
Here's information about The Treniers
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Treniers
"The Treniers were an American R&B and jump blues musical group[1] led by identical twins Cliff and Claude Trenier. They were originally billed as The Trenier Twins, who performed alongside the Gene Gilbeaux Quartet, but shortened their name to The Treniers when Gilbeaux and other musicians became integral members of the group....

[...]

One of the first times rock and roll appeared on national television was in May 1954 when the Treniers appeared on the Colgate Comedy Hour, hosted by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. During the playing of their songs, Martin and Lewis participated in the antics, and when the drummer got up and stepped aside, Jerry Lewis sat down and played drums for one song."
-snip-
According to a YouTube comment that I read, "Ragg Mopp" was the song that comedian Jerry Lewis played the drums for on that above mentioned television show.

****
Example #3: The Treniers - Rag Mop (1963)



vintage video clips, Published on Jun 21, 2018

****
Example #4: Time For Beany - Cecil and Harry Truman Do "Raggmopp"



TheBeanyandCecil, Published on Jun 14, 2011

Harry Truman accompanies on piano as Cecil the Sea Sick Sea Serpent sings "Raggmopp." An energetic Stan Freberg helps Cecil give it all he's got on live television at its best! Circa 1950.
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. Nora Steel, 2015
"Wow! Thank you for posting this..I loved Beanie and Cecil, the sea sick serpent! I STILL remember Cecil singing rap mop! lol a million thank you's for the memories!! <3" ** 2. Bartholomew, 2017 "Beany and Cecil his Obedient Serpent Freemason Harry Truman (Bob Clampett). 1953." -snip- Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkqmrwPAh08 for a short 1962 clip of an animated Cecil singing this song.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the children's holiday dance video "Gobble Gobble Turkey Wobble" by Koo Koo Kanga Roo and notes how Koo Koo Kanga Roo models their video of this song as well as some of its dance moves after certain African American originated Hip Hop dance craze (novelty/fad) videos, songs, and dances.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Koo Koo Kanga Roo for this entertaining song and video. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these embedded videos and thanks to the producers of these videos on YouTube.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
As the title of this post indicates, I believe that Koo Koo Kanga Roo's "Gooble Gooble Turkey Wooble"'s video, song, and some of its dance moves are modeled after certain African American originated Hip Hop dance craze (novelty/fad) videos, songs (speaking/rapping styles), and certain dances moves. That said, I don't believe that it is a parody video or an example of cultural appropriation.

Here are two excerpts from this song that can serve as examples of what I mean by "African American Hip Hop speaking/rapping" styles:
1. the introduction to that song (as given in that video)

"All right, this right here is called the Gooble gobble turkey wooble
You’re gonna wanna be woobling right now.
Get your wooble ready."

2. lyrics from the song (rap) itself (such as)

"Lets hear a whoo whoo
You gotta whoo whoo
I like that whoo whoo
Give me a whoo whoo
And thats nice, Oh so nice
Lets hear a whoo whoo
You gotta whoo whoo
I like that whoo whoo
Give me a whoo whoo
And thats nice, Oh so nice"

I also believe that Koo Koo Kanga Roo's "Gooble Gooble Turkey Wooble"'s video was modeled after the style of "filming multiple clips of people doing a line dance and other dance moves" that is found in a number of Hip Hop dance craze videos (including the three that are showcased in this pancocojams post: Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", "Mr C The Slide Man - Cha-Cha Slide" and and Silentó - Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) "YouTube video that are embedded below.

Furthermore, some of the dance moves that are performed in Koo Koo Kanga Roo's "Gooble Gooble Turkey Wooble"'s video (such as the Whip and the Nae Nae) originated in African American Hip Hop culture.

This post serves as documenting what I believe are the above mentioned African American cultural influences on this song and dance as well as publicizing and sharing a fun video for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Koo Koo Kanga Roo - Gobble Gobble Turkey Wobble (Dance-A-Long)



Koo Koo Kanga Roo, Published on Nov 22, 2016

[...]

Koo Koo Kanga Roo's Gobble Gobble Turkey Wobble from their holiday record "Celebrate This!"
-snip-
Here's the introduction to that song as given in the video's captions; (with the spelling of the word "you're" corrected)
"All right, this right here is called the Gooble gobble turkey wooble
You’ re gonna wanna be woobling right now.
Get your wooble ready."
-snip-
Here's that song's lyrics:
You put your foot out
and you flap those wings
bring your foot back
and you shake that thing
You put your foot out
and you flap those wing
bring your foot back
and you shake that thing
put your arms out to the side right side
put your arms out to the side left side
put your arms out to the side right side
hey flap it out, flap it out, flap it out
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We gob-gob-gobble
Wob-wob-wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We gob-gob-gobble
Wob-wob-wobble
Lets hear a whoo whoo
You gotta whoo whoo
I like that whoo whoo
Give me a whoo whoo
And thats nice, Oh so nice
Lets hear a whoo whoo
You gotta whoo whoo
I like that whoo whoo
Give me a whoo whoo
And thats nice, Oh so nice
You put your foot out
and you flap those wings
bring your foot back
and you shake that thing
You put your foot out
and you flap those wing
bring your foot back
and you shake that thing
put your arms out to the side right side
put your arms out to the side left side
put your arms out to the side right side
hey flap it out, flap it out, flap it out
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We gob-gob-gobble
Wob-wob-wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We do the gobble gobble
We do the turkey wobble
We gob-gob-gobble
Wob-wob-wobble
Lets hear a whoo whoo
You gotta whoo whoo
I like that whoo whoo
Give me a whoo whoo
And thats nice, Oh so nice
Lets hear a whoo whoo
You gotta whoo whoo
I like that whoo whoo
Give me a whoo whoo
And thats nice, Oh so nice


from Celebrate This!, released October 6, 2017 license
all rights reserved

Source: https://kookookangaroo.bandcamp.com/track/gobble-gobble-turkey-wobble-2

****
THREE EXAMPLES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HIP HOP DANCE CRAZE (NOVELTY/FAD DANCES) VIDEOS
Example #1: Soulja Boy Tell'em - Crank That (Soulja Boy)



Soulja Boy, Published on Nov 22, 2009

Best of Soulja Boy Tell'em: https://goo.gl/V4M688

Music video by Soulja Boy Tell`em performing Crank That (Soulja Boy). (C) 2007 ColliPark Music/HHH/Interscope Records

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Example #2: Mr C The Slide Man - Cha-Cha Slide



MrCTheSlideManVEVO, Published on Jun 16, 2009

Music video by Mr. C The Slide Man performing Cha-Cha Slide. (C) 2000 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

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Example #2: Silentó - Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) (Official)



SilentoVEVO, Published on Jun 25, 2015

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the Carolina Chocolate Drops and showcases the song "Country Girl" performed by Carolina Chocolate Drops.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Carolina Chocolate Drops for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Carolina Chocolate Drops - Country Girl [Official Video]



ccdrops, Published on May 9, 2012

© 2012 WMG This is the official video for "Country Girl" from the album Leaving Eden.
-snip-
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaving_Eden_(Carolina_Chocolate_Drops_album) the personnel on the "Country Girl" track in that album are "Giddens, Lalenja Harrington, [and] Adam Matta. However, Dom Flemons also performs in the two videos for that song that are embedded in this post.

I'm not sure what genre of music Carolina Chocolate Drop's "Country Girl" song is. A few commenters categorized it as Bluegrass music.

Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are found in the section with that title below.

****
Example #2: Carolina Chocolate Drops :: 'Country Girl' via Liveset



liveset, Published on Jun 21, 2012

Carolina Chocolate Drops performed a live, intimate session with Liveset from an old church space, Esplanade Studios, in New Orleans.

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INFORMATION ABOUT CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Chocolate_Drops
"The Carolina Chocolate Drops are an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina. Their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards,[1] and was number 9 in fRoots magazine's top 10 albums of 2010.[2]

Career
Formed in November 2005, following the members' attendance at the first Black Banjo Gathering, held in Boone, North Carolina, in April 2005, the group grew out of the success of Sankofa Strings, an ensemble that featured Dom Flemons on bones, jug, guitar, and four-string banjo, Rhiannon Giddens on banjo and fiddle and Súle Greg Wilson on bodhrán, brushes, washboard, bones, tambourine, banjo, banjolin, and ukulele, with Justin Robinson as an occasional guest artist. All shared vocals. The purpose of Sankofa Strings was to present a gamut of African American musics: country and classic blues, early jazz and "hot music", string band numbers, African and Caribbean songs, and spoken word pieces.[3]

The Chocolate Drops' original three members: Giddens, Flemons, and Robinson, were all in their twenties when the group formed after Flemons' move from Phoenix (where he and Wilson lived), to North Carolina, home of Giddens and Robinson. Wilson, nearly a generation older than the other Drops, was occasionally featured with the group into 2010, including contributions to the recordings, Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind, CCD and Joe Thompson, Heritage (with songs culled from Sankofa Strings' independently-released CD, Colored Aristocracy and nearly half of Genuine Negro Jig. All of the musicians sing and trade instruments including banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, snare drum, bones, jug, and kazoo. The group learned much of their repertoire, which is based on the traditional music of the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina,[4] from the eminent African American old-time fiddler Joe Thompson, although they also perform old-time versions of some modern songs such as Blu Cantrell's R&B hit "Hit 'em Up Style (Oops!)."...
-snip-
This excerpt was reformatted for this post to enhance readability.

****
From
https://indyweek.com/music/features/one-original-member-carolina-chocolate-drops-remains-group-s-mission-spreads/ Only one original member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops remains, but the group's mission spreads
BY JORDAN LAWRENCE MAR. 12, 2014
"When Rhiannon Giddens walks onto the stage of Raleigh's grand Meymandi Concert Hall for two appearances this weekend, the Carolina Chocolate Drops will no longer be with her. For the last nine years, Giddens has been part of the groundbreaking black string band; together, they've won a Grammy, appeared in a Denzel Washington film and become something of regulars on National Public Radio.

But since December, Giddens has been the only remaining member of the original trio. That doesn't mean they've broken up; they've actually grown. The name Carolina Chocolate Drops has become less a signifier of a band than a newly sprawling collective of like-minded folk musicians, now working in different spheres to show that the history of black music in the United States is richer than audiences might've presumed.

[...]

For the last decade, the Carolina Chocolate Drops have taken a similar tack by using antiquated folk material as a springboard for energetic albums and performances. As they've entertained, they've also offered an education about the role of blacks in the banjo and string-band music normally ascribed to white folks.

After nine years, though, the Carolina Chocolate Drops aren't the same band they were, either in regard to membership or musical choices. The jug-playing and driving guitar of founding member Dom Flemons were integral catalysts to the group's old-time beginnings. He departed their ranks following a two-night December stand at Charlotte's Neighborhood Theatre. Justin Robinson, the fiddle-playing third from the original trio, exited in 2011. For three months now, Giddens alone has led the Drops, backed by guitarist-plus Hubby Jenkins, who is beginning his fourth year with the group. Cellist Malcolm Parson and multi-instrumentalist Rowan Corbett are the newest members. Though the Drops once performed most of their shows sitting down, they stand now. And Giddens has started trying a few of her own originals with the band, something the Drops did sparingly in previous configurations.

This new iteration of the Drops faces down a daunting heritage: The original trio, which met in 2005 at Boone's Black Banjo Gathering, rallied around the songs of unheralded black string musician Joe Thompson. They've since been invited to the Grand Ole Opry and appeared multiple times on A Prairie Home Companion. They contributed several songs to the soundtrack of the 2007 film The Great Debaters and have sold out amphitheaters and concert halls across the country. Their major-label debut, 2010's Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album.

Giddens should be accustomed to this turnover. In less than a decade, the Drops have sorted through at least eight members. Since Robinson left, the lineup has been especially fluid. New members have brought along new talents and interests Jenkins' inimitable swing and jazz chops, for instance that have expanded the outfit's once minimal palette.

[...]

The most essential aspects of the Carolina Chocolate Drops remain intact, despite the personnel shifts. The members are still black, continuing their excavation of old-time's overlooked history. Though Robinson is gone, they still adhere to one of his favorite dictums, a quote from British playwright W. Somerset Maugham: "Tradition is a guide and not a jailer."

These paradoxically complementary goals trumpeting forgotten history while not letting that pursuit shackle creativity have allowed the Drops to incorporate new tools into old tunes. The group has included a cellist (first Leyla McCalla, now Parson) for several years, while a previous lineup boasted beatboxing marvel Adam Matta.

That idea enables former members to move on and try new things, too. When the Drops were only one touring act, Flemons explains, they could only play for so many people at once. As a wider collective of like-minded artists unlimited by the expectations of a single fanbase and free to roam stylistically, the possibilities explode. For Flemons, this was always the goal.

[...]

The Drops see historical works not as dead artifacts but as interactive documents. That was the takeaway of the two years that cellist Leyla McCalla spent with the group. She exited just ahead of Flemons. Her new solo album, Vari-Colored Songs, blends seemingly unrelated traditions the poems of Langston Hughes, melodies informed by traditional Haitian numbers, cello lines picked with the assuredness of a wizened blues musician with purpose. McCalla's parents are Haitian emigrants. Her music is an attempt to expand and correct peoples' notions of her often-maligned ancestry.

"I feel like it's become part of my mission to help shift people's perception about what Haiti is in the same way that the Drops are like, 'You thought that folk music was this, but it's also this, this and this,'" she says. "There's a couple of black string bands, but the Chocolate Drops have actually engaged people on a much bigger scale."

The Carolina Chocolate Drops, then, represent more of an ethos than a simple-minded mission. Their approach to forgotten or misunderstood sounds makes room for a variety of angles and adaptations."...

****
LYRICS: COUNTRY GIRL
(Rhiannon Giddens)

[Verse 1]
I was raised in the country, that's a natural fact
Food on the table from the garden out back
Everyone working to make the land their own
Red clay crackin' where the silver queen grows

[Verse 2]
Runnin' with your cousins from yard to yard
Livin' was easy but the playin' was hard
Didn't have much, nothing comes for free
All you needed was your family

[Chorus]
I am a country girl
I've been around the world
And every place I've been
Ain't quite nothin' like
Livin' in the South
Oh honey, shut your mouth
I am a country girl
I am a country girl

[Verse 3]
Biscuits in the morning and gravy too
Fried chicken in the afternoon
Jaw draggin', eatin' sweet potato pie
Takin' half an hour to say goodbye
Blackberry patches scuffin' on by
Sweet Georgia peaches and dandelion wine
The best kind of food is made by hand
The only place to get it is from the land

[Chorus]
I am a country girl
I've been around the world
And every place I've been
Ain't got nothin' like
Livin' in the South
Oh honey, shut your mouth
I am a country girl
I am a country girl

[Verse 4]
All day I dream about a place in the sun
Kinda like where I'm from
With the tall grass blowin' in the breeze
Runnin' barefoot 'round the tall oak tree
All day, I dream about a place I've been
A place where the skin I'm in
Feels like its supposed to be
And anyone around who looks at me says

[Chorus]
I am a country girl
I've been around the world
And every place I've been
Ain't got nothin' like
Livin' in the South
Oh honey, shut your mouth
I am a country girl
I am a country girl

[Bridge]
Livin' in the south
Oh honey, shut your mouth

[Verse 5]
I was born in the country, that's a natural fact
On these long city days I wanna look back
See tobacco fields a row after row
Red clay a crackin' where the silver queen grows


Source: https://genius.com/Carolina-chocolate-drops-country-girl-lyrics

****
SELECTED COMMENTS
Here are some comments from the video given above as Example #1 [Official Video]'s discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:

1. Amber Robertson, 2012
"country girl huh?? come on over here i'll give ya a lesson on bein country....cuz hunny this ain't country."

**
2. thinkoutsidethebox22, 2012
"It depends on what your definition of country is. If you consider someone like Luke Bryan or Jason Aldean to be country than no it is not. But if you think today's maintstream country music is more like teeny bopper pop than this is bonafide, genuine country music. Country music is suppose to have soul, they're just putting it back in there."

**
3. 1stSaintsFan, 2012
"I din't like this song when I first heard it...I was glad to get a little color into Country Music...It is growing on me...A little singing rappy ditty...Good for them, wish them the best.."

**
4. leftcoastpunk, 2012
"Some people here really need to learn some music history, not to mention ethics.

Anyways, the style isn't country, but the song is about her southern (i.e I was born in the country as opposed to the city) heritage.

I love this group, not just because they're talented, but because they've managed to fuse several genres of music together. =]"

**
5. TheFiddletree, 2012
"It never claims to be country music.... the song refers to being 'country' as in from the rural south, not as in 'country music'. It's pretty obvious from the lyrics!"

**
6. Darien Bragg, 2012
"I agree, its not soul or jazz and there's defo a bit of Old timey in there"

**
7. Jack Mitchell, 2012
"The lyric is "Oh honey, shut your mouth." Midstate rural NC that means "Don't look so surprised." As in, "Hey, the southern rural experience is my life too even though I'm not white -- don't look so surprised." Tobacco fields, red clay, Silver Queen, running around with a passel of cousins, picking wild blackberries and grapes... those things usually get depicted, and thought of, as white experiences. They're not."
-snip-
NC= North Carolina (The Carolina Chocolate Drops [music group] was founded in Durham, North Carolina).

**
8. Art W, 2012
"huh? BlackAmericans--and "country" are pretty much synonymous--per history and roots. Same with old country white folks. And both groups with those roots know that. i ain't even a discussion. it is just fact. been living for generations that way. some Black move to city--even family branches...same with whites... but those bee here for generations know they's country--at the root. ALL "native" Black Americans---roots to before the Civil War got serious country roots. that simple..."

**
9. Christopher B, 2012
"NC STAND UP!!!"
-snip-
"Stand Up" means "Stand up and be counted!". The blogger is likely from North Carolina and is publicly acknowledging that while giving props (proper respect and a shout out) to that state which is where the Carolina Chocolate Drops was founded.

**
10. highonimmi, 2013
"1:42...that's what i grew up eatin'...0:00----3:42...that's my life:) does anyone know the name of that diner they are in? "

**
REPLY
11. Susan DeLancey, 2013
"Hell white woman from southeastern ohio. If it did'nt have butter or bacon grease in it it was'nt worth eating. Always the mountain girl now I live an hour outside of charlotte n.c.just discovered this band and I can't wait to see them in concert. Brought back alot of memories!!!!"

**
12. Damien Cross, 2013
"Beat Box in Country? LOVE IT.

It's about time African Americans put together a black country group.

I AM A NEW FAN!

Damn this group is AWESOME!"

**
13. Daemon Skycloak, 2013
"Does this song convey racial tension? I'm just wondering because sometimes it sounds in this song like they label her "city" for being from a dark skinned lineage african or otherwise. And that she wants people to see her not racially but for who she truly is. That is part of what I get from this song.

**
14. highonimmi, 2013
"i agree...i don't know why people think a wonderful county life is lived by only white folks. when i was in the military i used to get raised eyebrows from my african-american buddies when i would tell them what daddy grew in the back yard & mama cooked in the kitchen. they said they didn't think a white girl ate "soul food". i asked them what that was. when they told me i said,"hell, i just thought that's what all poor country folk ate!" better than any gourmet food...hands down!!"

**
15. TawnyKay, 2013
"Oh my lord...I'm in love with this!"

**
16. stellarpiper, 2013
"As a Southern girl relocated to the big city, this is me."

**
17. Andrew Tate, 2013
"Can't understand why you have to pigeon hole or label a band, they play a mixture of Jazz Blues Country Blue grass Gospel minstrel music old timey American folk they even do English folk and all and everything in between they cover Tom Waits ( not exactly pigeon hole-able) I just enjoy the music of a great band.
Though I do agree Rhiannon is gorgeous with a voice to match. "

**
REPLY
18. Daemon Skycloak, 2013
"I'd have to respectfully disagree because there are no limits to what makes a song country anymore. I would list this as a soulful country song. The country genre has been hacked to pieces and any song made by a country artist no matter what it should be labeled as is put into the country genre. That is my only reason for personally including this into the country genre."

**
REPLY
19. Andrew Tate, 2013
"ask yourself where country comes from? Scottish Irish and English Folk mixed with Blues that's country, there are other tracks by them that mix in Jazz Gospel basically they are a roots band with all these influences ad even some modern stuff has found its way in and dovetails in nicely"

**
REPLY
20. leftcoastpunk, 2013
"You're definitely spot on in terms of no limits. I do believe the root is country, but I feel like it's transcended the genre because of the blending of styles. I guess I've just been seeing Michel Foucault's perspective on "categories." We're so intent on categorizing things that when some kind of hybridity drops in our laps, the categories we see as "fixed" are de-stablized and then complications of where to place the hybrid arise. Maybe it'll just be simpler to put it under "good music." :]"

**
REPLY
20. nilradem, 2013
"I think, to a degree, they are talking about country as a style of music and trying to reclaim part of that tradition. CCD's work is all about looking at the common roots of southern music, which crossed race, and bringing that forward like other roots artists. This is closer to traditional country than most of pop passing for country. They're more influenced by bluegrass and old time picking than Western swing, as you suggest, but still country."

**
REPLY
21. ImAnAnimeGoddess101, 2013
"Shes talking about being a country girl because she is around/in the country because she is from the south and she sings about the life in the south, pretty much the south yes"

**
22. Organicis Theway, 2014
"I saw you guys on the PBS documentary about Americana Music. As soon as I heard ya'll, I knew it was going to be amazing! I LOVE LOVE LOVE yalls sound. Thank you for sharing it with the world! I look forward to watching ya'll become a household name :D"

**
23. ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ Hip Cat Records¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪, 2014
"Nice to hear some AA voice and input in this folk resurgence, considering what a historical import and influence AA culture had on the foundations of this country and it's music... to say the least. Great song, can even forgive the costumed attire for the taste of southern authenticity offered."

**
24. TenThumbs Productions, 2014
"The first Carolina Chocolate Drops song written for the radio. Still has a nice groove though. "

**
25. Chip Curry, 2017
"Take it from a Florida boy, this is the real deal right here. This is Gullah/Geechie music, brought straight from Africa along with the banjo. Those people did more than survive an ordeal, they set a standard for living free in the midst of it. There wouldn't be Bluegrass in Kentucky if the Gullah people never made baskets from Lowcountry sweetgrass."

**
REPLY
16. Chip Curry, 2017
"Sweetgrass baskets, rare as an honest man in Washington DC. http://www.edistosweetgrassbaskets.net

**
27. J. L. Buckley, 2017
"OMG the lady clogs too!"

**
28. Stephen Reed, 2017
"This is shrimp and grits, collards, fried chicken, and sausage gravy biscuits."

**
REPLY
29. David Allen, 2018
"Red eye gravy"

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post examines the meaning of the referent "soul Sister number 9" and showcases text examples and videos of examples of children's playground rhymes that include that referent.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of the videos that are featured in this post.

-snip-
Almost all of the content of this post was originally published in 2014 on my cocojams2 blog https://cocojams2.blogspot.com.

****
WHAT SOUL SISTER MEANS
"Soul sister" means "a Black female" (and not necessarily one who is your sibling). That referent who coined in the 1960s by African Americans, along with the term "soul brother","soul man", and "soul music". These terms are found in the lyrics and titles of numerous examples of African American non-religious music.

The term "soul sister number nine" in playground rhymes means that the person is bragging on herself. "Soul sister number nine" means "a superlative soul sister". "Number 9" is a spiritually powerful number. And besides, it's easier to rhyme with than the number "10" :o)
-snip-
The implication of the terms "soul brother", "soul sister", and "soul man" (the comparable term "soul lady" wasn't used) was that African American people and (by extension) other Black people were more in touch with or more comfortable getting in touch with and expressing the spiritual and emotional aspects of life than any other race/ethnicity. Whether this is true or not isn't the topic of this post.

I'm not sure which came first- "soul" prefacing the word "sister", "brother", and "man" or the word "soul" prefacing the word "music". The term "soul music" began to be used in the 1960s as a referent for certain genres of African American non-religious music. Here's an excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_music

"Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combined elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, and often jazz....

According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying".[2] Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the soloist and the chorus, and an especially tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds...

Soul music dominated the U.S. R&B chart in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in the U.S., Britain and elsewhere"

****
THE VERNACULAR MEANING OF "CLOUD NINE" Added October 26, 2018
The #9 in the referent "soul sister #9" probably comes from the cultural meaning given in the United State to "cloud nine". Here's some information about "cloud nine" from http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-clo1.htm"World Wide Words: Cloud Nine

"The phrase to be on cloud nine, meaning that one is blissfully happy, started life in the United States and has been widely known there since the 1950s."

[...]

The expression is often said to have been popularised by the Johnny Dollar radio show of the early 1950s, in which every time the hero was knocked unconscious he was transported to cloud nine. I can’t find a contemporary reference to this. But there was another show, often listed alongside it in the schedules:
"Cloud Nine. Friday. 8:00 p.m. This excitingly new show presented by the Wm. Wrigley Jr., Co. blends fantasy, music, drama and comedy into 30 minutes of imaginative entertainment."

This is the first use of the phrase we have. But there is indirect evidence that it was by then already known. As one instance, the Los Angeles Times reported that a yacht taking part in a race around Catalina Island in June 1947 was called Cloud Nine.

[....}

Variant forms of the expression are recorded even earlier.".."

****
EXAMPLES OF "SOUL SISTER NUMBER NINE" IN PLAYGROUND RHYMES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on the date of my direct collection of the example, or their posting date on YouTube, with the oldest examples given first.

For the record, all of these examples are bragging, confrontational rhymes that have their source in African American culture and contain a number of African American Vernacular English sayings.

The term "soul sister" is written in italics to highlight it in the examples.
Example #1

Ah Beep Beep
Walkin down the street
Ugawa. Ugawa
That means Black power.
White boy.
Destroy..
I said it. I meant it
And I'm here to represent it.
Soul sister number 9
Sock it to me one more time.
Uh hun! Uh Hun!

Source: Tracy S.,(African American female); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; childhood remembrance, 1968 ; collected by Azizi Powell, 2000 {in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania}

****
Tracy told me in 2000 that, although she was in kindergarten at the time, she has clear memories of {Black} older girls & girls her age standing on their porches reciting this rhyme in a taunting way while White policeman were patrolling the streets of her neighborhood during the riots that occurred as a result of Martin Luther King's assassination. Tracey said that she considered this to be more than a taunt. She said that the rhyme to be an expression of Black pride & unity as well as a taunt directed to the White policemen.

"Ugawa" ("Ungawa"), pronounced "oon-GAH-wah", is a word created by an American movie producer to represent the speech of Black Africans in Tarzan moves, and to represent the language that the fictitious character Tarzan used to talk to animals. In the late 1960s & early 1970s, afro-centric African Americans took hold of that word and included it in a rhyme that both celebrated Black power. A common verse in those rhymes was "Ungawa!"/"Black power!" or "Ungawa/"We got the power" (with "power" in both examples pronounced like "po-wah").

In the example given by Tracy, "white boy. Destroy" means "Destroy white boys". Whether she knew what she was saying and whether she should have been saying it is a whole 'nuther matter.

"Sock it to me!" was a popular African American saying during the 1960s. That phrase probably originated as a sexualized expression. However, that phrase was popularized by its use in Aretha Franklin's hit 1960s R&B record "Respect". In that record, and in other records and vernacular use, "Sock it to me" may have meant "Give it to me." (meaning give me the best that you've got!"). Contrary to some interpretations, in that Aretha Franklin record, and in James Brown's use of that phrase "Sock it to me" never meant "Hit me".

****
Example #2
I'll be. be
Walking down the street,
Ten times a week.
Un-gawa. Un-gawa {baby}
This is my power.
What is the story?
What is the strike?
I said it, I meant it.
I really represent it.
Take a cool cool Black to knock me down.
Take a cool cool Black to knock me out.
I'm sweet, I'm kind.
I'm soul sister number nine.
Don't like my apples,
Don't shake my tree.
I'm a Castle Square Black
Don't mess with me.
- John Langstaff, Carol Langstaff Shimmy Shimmy Coke-Ca-Pop!, A Collection of City Children's Street Games & Rhymes {Garden City, New York, Double Day & Co; p. 57; 1973}
-snip-
"What is the story"/"What is the strike" = "What's happening". "What's up?".

"Take a cool cool Black to knock me down" = It would take a cool, cool Black [person] to knock me down. "Cool" is used in its vernacular sense and means "hip" (up to date with the latest street culture and also "unruffled", in control of her or his emotions.

"Castle Square" is probably a neighborhood or a housing development within a neighborhood.

****
Example #3
Soul Sister Number Nine
Sock it to me one more time
Say Ungawa we got the power
Say Ungawa we got the power

Little Sally Walker's walking down the street
She didn't know what to do so she jumped in front of me

She said "go on girl, do your thing do your thing
go on, girl do your thing, do your thing. Stop!!
-A clip from the 2003 American movie "Soul Of Rock"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvGia9u1McM.

-snip-
The poster of that YouTube video, rachelarmstrong,
(January 24, 2008) included the words to that rhyme on the video clip screen shot. Her transcription is given above.
-snip-
As a (friendly) amendment to that transcription, I hear the two chanters saying "Say Unn Ungawa. We got the powa. Say Unn Ungawa. We got the powa."

Here's that video:
Soul Sister Number Nine (?)

Ray [VII] Uploaded on Jan 24, 2008

From the movie "The School of Rock"
-snip-
Click http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332379/ for information about that movie.

"Little Sally Walker (walking down the street) is a stand alone children's singing/dancing game. ("Stand alone" means that it can be chanted and performed by itself.) Read my comment below about that game.

****
Example #4
"The lastest hand clapping rhyme i've heard from my daughter goes something like this:

eenie meanie popsaweenie
you are the one for me
education, numeration
I like you
Going down down baby
Down by the river
sweet sweet sugar
I like you
So sister number 9
hit me with it one more time
Caught you with your boyfriend
naughty naughty
Didn't do the dishes
lazy lazy
Jumping out the window
cos you flippin CRAZY


Crazy has to be screamed out at the top of your voice in the worst essex/cockney accent you can muster

She's 8 (year 3) What is the world coming to

-stormin norm (Great Britain) :http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=405667 , June 22, 2006
-snip-
"so sister number nine" is a folk processed form of "soul sister number 9". The eight year old probably wasn't familiar with that term and changed it to something that made more sense to her.

****
Example #5
serbiiis



Ayraness, Uploaded on Sep 21, 2009

soul sister number nine stuck it to me one more time
said un, ungawa, we got the power
said un, ungawa we got the power
little sunny walker walking down the street
she don't know what to do
so she jump in front of me
and said go on girl do your thing,
do your thing,do your thing,
said go on girl do your thing, do your thing, stop!
-snip-
Here are comments from that video's viewer comment thread, including two comments from me (with numbers added for referencing purposes only and additional comments added after the "snip")
1. Azizip17, 2009
"Hello! It's interesting to learn that this rhyme (which is actually a combination of two African American rhymes) has made it to the Philippines. I wonder if you learned it from the "American School of Rock" movie. "Ungawa" is a made up word which movie producers said was like "African talk". But in the late 1960s, Black people used it to convey pride in our African heritage. That rhyme dates from that time. "Little Sally Walker walking down the street" is a girls' circle game. Thanks!"
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owjCGkaTvS4for another video of this exact same rhyme that is performed as a two person hand clap game in Belfast, Ireland.

**
2. Azizip17, 2009
[How to play "Sally Walker [walking down the street]": Girls form a circle with 1 person in the middle. They stand, not holding hands and sing the words. The middle girl jumps in front of a person & does a dance. That person does the same dance. She becomes the new middle person. The original words for the phrase "Stuck it to me" are "sock it to me", meaning "give it to me." This originally had a sexualized meaning. By the way, the phase "Sock it to me" is prominently featured in Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit R&B song "Respect"
-snip-
"Do your thing" means "do whatever you want to do" (do a dance, do a gymnastic move). This is an individual's chance to shine in the spotlight and with older girls (about 6-12 years) the expectation is that the individual will do their very best moves i.e. they will "do their thing".

**
3. ayraness, 2012
"WE'RE NOT REALLY SURE ABOUT THE LYRICS OF THIS SONG. THEY'RE FROM MY FRIEND COZ SHE HAS A DVD OF THE SCHOOL OF ROCK WITH BONUS FEATURES :)"

**
4. BigMTBrain, 2013
"Hahaha... Just now, out of the blue, I started chanting the main refrain that I recall from childhood. Indeed, the girls in the neighborhood would do exactly as Azizip17 explains; however sometimes, they would also chant it while jumping rope. I also recall that the main refrain went something like... "I said un, ungawa, knows ya got the power. Said un, ungawa, knows ya got the power..." ("power" being pronounced as "powah" to better rhyme with "ungawa") :)"

****
Example #6
I'm cool, I'm calm
I'm Soul Sister Number Eight
Mess with me, I'll bust your cakes.

I'm cool, I'm calm
I'm Soul Brother Number Nine
Sock it to me one more time.

-Yo Mama!: New Raps, Toasts, Dozens, Jokes, and Children's Rhymes from Urban Black America, edited by Onwuchekwa Jemie (Temple University Press, 2003 , page 111)
-snip-
A summary for this book indicate that these rhymes were "Collected primarily in metropolitan New York and Philadelphia during the classic era of black street poetry (i.e., during the late 1960s and early 1970s)"
-snip-
WARNING: Some of the examples in that book include profanity, sexually explicit content, and/or the "n word".

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RELATED LINK
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/12/changing-definition-of-soul-sister.html"The Changing Definition of "Soul Sister".

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Thanks for visiting pancoocjams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that presents information about and examples of "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers" rhymes and "My Momma Don't Wear No Socks" songs.

"My Momma Don't Wear No Socks" is also found as "Yo [or "Your"] Mama Don't Wear No Socks".

Part I presents information about and video examples of these rhymes and songs.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/examples-of-yo-mama-dont-wear-no.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents some text (word only) examples of these rhymes and songs.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all those who published the YouTube examples which are embedded on this page.
-snip-
Some of the content of this post is found in this 2011 pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/yo-mama-dont-wear-no-drawers.html Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers

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I. INFORMATION AND COMMENTS ABOUT THESE RHYMES AND SONGS
For the folkloric and cultural records, it should be noted that the camp songs or Girl Scout songs or Boy Scout songs entitled "My Momma Don't Wear No Socks" or "Your Mama Don't Wear No Socks" have their source in the African American insult rhyming game entitled "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers".

Notice the purposefully used African American Vernacular English wording and grammar in the title and lyrics "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers": "Yo" means "Your" and "don't wear no" is said instead of "doesn't wear any".

"Purposeful" here means that a lot of people (Black and otherwise) who use this form of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) are code switching on purpose, that is to say that they are knowingly changing from standard English to a form of African American Vernacular English because they can and because they want to.

Also, notice that in "My Momma [or Your Mama] Don't Wear No Socks" rhymes drawers (meaning "panties"- one part of underwear worn by females) has been changed to the more socially acceptable referent socks. We couldn't have Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or other "innocent" children, pre-teens and teens, singing about females' underwear, could we?

As for proof that "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers" rhymes came before "My Momma [or Your Mama] Don't Wear No Socks" rhymes- this example of "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers" was published in 1938 as part of the short story "Big Boy Leaves Home" in the Uncle Tom's Children collection of short stories by the African American writer Richard Wright:

"The ol song goes something like this:

Yo mama don wear no drawers,
Ah seena when she pulled em off,
N she washed em in alcohol,
N she hung em out in the hall,
N then she put em back on her QUALL!"

- http://www.nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/5/wright/bigboy.htm

In that story, "Your Mama Don't Wear No Drawers" is described as "an old song", and "Big Boy" and three other Black boys are said to be "cracking" meaning "making up insults". Depending on what state you live in "crackin(g) is also known as "dissin", "rippin" (on), or "snapin", or "insulting" each other's mama.

I don't think that anyone has found an example of "My Momma Don't Wear Any Socks" before 1938.

And specifically with regard to those "My Momma Don't Wear No Socks" songs- why are the people singing those songs rippin on their own mamas??!! In doing so, they seem to be missing the most of the point of the game. It's not just that they are supposed to come up with funny and clever rhymes. Those rhymes are supposed to insult someone's mother while they stay cool, unfazed, and ready for a witty comeback when someone else insults their mother.

Here's a great explanation about "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers" from a July 15, 2008 post by Kymberli on a site that seems to be no longer accessible:
"Oh, but the best of all, I mean the absolute best and the one that we still play today is Yo' Mama Don't Wear No Drawers.

Now, before I say another word, let's get one thing straight. You have to put a ghetto lilt on the word "drawers." In this song, it's pronounced draaaws. Got it? Good. Now, the game is a song and the challenge is to take turns adding improv additional verses. It's an elimination game; you're out when you can't figure out a verse before your time is up. The first few verses are always the same, and after those have been sung, the improv verses begin."
-end of quote-
Furthermore, the beginning words "Yo mama" in "Yo mama don't wear no drawers" was and still is the signature beginning of the African Amerian verbal sparring game called "the dozens".

Here's an urban dictionary entry for "the dozens":
"Playing the dozens is an African-American custom in which two competitors -- usually males -- go head to head in a competition of comedic trash talk. They take turns "cracking on," or insulting, one another, their adversary's mother or other family member until one of them has no comeback. In the U.S., the practice can be traced back to chattel slavery, when violence among slaves was a property crime with potentially draconian consequences. Verbal sparring became a substitute for physical contention. While the competition on its face is usually light-hearted, smiles sometimes mask real tensions.

The dozens can be a harmless game, or, if tempers flare, a prelude to physical violence. But in its purest form, the dozens is part of an African-American custom of verbal sparring, of "woofin'" (see wolf ticket) and "signifyin'," intended to defuse conflict amicably, descended from an oral tradition rooted in traditional West African cultures. The dozens is a contest of personal power -- of wit, self-control, verbal ability, mental agility and mental toughness. Defeat can be humiliating; but a skilled contender, win or lose, may gain respect.

"Yo' mama," a common, widely recognized argumentative rejoinder in African-Amercan vernacular speech, is a cryptic reference to the dozens.

The term "the dozens" refers to the devaluing on the auctionblock of slaves who were past their prime, who were aged or who, after years of back-breaking toil, no longer were capable of hard labor. These enslaved human beings often were sold by the dozen.

(My wording from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.)
Yo' mama's so fat, when she hauls ass she gotta take two trips.
by deeceevoice September 25, 2004; https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dozens
-end of quote-
It may not matter to you that "My momma don't wear no socks" is a pale imitation of, if not an affront of the purpose of the old, naughty, creative, pre-dozens Black street game "Yo mama don't wear no drawers" which is also chanted as military cadences. However, I think that folks should know this game's provenance just because it's part of our history, folklore, and culture.

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II. SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Yo Momma Dont Wear No Socks



-Brittney Weaver, Published on December 08, 2007

a sing along we use to sing back n da day so we thought we would make a video out of it. me and my lil sistas
-snip-
My transcription of this video is given below as Example #1 of Part IV.

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Video #2: Yo Mama don't wear no drawers..... A ding dong



Mitch Aschinger, Published on Jul 31, 2008

My son (USMC BRAT) singing a jodi about Yo Mama

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Video #3: Your Mama Don't Wear No Drawers



Drake DeVille - Topic, Published on Jul 24, 2015

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby

Your Mama Don't Wear No Drawers · Drake DeVille

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Video #4: My Momma Don't Wear No Socks - Girl Scout Song with Lyrics



GirlScoutSongs, Published on Apr 3, 2013

A song about socks
-snip-
The lyrics to this song were given below this video, but are found in Part II of this pancocojams post.

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Video #5: My Momma Don't Wear No Socks- Originateve



Ron Green, Published on Mar 1, 2016

Originateve Early Childhood Literacy Development (Music & Story)

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that presents information about and examples of "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers" rhymes and "My Momma Don't Wear No Socks" songs.

"My Momma Don't Wear No Socks" is are also found as "Yo [or "Your"] Mama Don't Wear No Socks".

Part II presents some text (word only) examples of these rhymes and songs.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-african-american-source-of-my-momma.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents information about and video examples of these rhymes and songs.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Some of the content of this post is found in this 2011 pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/yo-mama-dont-wear-no-drawers.html Yo Mama Don't Wear No Drawers

****
TEXT EXAMPLES OF "YO MAMA DON'T WEAR ANY DRAWERS"
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Example #1:
"The ol song goes something like this:

Yo mama don wear no drawers,
Ah seena when she pulled em off,
N she washed em in alcohol,
N she hung em out in the hall,
N then she put em back on her QUALL!"
-Richard Wright, 1938 in "Big Boy Leaves Home" in Uncle Tom's Children [a collection of short stories]; http://www.nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/5/wright/bigboy.htm

****
Example #2: YO MAMA DON'T WEAR NO DRAWERS
[Pancocojams Editor: I reformatted this example adding "ba ba boom" after each verse.]

Here is an insult rhyme my sister, cousins, and I used to get into a lot of trouble repeating...but it was so much fun to say them and make up new lines. Birmingham, AL, 1980s and early 90s Yo mama don't wear no draws (ba ba boom is said at the end of every line while you stomp)


Yo mama don't wear no draws
ba ba boom
i saw when she took them off
ba ba boom
she put em in the washing machine
ba ba boom
ajax couldn't get em clean
ba ba boom
she put em on top of the house
ba ba boom
they scared away mighty mouse
ba ba boom
she put em up under the bed
ba ba boom
you shoulda heard what the roaches said
ba ba boom
she put up on top of the tracks
ba ba boom
that train went 50 miles back
ba ba boom
she put em in the middle of the street
ba ba boom
those cars went beep beep beep
ba ba boom

that's all that i can remember...but the taunt could go on forever. we would add to it every time someone thought of something new. but man, our parents hated us singing this around the house.
-Joi; 3/23/2008, cocojams.com [This was my cultural website. This website is no longer available]

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Example #3
"yo mama dont wear no draws. I saw when she took em off. She laid them in the street....the cars said beep beep beep.

Whose next"
CLIFF D, Jul 13, 2010.
https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/finish-the-verse-yo-mama-dont-wear-no-draws.245106/ Finish the verse..."yo mama don't wear no draws" Discussion in 'The Front Porch!' started by CLIFF D, Jul 13, 2010. [hereafter given as "yo mama/lipstick alley #1"]

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Example #4
"Your mama don't wear no draws. I saw when she took em off. She threw em in the sky, and superman refused to fly."
dst10spr97, Jul 13, 2010; "yo mama/lipstick alley #1"

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Example #5:
"a dingy dong dong dong dong"
-CLIFF D, Jul 13, 2010, "yo mama/lipstick alley #1"

**
Example #6:
Yo mama don't wear no draws
I saw 'em when she took them off
She dropped 'em down on the floor
And the rats scurried for the door

Yo mama don't wear no draws
I saw 'em when she took them off
She put 'em out on the line
Now the sun don't even shine

Yo mama don't wear no draws
I saw 'em when she took them off
She draped 'em on the top of the head (toilet)
And now the Tidy Bowl man is dead

Yo mama don't wear no draws
I saw 'em when she took them off
She put 'em out on a dish
I could've sworn we was havin' fish!

(Yo mama's draws were a favorite topic of conversation among young boot camp recruits.)"
-Maxine Shaw, Jul 13, 2010, "yo mama/lipstick alley #1"

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Example #7
"Yo mama don't wear no draws - hump deedump, deedump
I saw when she took 'em off - hump deedump, deedump
She threw them on the floor - hump deedump, deedump
Roaches don't crawl no more - hump deedump deedump

We used to sing these while marching cadence in AJROTC *memories*
Lafawnduh, Oct 7, 2010, "yo mama/lipstick alley #1"

**
Example #8
Your mama don't wear no drawers
I saw her when she took them off
She threw them over the fence
Oh, we haven't seen the mailman since...a ding dong

There are so many other variations of that one.
-daguerreotype, Jun3 24, 2017; https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/black-girl-rhymes-what-was-yours-growing-up.1196979/page-2

WARNING: Some of the examples in this lipstickalley.com discussion thread include profanity, sexually explicit content, and/or the "n word".

**
Example #9:
"Yo momma don't wear no draws,
I saw her when she took them off,
she threw them in the tree,
them birds said 'twee-lee-lee!'"
Other versions
"she threw them in the air,
Superman said 'I declare!'"

We were the goofiest kids EVER!!! :glee::glee::glee:"
FlyGemini, June 24, 2017; https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/black-girl-rhymes-what-was-yours-growing-up.1196979/page-2

WARNING: Some of the examples in this lipstickalley.com discussion thread include profanity, sexually explicit content, and/or the "n word".

**
Example #10
"...She threw them in the sewer,
that rats yelled "hallelujah!""
-cigarsandscotch, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Epxl-O7ipK0 Yo Mama don't wear no drawers..... A ding dong " published by Mitch Aschinger on Jul 31, 2008

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TEXT EXAMPLES OF "MY MOMMA DON'T WEAR ANY SOCKS" OR YOUR MAMA DON'T WEAR ANY SOCKS
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Example #1: YO MAMA DON'T WEAR NO SOCKS [Example #1]
Chorus:

Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Ah ding dong dong dong dong

Yo mama don't wear no draws (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She threw them in the tree (ah ding dong)
And the dog refused to pee.

Chorus

Yo mama don't wear no socks (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She threw them in the sky (ah ding dong)
And Superman refused to fly

Chorus

Yo mama don't wear no socks (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She put them in ah nest (ah ding dong)
And the birds refused to rest.

Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Rest in pea-eece
Ah ding dong dong dong dong
Ah ding dong dong dong dong

Yo mama don't wear no socks (ah ding dong)
I saw her when she took them off (ah ding dong)
She threw them on the wall (ah ding dong)
And the roaches refused to crawl.

Chorus
-Brittney Weaver, published on YouTube on December 08, 2007; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWyYon0LcPI
-snip-
This video is embedded in Part I of this pancocojams post.

This is my transcription of this "Yo Mama Don't Wear No Socks" example. Additions and corrections are welcome.

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Example #2:
"A song about socks

This song has various verses that do not go in any particular order. Anyone can jump in and start a verse (with "my momma don't wear no socks", everyone else responds "a ding dong"), and the verses can include the ones we sang here, others in the lyrics, and anything else you can come up with!

LYRICS:
Chorus:
A ding dong, dong dong dong
A ding, dong dong, dong dong, a ding dong

Verse:
My momma don't wear no socks
(a ding dong)
I was there when she took 'em off!
(a ding dong)
[line]
(a ding dong)
[line]

Possible verses:
-She threw them under the bed, now we know why the Boogeyman's dead!
-She threw them in outer space, wiped out a whole alien race!
-She threw them at the wall, now the bugs refuse to crawl!
-She threw them in the sky, now the birds refuse to fly!
-She threw them at the tree, now the dogs refuse to pee!
-She threw them in the Atlantic, now we know what sank the Titanic!
-She threw them in the shower, now the shower needs Lysol power!
-She threw them in the VCR, now the VCR needs CPR!
-She threw them under the covers, now she don't get no lovers!
-She threw them in the sky, now Superman refuses to fly!
-She threw them at the wall, now Spiderman refuses to crawl!
-She threw them in the room, now it's called the Temple of Doom
-GirlScoutSongs, Published on Apr 3, 2013; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgZfXtiTcj0, My Momma Don't Wear No Socks - Girl Scout Song with Lyrics
-snip-
This video is embedded in Part I of this pancocojams post.

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on afro picks.

Part I showcases Erykah Badu's song "Pick Yo Afro Daddy". This song is also known as "Pick Yo Afro Daddy" and "Afro (Freestyle Skit)" is track 7 in Bady's the 1997 album Baduizm.

Part I also provides information about the Baduizm album and includes my comments about afro picks and Black natural hairstyles.

Part II provides information and comments about afro picks (pics).

The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Erykah Badu for her musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENTS
In the context of Black people's hair care. "pick" means "comb".

An "afro pick" (also given as "afro pic" and, perhaps most often, "pick" and "pic" is a style of plastic, wooden, or metal wide tooth comb. Afro picks are sometimes placed in the front side of (usually) Black males to facilitate carrying and using that comb and/or (I believe less often) for ornamental fashion purposes.

However, the custom of having an afro pic in one's hair is found much less often in the 2000s than it was in the 1970s (in spite of the increased attention that musician Questlove of the Roots band has given to this custom as a result of the Roots being the house band for the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon series since February 2014.)

Read the selected articles and comments below about "afro picks" in Part II of this pancocojams series.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Afro Freestyle



AryKayne, Published on Nov 24, 2012

Track 7 from Baduizm album (Afro Freestyle Skit)

Song: Afro (Freestyle Skit)

Artist: Erykah Badu
-snip-
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm, "Baduizm is the debut album by American singer and songwriter Erykah Badu, released on February 11, 1997 by Kedar Records.

[...]

Baduizm was met with positive reviews from music critics who praised the album's musical style and Badu's artistic vision; other critics noted similarities between Badu and Billie Holiday. Baduizm was a commercial success debuting at number two on the US Billboard charts and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified three times platinum by Recording Industry Association of America,[5] Gold by British Phonographic Industry[6] and Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[7]

[...]

Badu's particular style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday.[24] Entertainment Weekly said Badu echoed Holiday in "her phrasing and cadence,"[14] while Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune commented: "Rather than merely mimicking Holiday, Badu offers a canny update of the socially conscious soul of the early '70s with her midtempo grooves and sultry, conversational vocals."[13] In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn wrote: "Freely mixing musical eras and inspirations (Billie Holiday to Stevie Wonder, jazz to hip-hop), Badu combines supper-club sophistication with an artistic vision as unique and independent" as Prince in the 1980s.[25] Writing for Rolling Stone, Miles Marshall Lewis stated: "Baduizm showcases the heart and soul of a bohemian B-girl who happens to have an effortless jazz swing."[19]

At the end of 1997, Baduizm was voted the seventh best record of the year in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics published by The Village Voice.[26]...

After Baduizm was released, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[29][30] The album's success helped establish Badu as one of the leading artists in the burgeoning neo soul genre.[2] Baduizm was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, Gold by the British Phonographic Industry and the Canadian Recording Industry Association. [5] [6] [7]

As of February 2017 the album has sold 2.8 million copies in United States."...

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Example #2:Erykah Badu - Pick Yo Afro Daddy & Jesus On The Main Line LIVE in Chicago March 28th 2013



Kreis Xian, Published on Mar 30, 2013
Erykah Badu performs " Pick Yo Afro Daddy & Jesus On The Main Line " LIVE at House of Blues Chicago in celebration of her 16th anniversary in the music business.
-snip-
Bady's "Jesus [Is] On The Main Line" is a largely non-religious rendition of that song.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/rev-timothy-flemming-jesus-is-on.html for a pancocojams post about the Gospel song "Jesus Is On The Main Line".

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LYRICS: PICK YOUR AFRO, DADDY
Afro (Freestyle Skit)
(Erykah Badu, James Poyser, Jaífar Barron)

Excuse us, Ladies and Gentleman..1, 2..

You need to pick yo afro, daddy
Cuz it's flat on one side
You need to pick yo afro, daddy
Cuz it's flat on one side
What ya waiting for
Well, if you don't pick yo afro
You're gonna have one side high

Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair
Well, yes you did
Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair, yes I did
Cornrowed and everything, baby
Well, you changed your mind and said we wasn't goin'
But my momma saw you there, yes she did

Check this out, one time
Well, I be blowin' up your pager, daddy
But you never call me back
Well, I be puttin' in 9-1-1, baby
But you never call me back no no
See if you don't know how to use that pager, daddy
I'm gonna take that ho back
Yes I will- you know I'll do it


Source: https://genius.com/Erykah-badu-afro-freestyle-skit-lyrics

Comment on that page by Maira, 2015
"Badu wrote this, as dedicated to ?uestlove of the Roots."
-snip-
It should be noted that the uneven style of ?uestlove's (Questlove)'s afro is very different from the evenly rounded (halo) style of big or small afros that were worn in the 1970s.

African Americans who wore our hair in afros, picked our hair to achieve a fuller (bigger), more rounded afro style. Although it sometimes still is worn, the round, even style of afro is no longer in fashion. [click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html for a pancocojams post entitled "The Changing Shapes Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update)"]

Picking one's hair helped (helps) to detangle our tightly curled hair. Another way of achieving a fuller look with our afros was (is) to braid or twist one's natural hair (hair that isn't treated with chemicals or hot combed) at night before going to bed and then unbraiding or untwisting that hair (the next morning or longer*) before combing it with an afro pick or (more often nowadays) with another style of large tooth comb.

In Erykah Badu's "Pick Your Afro Daddy" freestyle song, Badu suggests that the man she is addressing (originally the drummer known as Questlove, who she informally and affectionately refers to as "Daddy", pick his afro hair in order to achieve an even look to that hair, i.e. one side is "flat" while the other side is higher.

In "Pick Your Afro, Daddy" Badu also refers to the custom (since the 1970s) of Black people braiding our natural hair and then taking out those braids and combing (picking) it in order to help make it easier to comb and wear in a 'fro.

Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair, yes I did
Cornrowed and everything, baby"

In my opinion, Badu's reference to "cornrowed and everything" is artistic license. Generally speaking, cornrow hairstyles take much too long to do for people to take that hairstyle out the next morning or the next day after doing them.

It's important to note that way back in the 1970s-1990s, neither I nor any other Black female over the age of eighteen I knew would wear our natural hair out in public in braids or in cornrows, excerpt when those braids were worn with decorated with beads or with cowrie shell. Wearing hair in cornrows or braids were children's hairstyles which could be worn by men but were considered only maintenance hairstyles for women. (By maintenance, I mean that braiding or cornrowing helped keep naturally tightly curled hair from tangling and frizzing up). However, since the resurgence of the Black natural hair movement, particularly since the early 2000s- wearing one's hair in braids, cornrows, or "twist out" are considered much more socially acceptable and are even considered stylish by a number of Black women and others.

Here's one example (out of numerous YouTube examples) of Black people wearing our natural hair in twists:

SUPER DEFINED TWIST OUT ON 4C NATURAL HAIR ft SALON PRO TWIN OLIVE GEL | Luchi Loyale



Luchi Loyale, Published on Jun 10, 2018

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series on afro picks.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on afro picks.

Part II provides excerpts from various online articles & discussion threads about afros and afro picks (pics).

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/erykah-badu-pick-your-afro-daddy-afro.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases Erykah Badu's song "Pick Yo Afro Daddy". This song is also known as "Pick Yo Afro Daddy" and "Afro (Freestyle Skit)" is track 7 in Badu's the 1997 album Baduizm.

Part I also provides information about the Baduizm album.

The Addendum to that post includes a definition of "afro picks" and my comments about what afro picks and how afro picks were used and are now used. The Addendum also includes two related videos about Black hairstyles.

The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html for a pancocojams post entitled "The Changing Shapes Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update)"

****
ARTICLE AND DISCUSSION THREAD EXCERPTS
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1:
From https://www.quora.com/Why-have-afros-fallen-out-of-style-in-the-African-American-community"Why Have Afros Fallen Out Of Style In The African American Community?

[This comment includes photos of different natural styles including the top photo of a woman with a big ‘fro in the style of the late 1960s and 1970s and the bottom photo of a Black woman with hair whose natural curls are more defined.]

[by] Carlet Langford, black all my life
Answered Jun 1, 2015
"It depends on what you mean by "afro".

Do you mean this:

[photos inserted]

Afros that look like the top picture aren't as popular anymore, that's true-for various reasons. Maintaining the above means really paying attention to your hair-black hair is very fragile, and the longer it is, the more care it needs because it tends to break off. The only way to comb big Afros is with a pick-and picking the hair in order to get it to stand up like you see in the above picture can cause the hair to break off. Plus, black hair is pretty dry naturally-so it can look very dull if not constantly moisterized, and the shorter it is, the easier it is to care for.

But afros that look like the bottom pictures are pretty popular. Shorter, with twists or braids or just a shorter version of the above are pretty popular among blacks. There are now more ways to style natural hair in a healthy manner, and there are more products available to keep the hair healthy then in the past-so women (and men) who want to wear their hair in it's natural state don't have to revert to the 60's "black power" style afro.

****
Excerpt #2:
From https://www.quora.com/Why-have-afros-fallen-out-of-style-in-the-African-American-community"Why Have Afros Fallen Out Of Style In The African American Community?
[by] Brianna Ruffin, African-American and Afro-Caribbean
Answered Jun 1, 2015
"I would argue that the Afro hasn't disappeared. It, along with other natural hair styles, may have simply changed forms. For example, there's Lupita Nyong'o's teeny weeny afro (TWA), which is shorter and easier to care for. There are also medium-sized afros. In addition to these hair styles, there are other natural hair styles such as twist outs, flat twists, and braid outs that have become much more popular. Some of these hair styles look kind of like the Big Ass Afro (BAA) and have the added benefit of being more socially acceptable."

****
Excerpt #3:
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
[comment by Aaron Ellis, Black on Both Sides
Answered Jan 26 [no year given. However, according to Google search, this question was published in 2015]
"Back when I was fourteen years-old, I stopped cutting my hair. For the first few months, I didn’t notice that my hair was getting long, partly because I played football and helmets hide long hair well. But after six months, I looked in the mirror and realized that my hair had grown like a plant in all directions. I had to face facts: I had an afro.

Personally, I was content to just let my fro grow without paying it any attention. However, my father didn’t like that plan. My dad came of age in the ’60s and ‘70s, when afros were more than just a hairdo: they were symbols of race, culture, and uniformity. He had high standards for the natural hairstyle. If I was going to have an afro, I had to follow his rules, which included regular shape-ups (barbershop visits to keep the hair tidy and shapely) and I had to comb it regularly to keep it presentable. Basically, my afro would have to look like how he styled his natural back in the day.

The one thing you quickly learn when trying to maintain a perfectly globular, velvety-sheened afro is that you have to comb it a lot. No seriously, A LOT.

Combing with a pick keeps your hair at a full length, but it’s temporary. The tendency of the hair to curl closer to the scalp is relentless. So you pick and pat down your hair all the time. Sometimes every hour. Sometimes every fifteen minutes. Sometimes even more frequently than that. If you don’t regularly comb your hair, it will look lumpy and uneven.

Another thing you quickly learn when you grow out a fro is that afro picks are not the most convenient combs to keep around. Even the small ones don’t fit into a front pocket and barely fit in a back pocket, where they are rigid and inflexible. The larger ones don’t fit in pockets at all.

So as a result of frequently needing to use an afro pick that does not easily fit in pockets or elsewhere, eventually it starts to seem like a good idea to just let the pick hang out in your fro. The thick hair is usually sturdy enough to hold it in place, so the pick just stays in place for easy access. As far as I’m aware, afros are the only black hairdos in which it’s possible to keep a comb in it, and afro picks are the only kinds of combs that you’ll find in that hair.

Obviously, some people will keep their afro picks in their hair for other reasons, for example, as a fashion item or hair decoration. However, even people who do this are most likely using their picks on a regular basis to keep their hair combed.

In summary, it’s just practical to leave your pick in your hair."

****
Excerpt #3
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?


****
Excerpt #4:
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
[by] Patrick Edwin Moran, former Professor (1968-2010)
Answered Oct 25, 2015
"Decorative artifacts that stick in hair by their several long legs are common in many cultures. They go way back in China.
https://www.pinterest.com/joky717/ancient-chinese-combs/
Ancient Chinese Combs by Joky Lee

Back in the late 60s my African-American friends would stick a "pick" in their Afro hairdos. Those combs looked quite nice that way. Could there be a hold-over from that practice?

The afro comb: not just an accessory but a cultural icon
A new exhibition charts the afro comb from its inception in ancient Egypt through to its ascendency as a political emblem"...
-snip-
This commenter cites the article that is given as Excerpt #5
****
Excerpt #5
From https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2013/jul/07/afro-comb-accessory-cultural-icon"Afro Comb: Not Just An Accessory But A Cultural Icon" by Felicity Heywood, 7 Jul 2013
"
The afro comb has long been associated with the 1970s, the accessory of a hairstyle that represented counter culture and civil rights during an important era for both. These days it makes a regular appearance on mainstream TV in America – the Roots drummer Questlove is fond of wearing one while performing as part of the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Forty years ago, the afro comb was worn in the hair not only as an adornment, but also as a political emblem and a signature of a collective identity. It was recognised as a way of saying no to oppression. Wearing the comb led to a kind of comradeship amongst those whose hair grows up and out, not down.

Previously, the Afro comb wasn't very visible. And for this reason it has been assumed that the afro comb was invented in the 1970s. But a new exhibition blows that myth out the water. The afro comb dates back to ancient Egypt. The oldest comb from the collection is 5,500 years old.
The hundreds of combs on display show that over time the style hasn't changed. The comb, sometimes called a pick, is commonly upright with long teeth. Sometimes a motif decorates the top. In ancient times it often referenced cultural belonging, and there are artifacts showing how people wore the comb in the hair. Time marches on and culture is always in transition. But perhaps not at the speed we assume.”...

****
Excerpt #6
From https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/02/24/afro-rises/98327072/"Untangled from politics, the proud Afro hairstyle rises again" by Karyn D. Collins, Special for USA TODAY Published Feb. 24, 2017
"Starla Lewis still remembers her father's reaction almost 50 years ago when she decided to wear her hair natural. She was 18 years old, and she was done using a hot comb to straighten her hair.

"My dad came home and looked at me and said, 'OK, joke's over. Go fix your hair.' And I said, 'Dad, this is the real me,'" Lewis recalls. "He said, 'Do me a favor: If you see me walking down the street, please don't speak.'"

Harsh words.

But in 1968, many black people considered "going natural" to be a radical move, whether that meant styling it in braids, cornrows, or one big puff — the look that became known as the Afro.

"Going natural was a resistance against what had been years of us trying to fit into European-American culture by straightening our hair," says Lewis, professor emerita of black studies at San Diego Mesa College in California. "Going natural was about embracing yourself, loving yourself."

And Lewis loved herself and her "new" hair.

[...]

Lewis has worn her hair natural almost continuously since that day in 1968; these days she sports a short Afro. Her daughter and granddaughter also wear natural hairstyles.

“"Going natural was about embracing yourself, loving yourself."”

She says it took a while for her father to come around, but he eventually did. "I think he realized I wasn't rejecting him. It was about embracing myself."

Today's natural hair is not your father's 'fro. A new generation has joined the natural hair movement and embraced the iconic Afro. Now, the style is relatively free of the political and social implications of the past.

“Back then, a lot of people saw our wearing our hair natural as a rejection of what was deemed socially acceptable. Originally, it was not a style as much as it was an 'unstyle'," says Lori Tharps, co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. Tharps is an associate professor in journalism at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Social historians trace the start of the trend to students in the civil rights movement, particularly those in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee working and protesting in the South.

Then, the style was borne out of practical concerns.

"Activists found it was hard to maintain a press and curl after being covered in food during sit-ins, sprayed with high-powered water hoses during protest marches, and housed in cramped, humid Southern jails. Many SNCC women started cutting their hair short and wearing it natural," says Tanisha C. Ford, author of Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style and the Global Politics of Soul and an associate professor in black American studies and history at the University of Delaware. Young men in the movement began growing out their hair as well.

Afros became a political symbol, one that spread worldwide. But ironically, that popularity became its undoing.

"By the '70s, it was all about the Afro. And it wasn't a political statement, it was a style. It was a fashion trend, a hairstyle," Tharps says. "You had white people wearing Afros. You had the Jackson 5 and all of these superstars wearing Afros."

Lewis adds, "When it became the Afro, it became more of a hairstyle. It became about this perfectly shaped creation. You had all these products coming out to keep it perfect. Like any fashion trend, it eventually died, and people moved on to the next trend."

In praise of the pick

The pick, or sometimes pik, and the related wide-toothed Afro comb dates back 5,500 years to ancient Egypt.

But who's responsible for the modern versions some remember from childhood or a recent trip to the beauty supply store?

Willie Morrow was a popular barber in San Diego in the 1960s when he noticed an increasing number of his college-age customers growing their hair longer. Then one of his young customers brought in a comb he had purchased in Nigeria while studying there.

"I took a look at this comb. It didn't look like anything else I'd seen. That was the first time I saw a pick," Morrow said.

Morrow started making his own picks out of wood, eventually adding plastic and metal versions. Those creations, along with other hair implements he has collected, were the basis of an exhibit last year, "The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without A Comb," at the Museum at California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Calif.

S. Henry Bundles, Jr., whose wife was the granddaughter of black hair-care pioneer Madam C.J. Walker, held one of the first patents for an Afro pick, along with his business partner Henry Childrey.

A'Lelia Bundles said the pick her father and Childrey developed in 1969 for Summit Laboratories came after they saw a comb in San Francisco in the late '60s.

"Everyone was pivoting to take advantage of the Afro and come up with products for that, various sprays and moisturizers and the combs and picks," said A'Lelia Bundles, a journalist.

Today, Antonio's Manufacturing of Cresson, Pa., appears to be king of the pick market. If you have a pick with a fist and peace sign on the handle, it's probably an Antonio's model based on an original design first patented in the early '70s.

Anthony Romani Jr., the son and successor of company founder Anthony Romani, doesn't know why his father came up with that design.
"I do remember a lady called once and asked him why he put the fist and peace sign together," Romani Jr. said. "And he said, 'Well, you have to fight for peace, I reckon.'"...

****
Excerpt #7
From https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/afro/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-an-afro-pick"The Pros and Cons of Using an Afro Pick"
by Victoria Davis, 12.15.17
"The Afro pick has been a staple in the Black community for years -- did you know it was used in Egypt over 6,000 years ago?

And today, this hair tool has made its way into the hands of curly girls of all shades. If you've never used a pick (here is how to), or you want to dust off your comb from years past, there are some pros and cons of using an afro pick.

Pros
You achieve big curls. If you want to stand out amongst the crowd, big hair is surely the way to go. Afro picks can be used once your wash n go, twistout or braid out has fully dried. Don't even think about putting that pick near your head any time before then -- you will cause major frizz. Prevent this by combing from the roots up to an inch downward.

Inexpensive you say? With so many tools made for hair care, they can get pretty expensive, but the afro pick is one you can count on that won't make you empty your wallet. Picks can cost just a few dollars unless you're on the hunt for a handcrafted comb.

There are tons to choose from. Speaking of that handcrafted comb, there are many styles of picks - including your options of plastic or metal. Many stores sell a variety of colors, but what it's made of will matter. Those with looser, finer curl patterns may want to opt for the plastic pick as they are gentler. If you have a kinkier texture - metal picks will work just as well.

Cons
You may break some curls. The thought of causing breakage while using your pick may seem like a nightmare, but it's only a reality if you use the tool incorrectly. I know us curly girls focus a lot on protecting the ends of our hair, but your roots are the real star of the show when you use a pick. Never use the pick by starting from the roots and combing all the way through to the ends. You will cause severe damage and start the day with a massive headache.

Don't get too friendly. You may feel your newfound pick was sent from God, but over-manipulating your hair using any tool can cause breakage. Long story short: find ways to fluff your hair once without restyling with your pick daily.”...

****
Excerpt #8
From https://blackhairinformation.com/general-articles/tips/5-dos-donts-using-afro-pick/"5 Dos And Don’ts When Using An Afro Pick" by Victoria, January 18, 2016
[...]

"Do's

Do it on dry hair

First things first, when you use your afro pick you’re probably going to want to use it on dry hair. One of the biggest things naturals know is that if you take down a style while it’s wet, you’re going to get nothing but frizz. To make sure that your curls are able to form and be defined in their own way, let your hair dry fully first. Then you can start using the pick.

Do it on day 1 hair

Most people use their afro pick to truly define their day one curls. When you first take a style down, that’s when it’s the most flat. If you don’t want to wait until day 2 or 3 (after you’ve finally slept on it more and you curls had a chance to drop), then use your afro pick on day one. It will help you get the big curly fro look that you were looking for.

Don’t overdo it

With that being said, don’t overdo the picking! If you want to make your style last a few days or even a little over a week, you don’t want to get it so big on the first day that it looks like a nest on day 4. If you like frizz, or if it’s for a one time occasion, on the other hand, then feel free to use the pick to get that maximum full look.

Do gently lift the roots

Now comes the test of using the pick – when you actually run it through. To get the most voluminous look, place the pick at the root of your hair and gently pull up.

Lift at the roots and repeat all over your head. This way your curls won’t be disturbed and you can see more volume. You can also shape your style in the way you want it to lay on your head.

Don’t tug all the way through

Even though you are lifting your curls, do not run the pick all the way through. Trust me, this is a mistake I had to learn through extensive trial and error. Pulling the pick all the way through is similar to just combing out the curls. Instead, lift at the roots and stop. You’ll still have definition and volume – the best of both worlds!”...
-snip-
Comment from Tayna [no date given]
"Good info! I just learned how to use an afro pick to create volume for my fine, low dense hair. Now my wash n gos, roller sets, and twist outs have the illusion of looking thick!"

****
This concludes Part II of this two part series on afros and afro picks.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents a verse from the adult only bawdy (raunchy, nasty) songs "Doing The Dirty Boogie" and "Ala Boogie" that are often found in "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") hand clap rhymes.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

WARNING: This post includes some sexual references and amended spelling for profanity.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This post is a continuation of a two part pancocojams series on "Rockin Robin (Tweeleelee)" hand clap games. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html Rockin Robin (Tweeleelee) - Analysis, Performance Activity, & Text Examples" for Part 1 of that series. The link for Part 2 (which features several videos of that hand clap game) is given in Part I.

****
EXAMPLES OF THIS VERSE IN ADULT ONLY (BAWDY) SONGS
This pancocojams post only quotes verses of these songs from these quotes that I consider to be not as dirty (bawdy, raunchy) as the other verses that are given in these quotes. Click the links that are given for the complete lyrics that are found in these quoted examples.

These examples are given in chronological order based on their internet publishing dates. Numbers are given for referencing purposes only>

Example #1
"I'm not sure of the title or how old this song is but I learned this much back in the 1930s.Does anyone have the rest of the lyrics or even heard it.All help really appreciated.This is what I remembered
Daddy's in the Whorehouse
Momma's in jail
Sis is on the corner
Hollering Boogie Woogie for sale
Boogie Woogie Boogie Woogie
Boogie Woogie for me Boogie Woogie for you
And I hope you're satisfied you rascal you
-Louie Roy 12 Sep - 10:47 AM, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84591"Lyr Req: Boogie Woogie ???????????????"
-snip-
This comment is quoted in its entirety.

****
Example #2
Songs of Raunch and Ill-Repute page 25 has something similar to the Boogie Woogie / Rockin' Robin:

ALA BOOGY

Mom's in bed, Pop's on top,
Kid's in the cradle yellin', "Shove it to her, Pop."
Ala Boogy -- That's all I crave.

Mom's in bed, Pop's in jail,
Sis's in the corner yellin', "Pussy for sale."
Ala Boogy -- that's all I crave.

Mom's in the kitchen, Pop's locked up,
My hunchback brother has my sister knocked up.
Ala Boogy -- that's all I crave"

[...]

Haven't got a nickel, haven't got a dime,
House full of kids, and none of 'em's mine.
Ala Boogy -- that's all I crave.

[...]

I've done sung this song till I sweat,
Ain't anybody bought no Ala Boogy yet.
Ala Boogy -- that's all I crave.
Notes: It seems that the commercially successful 1958 "Rockin' Robin" song was a cleaned up version of the bawdy original. The text above is from May 1958

The "...tank full of gas ... hand full of ass" verse floats independently and has been used as a marching cadence (to the tune of "Sound Off (the Duckworth chant)". The first two verses also appear in other bawdy songs."
-and e, 22 Jul 08 - 11:30 AM, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84591"Lyr Req: Boogie Woogie ???????????????"

****
Example #3
DOING THE DIRTY BOOGIE

This dirty old boogie
It's taking this town
It h'aint no use
From the hips on down
When we done the dirty boogie
In the low down way
But the dirty old boogie
Drive you to your grave

[…]

Well Momma's in bed
And Dad's on top
Sister's in the corner
Hollerin', "Lay it to her pop!"

[…]

Now lay down Momma
Be careful how you lay
Daddy's going to get ya
In the family way

[…]

See that girl all dressed in green
She's got the biggest boogie
I've ever seen

Well there h'ain't no use
She's raising no hell
I know you've done the boogie
By the way you smell.”…

This is transcribed from a 1940's party record on YouTube. See here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLTjpnkmjjU
-and e, 23 Jul 08 - 04:22 AM, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84591"Lyr Req: Boogie Woogie ???????????????"

****
Example #4
"Here is the version I learned (although I can't remember one line completely). It was sung pretty fast until you got the the "drive me to my grave" which was VERY slow.

...Mama in the kitchen, Papa in jail.
Sister on the corner singing "pussy for sale".
It's a dirty, dirty boogie that's what I crave.
Dirty, dirty boogie gonna drive me to my grave.
-GUEST,Bill, 26 Oct 11 - 07:43 AM, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84591"Lyr Req: Boogie Woogie ???????????????"

****
Example #5
"My dad did a version of this but different lyrics
Mamas in the whorehouse daddy's in jail my sisters on the corner got pussy for sale. Do the dirty boogie!!! Lolol"
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLTjpnkmjjU"Doing the Dirty Boogie" Early Rock & Roll For Adults Only", comment posted by Vanessa Miner, 2012

****
EXAMPLES OF THIS SONG IN ROCKIN ROBIN HAND CLAP RHYMES
This section only includes the verse in these rhymes that is the focus of this post. Click the link that is given for the complete version of this rhyme
Example #1:
"I don't know this song but FYI, I've collected a handclap rhyme called "Rockin Robin" [also known as "Tweedleelee"]from African American females in various United States communities.
That rhyme has a very similar verse:

Momma's in the kitchen cooking rice.
Daddy's at home shooting dice.
Brother's in jail raising bail [or pissin in the pail}
Sister's in the corner sellin
fruit cocktail. *

-snip-

* From my observations of girls [in Pittsburgh, PA and surrounding areas from 1997 to date] and from comments that I received from women in Pittsburgh, PA area, Erie PA, Cleveland PA, Atlanta GA, and New York, City it seems clear from the accompanying movements that children recognize the sexual implications of the phrase "fruit cocktail". The girls pat down their hips to the beat and shake their hips from side to side to when they say "fruit cocktail".

I wonder if this "Boogie Woogie" song [whatever it is] contributed to this verse.
-: Azizi, 12 Sep 05 - 12:27 PM, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84591"Lyr Req: Boogie Woogie ???????????????"
-snip-
This quote is given with a corrected spelling of the word "observation".

****
Example #2
2-4-6-8
Motherf&&ker* let me get you straight
Your mother's in jail
your father's in hell
your sister's on the corner hollaring pussy for sail**
-mack, Jul 21, 2005 3:52 am, Location Snotlanta, http://www.afrocentriconline.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33952&sid=20e079412142da6abbee2eb0ed11f670"Childhood Chants/Songs/Clapping games.."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this example.

**”Sail” is probably a typo for “sale”.

"Snotlanta" is a humorously coined nickname for Atlanta, Georgia

**
Example #3
"I don't remember how WE starated macks, but it went
Momma's in the Kitchen cooking fried chicken
daddy's in be half way dad
brother's in school acting like a fool
sister's on the corner selling fruit cocktail

(but we did touch our chest when we said fruit, our thighs when we said C*** and our butts when we said tail)"
-act up, hu Jul 21, 2005 3:05 pm, http://www.afrocentriconline.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33952&sid=20e079412142da6abbee2eb0ed11f670"Childhood Chants/Songs/Clapping games.."
-snip-
“half way dad” is probably a typo for “half way dead”.

**
Example #4:
"I remember this one too, but our went:

Momma's in the kitchen cooking rice
Daddy's outside shooting dice
Brother's in jail raising hell
Sister's on the corner yelling pussy for sale.

(Rockin Robin...70's SE DC version)"
-Mint, Jul 21, 2005, http://www.afrocentriconline.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33952&sid=20e079412142da6abbee2eb0ed11f670"Childhood Chants/Songs/Clapping games.."

**
Example #5
"mama in he kitchen cookin fried rice
daddy oUt side shootin some dice
brothA in jail drinkin gingerale
sista roun te corner sellin FRUIT COCTAIL”...…
- j-mil; 3/19/2005 ; (African American male; Maryland), http://blog.oftheoctopuses.com/000518.php [This website is no longer active]

**
Example #6
..."mothers in the kitchen cooking rice,
poppa's in the bathroom shooting dice,
brothers in jail raising hell,
sister's in the corner selling fruit cocktail
rocking robin (some children sing other parts not to sure what they are, the words were the same since I was young but now they add things that relate to their time)"
-Guest KLC,(East Harlem, New York, New York, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097 ; Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?; July 11, 2008; quoted in http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html Rockin Robin (Tweeleelee) - Analysis, Performance Activity, & Text Examples

**
Example #7
Ha i heard of a handshake kinda simliar to this but I don't know the whole thing here it is (dont know if u looking for this)

Swing,Swing,Swing to the U S A Hey hey!
Momma's in the kitchen cooking fried chicken
Dad's in bed half way dead
Sisters at School Looking like a fool (or acting like a fool)
Brothers In Jail Drinking Ginger Ail
And i dont know the rest...”
- GUEST,Kjnnhh22, 17 Dec 10, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84591"Lyr Req: Boogie Woogie ???????????????"

**
Example #8
..."momma's in the kitchen,cookin fried chicken,daddy's in bed,half-way dead,sister's in school acting all cool/like a fool,brother's in jail eating fruit cock tail.!!
-Larasgun3, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=VjGAwEEBn0c"Rockin Robin"

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Example #9
"Neat! The one in my school went: "Mama's in the kitchen cooking fried chicken, Daddy's in the hall playing basketball, brother's in school acting like a fool, sister's in bed, I think she's dead!"
-M1NAM1, 2015; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=VjGAwEEBn0c"Rockin Robin", 2011 [WARNING: The end of this video contains a "f bomb" (profanity)]

**
Example #10
"I learned
“Mamas in the kitchen cooking fried chicken, daddy’s in bed halfway dead, brothers in school actin like a fool, sisters in jail tryna make bail”
-Dalton Z-Back Up, November 2018, http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=VjGAwEEBn0c"Rockin Robin", 2011

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents the verse in the children's rhyme that begins with the line "I went downtown to get a stick of butter".

While it might be recited by itself, "I went downtown to get a stick of butter" most often is found as a verse in "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") hand clap rhymes.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

WARNING: Some examples in this pancocojams post include sexually explicit references and/or profanity. The profanity is either given in spelling amended by the contributors or amended by this blog's editor.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This post is a continuation of my analysis of children's "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") hand clap rhymes. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html Rockin Robin (Tweeleelee) - Analysis, Performance Activity, & Text Examples" for Part 1 of that series. The link for Part 2 (which features several videos of that hand clap game) is given in Part I.

Also click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/documenting-some-examples-of-verse-from.html"Documenting Some Examples Of A Verse From The Adult Only Songs "Doing The Dirty Boogie"&"Ala Boogie" In "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") Hand Clap Rhymes".

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
For the most part, this pancocojams blog focuses on "clean" children's rhymes (rhymes without profanity, sexually explicit references, vulgar rhymes*, and/or rhymes without offensive racial or ethnic references).

However, this post provides some examples of "dirty" rhymes that children chant, either without any accompanying actions or while doing hand clap rhymes or (much less often since at least the 1980s in the United States) while jumping rope.

This post also documents some ways that children self-censor their "dirty" rhymes in front of adults.

My guess is that the "I went downtown to get a stick of butter" verse partially has its source in the "I went downtown to see Charley Brown" (or "Mrs Brown" or first name + last name Brown**) children's rhymes.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/01/multiple-examples-of-childrens-rhyme-i.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Multiple Examples Of The Children's Rhyme "I Went Downtown" (To See Charlie Brown)"

*One example of a Black children's rhyme that is vulgar and, therefore, won't be presented in this pancocojams blog, is "Ain't your mama pretty". Examples of that rhyme can be found on some online blogs that reminisce about Black children's rhymes discussion threads. Links to some of those blogs are given in pancocojams posts such as this one because of the clean (or relatively clean) examples that are also found in those discussion threads.

**I've found a couple of these rhymes that start with "I went downtown to see Chris Brown" (Chris Brown is a R&B singer].

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EXAMPLES OF "I WENT DOWNTOWN TO GET A STICK OF BUTTER"
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

The "I went downtown to get a stick of butter" verse is given in italics to highlight it.

Example #1:
[I wrote this comment on 11/28/2018 and posted it in the discussion thread for the pancocojams post entitled The Adult Only Songs "Doing The Dirty Boogie"&"Ala Boogie" In "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") Hand Clap Rhymes.]

Here's my distinct recollection of a cultural session on West African folktales that I facilitated around 2001 in the Northview Heights area of Pittsburgh (which is some distance from the East Liberty area where I lived/live and where I had already collected some examples of what the children called "Tweeleelee" or "Tweedleelee").

I began my session on African folktales by talking about Black children's rhymes and other oral traditions in this country (the United States).

As usual, when I asked the children assembled at this session which hand claps they knew, lots of children raised their hands and/or just called out the title to "Tweedleelee" hand clap rhyme. I recall that I picked four children to come up to the front of the room -three girls and one boy. (Unlike a number of other hand clap rhymes, boys LOVED to chant this rhyme, but in my experience, they didn't like to do the hand claps in public as much as the girls did.) Tweeleelee was and still is usually performed as a four person hand clap rhyme. My plan was to pick two sets of performers, but for the second set, one boy who I selected decided not to go to the front of the room, and so that group only had three players. But that was okay since "Tweeleelee" is often performed with three players.

The children who were chosen and most of the other children enthusiastically chanted this rhyme. However, when the rhyme came to a certain point, one teenage girl (who I believe was an assistant at that community center) loudly yelled out "Squash!". All the children in the room -excerpt for one young girl-immediately stopped chanting. The teenager even more loudly said "SQUASH!" and the girl stopped chanting.

At that time I didn't know why that teenager wanted the group to stop sharing that rhyme with me. I remember an adult working there saying something like "They shouldn't finish that." At the conclusion of my cultural session-which included me sharing my adaptation of a West African folk tale with a song- I privately went up to the teenage girl and asked her would she share the rest of the Tweeleelee rhyme with me, but she declined to do so.

Some years later (around 2003-2004) I collected a version of "Tweeleelee" from some elementary school age girls in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh that probably included that banned verse. Here's that verse:
"I went downtown to get a stick of butter
I saw James Brown sittin in the gutter
He had a piece of glass
Stickin in his butt
I never saw a black man run so fast."

Another time, one seven year old girl with a very strong personality told her two girl friends who were eight years old to say "butta" instead of saying "butt" in their version of "Tweleelee" that they were sharing with me (in response to my asking them did they know that rhyme.) Here's their version:
I went downtown to get a stick of butter.
I saw James Brown laying in the gutter
He had a piece of glass stickin in his butta
I never saw a Black man run so fast."

I asked why did she say "butter" and she said "because butt is a bad word".

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Example #2
ROCKIN ROBIN
swing swing swing to the usa
hey hey
rockin in a tree to
all day long
huffin and a puffin
and singin that song
all the lil birdies on jaybird street
love to here therobins
go tweet tweet tweet

rockin robin
tweet tweetalee rockin
robin tweet tweetalee

mama in he kitchen cookin fried rice
daddy oUt side shootin some dice
brothA in jail drinkin gingerale
sista roun te corner sellin FRUIT COCTAIL

rockin robin tweet tweetalee
rockin robin tweet tweetalee

batman and robin flyin in the air
batman lost his underwear
batmn said i dont care cause
robin goin to by me azillion more pair

rockin robin tweet tweetalee

iwent down town to getsum btta*
saw james brown sittin ina gutta
gotta piece of glass stuck it up his
i neva seen a black man
runso fast
rockinrobin tweet tweet alee
- j-mil; 3/19/2005 ; (African American male; Maryland), http://blog.oftheoctopuses.com/000518.php

*btta = butta (butter)

Note: This link is no longer active. blog.oftheoctopuses.com (also known as "Whee Blog") was a multi-page blog with a small group of members who knew each other off-line. My understanding from communicating by email with one of those members was that the page of playground rhymes was the only page that was open to non-members. I added several examples of rhymes on that page, and asked j-mill if he would share information about his race and state. Thankfully, he did so for the folkloric record.

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Example #3:
...remember hand games....

tweedle tweedle dee
treetop
tweedle tweedle dee
treetop
tweet baby tweet baby
your mama says

she rocks in a treetop
all day long
huffin and puffin
and saying a song
all the little birds
james bell street
love the little robins
go tweet tweet tweet

rockin robin
tweet tweet tweet
rockin robin
tweet tweet tweet

i went down town to get a stick of butter
and saw james brown sitting (people cursed on my block) in the gutter
i took a piece of glass and stuck it up his (you know what)
i never saw a (kids are mean) run so fast.
we even played that in college.
hmmm...those hand games were violent and had curses in them, huh?
holla at me if you remember
-MaMaBuddha; [African American female]; Harlem, New York, New York}; 7/31/2000]
http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/archive/index.php/t-5627.html

Note: Commenters on this blog were members of Black Greek lettered sororities who lived in the United States and were sharing their memories of childhood games.

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Example #4
ROCKIN ROBIN
Tweet baby tweet baby,
my mama said:
shes rocking in the tree top
all day long
huffing and a puffing and singing that song
all the little girls on dainburn street
love to hear the birds go tweet tweet tweet,
rocking robin tweet twirly
rocking robin tweet twirly.
Batman and robin flying in the air
batman lost his underwear
batman says I don't care
mamas gonna buy me a brand new pair,
rocking robin tweet twirly
rocking robin tweet twirly,
I went down town to get a stick a butter
all i saw was james brown sitting in a gutter
took a piece of glass shoved it up his ahhhhh...
never saw a motha sucka run so fast (crazy isnt it)
rocking robin tweet twirly
rockin robin tweet twirly,
went to the movies to see king kong
all I saw was a rubber ding dong
rocking robin tweet twiyly
rocking robin tweet twirly,
mothers in the kitchen cooking rice,
poppa's in the bathroom shooting dice,
brothers in jail raising hell,
sister's in the corner selling fruit cocktail
rocking robin (some children sing other parts not to sure what they are, the words were the same since I was young but now they add things that relate to their time)
-Guest KLC,(East Harlem, New York, New York, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097 ; Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?; July 11, 2008

Editor:
In response to my request for demographic information, KLC posted this information on that same Mudcat thread:
"The children that play these games range from 5 - 12 years old. Both boys and girls play these games but girls are more into it and know a lot more hand games then the boys. The children that I see playing these games are Hispanic, African American, Caribbean, Caucasian and Asian because that is the population that I serve at my program."
-snip-
"(crazy isnt it)" is a comment and not a part of the rhyme.

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Example #5
Twee lee lee
Tree top
Twee lee lee
My bra *
Popscicle popscicle
Your breath stinks.

He rocks in the treetop all day long
huffin' and a puffin' and singin' that song.
all the little birdies on jay bird street
love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet.

Momma's in the kitchen, cookin' rice.
Daddy's outside shootin' dice .
Brother's in jail ringin that bell.
Sister's outside playing fruit cock tail.

I went to the store to get a stick of butter **
I saw Chris Brown*** singing in the gutter .
He had a piece of glass stuck up his sssh****
I never knew a Black man run so fast.
-Naijah S. (African American girl, age 9, Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) ; January 14, 2011; collected by Azizi Powell

NOTES:
I had the good fortune of collecting several examples of rhymes from Naijah when she came early to an African storytelling presentation that I did in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

*After she shared other rhymes with me, I specifically asked Naijah did she know the rhyme "Twee lee lee". She said yes, she had been thinking of that rhyme [to share with me], but it wasn't a good rhyme. I said yes, I know what she meant, but I asked her to share that rhyme with me for the sake of the collection. Without any further hesitation, Naijah began reciting that rhyme.

Naijah was very reluctant to say the word "bra". When I reassured her that it was alright to say it for the sake of this collection, she spelled out that word. I repeated it out loud to make sure that that was the right word, and Naijah said that was right but that some of the girls who do this (and she said only girls did these rhymes) didn't like saying that word.

**Naijah ended her recitation with the "Mama's in the kitchen verse". I asked her did she know another verse, and she said yes, but that "It was bad". I again asked her to share "for the sake of this Internet collection". She then recited the verse that is found above.

***Naijah said that some girls say "James Brown" and others say "Chris Brown". She then said that line using the name of "Chris Brown" (who is a currently popular young African American R&B singer and actor).

**** Naijah said that this was a bad word. I asked her did she know what it was. She said yes, but that when they said this part, she and all her friends said "Sssh! (meaning "Be quiet").

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Example #6
Mine is:
I Went downtown and saw James brown he gave me a nickel so I bought me a pickle the pickle was sour so I bought me a flower the flower was old and it say black power black power yo momma need a shower don't laugh haha don't laugh haha yo daddy need a bath haha.. Momma in the kitchen stirring that rice, daddy's in the corner shooting that dice brothers in jail coming his hair and sisters in the corner saying fruit cocktail"
-Lania Ranae, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvWPLzT4ZRs
-snip-
This example actually doesn't include the "stick of butter/gutter" etc rhymes that are the focus of this post. However, I included it as a variant example of the "I went downtown to see Charlie Brown" rhyme.

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Example #7
"Do you remember this? If so, how does your rhyme go? A friend said she never heard the version I know. It's quite vulgar and can't believe we were saying this as kids.


Curious to see if it's regional or not. I'm a NY'er and she's from the south.


ETA: I'll share the complete ending later but here's the first part. "I went downtown to get a stick of butter. Saw James Brown sh!tting in the gutter." Embarrassed
-Wynter, Aug 09 2012, http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/i-went-downtown-to-get-a-stick-of-butter_topic345408.html
-snip-
This was the beginning of an 8 page discussion thread in which people shared their memories of various rhymes. This commenter never finished this rhyme and very few other commenters (besides the one immediately below) indicated that they knew it.

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Example #8
"tweet baby tweet baby your mama says she rocks in a treetop all day long huffing and puffing and singing a song all the little birds on james bell street love the little robins go tweet tweet tweet rocking robin tweet tweet tweet rocking robin tweet tweet tweet
i went down town to get a stick of butter and saw james brown sitting in the gutter i took a piece of glass and stuck it up his azz
never saw a muthf&&ker* run so fast lol
-Ikasuu, Aug 09 2012, http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/i-went-downtown-to-get-a-stick-of-butter_topic345408.html
-snip-
*This word was fully spelled out in this example.

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Example #9
Went downtown to get a stick of butter
I saw James Brown shitting in a gutter
I took a piece of glass
And shoved it up his ass
Never seen a motherf&&ker* run so fast!
-Michele Cunningham, July 23, 2015, http://fillthehours.blogspot.com/2015/07/da-bronx-sings.html
snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this example.

This was one of several "dirty" rhymes that were given in that post. This commenter wrote that she grew up in the South Bronx and East Tremont in the '70s. She also wrote that the childhood rhymes that she remembered were tough and she was surprised that many people outside of the South Bronx knew these rhymes.

Bronx is a borough of New York City.
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Example #10
OMG!!! I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!! vixxen13 beat me to most of them but i remember a dirty one lmao ill censor it..

went downtown to get stick of butter
saw james brown sittin in the gutter
took a piece of glass
stuck it up his @..
never saw a m...f...er run so fast

:lol: we were some badddd kids we sang that after "rockin robin"
-EmpressRi, 07-24-2007 (location: Queens @ The Rotten Apple), https://www.nappturality.com/forums/threads/81695-Clapping-Rhymes-hand-Games/page3?s=22cc3a3cdb04b3126620bb29c3788153
-snip-
Queens is a borough of New York City.

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