Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series on "Miss Sue From Alabama" children's rhymes, including other titles of examples in this large rhyme family.
This post provides information about a 1934 example of "Miss Sue From Alabama" as given on a Wikipedia page. My comment casting doubt about some of the content of that Wikipedia page is also included in this post.
Part I also provides my analysis of verses for three examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" from 1965, 1976, and 1978. A comparison of those three examples demonstrate the textual (word) diversity that is a feature of "Miss Sue From Alabama"'s large family of children's rhyme.
Part II of this series documents a partial sample of stand alone rhymes that are included in some examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" children's rhyme. Most of these examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" are from online sources. These examples demonstrate the textual diversity that is a continued, and perhaps even more pronounced feature of that rhyme family than it was in the mid 1960s and late 1970s.
Part III of this series documents a partial sample of versions of the line "wipe those cooties off of me" in some examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" children's rhyme. These versions also demonstrate the wide textual diversity in the "Miss Sue From Alabama" rhyme family.
The content of this page is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.
Thanks to all who contributed examples of this rhyme that are included in this post. Thanks also to all who are quoted in this post. Special thanks to burgundyblake who shared an example of a "Mazoo From Alabama" rhyme with pancocojams on January 17, 2019. That example prompted me to continue my research on this rhyme family.
-snip-
Previous pancocojams posts on "Miss Sue From Alabama" can be found by clicking the "Miss Sue From Alabama" tag that is found below this post.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT EARLY VERSIONS OF "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA"
Here's information about "Miss Sue From Alabama" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Sue_from_Alabama
""Miss Sue From Alabama" is a song sung by African American children in the South at the turn of the 20th century. The children would then dance with each other. Miss Sue was, in African American folklore, a prostitute that lured White men to bed and then manipulated them into doing favors for the Black men on the plantation. She was somewhat of a spy an undercover agent that worked in behalf of Black men.[citation needed]
The song was recorded in 1934 and 1939.[1]"
-snip-
I strongly doubt the portion of that Wikipedia page that is highlighted in italics. The source for that information isn't cited and at all appear to be rooted in any historical facts.
The reference to children dancing with each other after singing this song also seems to be disputable. Given the general practice of African American performances, it's likely that children performed some movements which might be considered dance while they sang (chanted) this song (rhyme).
Wikipedia cites Check-list of recorded songs in the English language in the Archive of American folk song to July, 1940: Alphabetical list with geographical index, Volumes 1-3* as the source for those 1934 and 1939 examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama".
*https://books.google.com/books?id=O08wAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Miss+Sue+From+Alabama%22&dq=%22Miss+Sue+From+Alabama%22&num=100&client=firefox-a&pgis=1
The text of those examples aren't included in that source's Wikipedia page.
However, the 1934 example is credited to "Eight Negro girls; Kirby industrial school, Atmore, Ala [Alabama]; John A Lomax, 1934.
Note: John A. Lomax was the person who collected that example. The 1939 examples were from Mississippi and from Louisiana.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Many English language (jump rope and hand clap) playground rhymes are made by combining a line or lines from other stand alone children's rhymes.
A "stand alone" rhyme is one that can be recited by itself.
I refer to the line or lines from stand alone that are found in other rhymes as "add ons", However, "add on" here doesn't mean that these lines are only found at the end of a particular rhyme.
Example #1 and #2 are presented as they were found (online or in a book) except for the numbers I gave to each line as a means of analyzing each of these rhyme examples.
Example #2 is my transcription from a YouTube video (with assigned numbers for the purpose of textual analysis. Additions and corrections are welcome for this transcription.
****
EXAMPLE ANALYSIS
EXAMPLE #1 (Mississippi, circa 1965)
1. Miss Sue
2. Miss Sue
3. Miss Sue from Alabama
4. Someone is in your garden
5. Miss Sue
6. Miss Sue
7. Someone is in your garden
8. Miss Sue from Alabama
9. Show me what you can do
10. Miss Sue
11. Miss Sue
12. Show me what you can do
13. Miss sue from Alabama
14. Is this the way you do
15. Miss Sue
16. Miss Sue
17. Is this the way you do
18. Miss Sue from Alabama
19. Hey Hey
20. A doobie-do-wah
21. Your mama's broke
22. And your papa's broke
23. Turn to the east
24. Turn to the west
25. Turn to the very one you love the best
26. Milk in the pitcher
27. The butter's in the bowl
28. Can't catch a sweetheart
29. To save your soul
I think this is the way we sang this game in Northern Mississippi cira 1965.
-GUEST,nanasallthat, 11 Dec 07, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097
Subject: RE: Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?
-snip-
This contributor didn't include any racial demographic information. However, the textual structure and vernacular language of this example is clearly of African American origin.
Verses in this example:
Verse #1: lines 1-3 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Verse #2: lines 4-8 ["Someone's in your garden" verse]
Verse #3: lines 9-13 ["Show me what you can do verse which corresponds to the still familiar verse in 2018 for some children's singing games that begins with "Let me see your motion"]
Verse #4: lines 14-18 ["Is this the way you do" verse which corresponds to the still familiar verse in 2018 for some children's singing games that begins with "We can do your motion"]
Lines 19 & 20 serve as connecting (bridging) lines from one verse (one portion of this rhyme) to another. My guess is that the scatting words "A dobbie -do-wah" (line 20) and/or similar scatting words are the source for the "Scooby Doo" reference in contemporary (1980s?) or thereabouts "Miss Sue From Alabama" rhymes, i.e. "Miss Sue, Scooby Doo, Miss Sue From Alabama."
Verse #5: lines 21-22 ["Your mama's broke"/And your papa's broke" are probably a part of some other children's rhyme]
Verse #6: lines 23-25 ["Turn to the East" verse; This verse is still recited in some children's singing games today.
Verse #7: line 26-29: [Milk in the pitcher verse; This verse (and the "Turn To The East" verse) are found in other African American folk rhymes such as in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise And Otherwise.the 1922 compilation.]
****
EXAMPLE #2: (New York City, 1976)
1. mmm-Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
2. Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
3. Miss Sue from Alabama
4. Now let’s have a party.
5. Chicka boom chicka boom
6. chicka boom boom boom
7. Now let’s have a tic tac toe
8. Ah tic ah tac ah tic tac toe
9. My mother’s in the kitchen peelin white potatoes
10. My father’s in the alley drinkin lemonade-o
11. Brother in the clink waitin for the clock to go
12. boom tic tock boom tick a wally wally (7x)
boom tic tock
13. Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
14. Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
15. Miss Sue from Alabama
16. She ma
17. My mother had a baby
18. My father called it crazy
19. But, if it’s a girl
20. I’ll give it a curl
21. And If it’s a boy
22. I’ll give it a toy.
23. Wrap it up in toilet paper
24. Send it down the elevator
25. First floor ¬ Stop!
26. (Think it over)
27. Second floor -Stop!
28. (Think it over)
29. Third floor, you better not stop
20. 'Cause S.T.O.P spells stop.
-Songs for Children from New York City [1976] Songs for Children from New York City, 1976;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzyI9N6i0WU [sound file]
Provided to YouTube by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
℗ 2004 Smithsonian Folkways Recordings / 1978 Folkways Records
Transcribed by Azizi Powell from the sound file published on YouTube.
-snip-
Verses in this example:
Verse #1: lines 1-3 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Verse #2: lines 4-8 ["Now let's have ___" verse; "Let's have a party" with rhythmic nonsense words bridging lines "Chicka boom chicka boom" followed by "Now let’s have a tic tac toe".]
Verse #3: lines 9-12 ["My mothers in the kitchen" verse. This verse appears to be very similar to a verse from "Rockin Robin" ("Twee Lee Lee") children's rhyme. Note "clink" = "jail"]
Verse #4: lines 13 & 15 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Line 16: rhythmic connecting [bridging] scatting words
Verse #5: lines 17-20 ["My mother had a baby" [also known as "Mama's having a baby" rhyme]
****
EXAMPLE #3: [1978, St. Louis, Missouri]
1. Miss Sue
2. Miss Sue from Alabama
3. Hey you,
4. scooby do
5. your Mama's got the measles
6. Your papa's got the flu
7. magic measles
8. magic flu
9. Take an a b c d e f g
10. Take an h i j k l.m.n.o.p.
11. Take a smooth shot
12. Take a smooth shot
13. and now freeze.
-Eleanor Fulton, Pat Smith, editors Let's Slice The Ice, (Magnamusic-Baton, 1978; St. Louis, Missouri; p. 16)
-snip-
Verses in this example:
Verse #1: lines 1-2 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Verse #2: lines 3-4 [Hey You, Scooby Do" verse]
Verse #3: lines 5-9 [Your Mama's got the measles" verse]
Verse #4: lines 9-12 "Take a b c d e f g verse"
Ending line followed by a certain action [such as staring and trying not to be the first person who blinks] - "and now freeze"
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's note:
I now think that the words "take a smooth shot" originated from "take a flu shot" [an immunization to prevent against getting influenza [disease]. That said, "take a smooth shot" may still have the meaning "to do something difficult with finesse" that I guessed was the meaning when I first published this post.]
****
This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series on "The Textual Diversity Of Miss Sue From Alabama Rhymes".
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Thank
This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series on "Miss Sue From Alabama" children's rhymes, including other titles of examples in this large rhyme family.
This post provides information about a 1934 example of "Miss Sue From Alabama" as given on a Wikipedia page. My comment casting doubt about some of the content of that Wikipedia page is also included in this post.
Part I also provides my analysis of verses for three examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" from 1965, 1976, and 1978. A comparison of those three examples demonstrate the textual (word) diversity that is a feature of "Miss Sue From Alabama"'s large family of children's rhyme.
Part II of this series documents a partial sample of stand alone rhymes that are included in some examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" children's rhyme. Most of these examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" are from online sources. These examples demonstrate the textual diversity that is a continued, and perhaps even more pronounced feature of that rhyme family than it was in the mid 1960s and late 1970s.
Part III of this series documents a partial sample of versions of the line "wipe those cooties off of me" in some examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama" children's rhyme. These versions also demonstrate the wide textual diversity in the "Miss Sue From Alabama" rhyme family.
The content of this page is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.
Thanks to all who contributed examples of this rhyme that are included in this post. Thanks also to all who are quoted in this post. Special thanks to burgundyblake who shared an example of a "Mazoo From Alabama" rhyme with pancocojams on January 17, 2019. That example prompted me to continue my research on this rhyme family.
-snip-
Previous pancocojams posts on "Miss Sue From Alabama" can be found by clicking the "Miss Sue From Alabama" tag that is found below this post.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT EARLY VERSIONS OF "MISS SUE FROM ALABAMA"
Here's information about "Miss Sue From Alabama" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Sue_from_Alabama
""Miss Sue From Alabama" is a song sung by African American children in the South at the turn of the 20th century. The children would then dance with each other. Miss Sue was, in African American folklore, a prostitute that lured White men to bed and then manipulated them into doing favors for the Black men on the plantation. She was somewhat of a spy an undercover agent that worked in behalf of Black men.[citation needed]
The song was recorded in 1934 and 1939.[1]"
-snip-
I strongly doubt the portion of that Wikipedia page that is highlighted in italics. The source for that information isn't cited and at all appear to be rooted in any historical facts.
The reference to children dancing with each other after singing this song also seems to be disputable. Given the general practice of African American performances, it's likely that children performed some movements which might be considered dance while they sang (chanted) this song (rhyme).
Wikipedia cites Check-list of recorded songs in the English language in the Archive of American folk song to July, 1940: Alphabetical list with geographical index, Volumes 1-3* as the source for those 1934 and 1939 examples of "Miss Sue From Alabama".
*https://books.google.com/books?id=O08wAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Miss+Sue+From+Alabama%22&dq=%22Miss+Sue+From+Alabama%22&num=100&client=firefox-a&pgis=1
The text of those examples aren't included in that source's Wikipedia page.
However, the 1934 example is credited to "Eight Negro girls; Kirby industrial school, Atmore, Ala [Alabama]; John A Lomax, 1934.
Note: John A. Lomax was the person who collected that example. The 1939 examples were from Mississippi and from Louisiana.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Many English language (jump rope and hand clap) playground rhymes are made by combining a line or lines from other stand alone children's rhymes.
A "stand alone" rhyme is one that can be recited by itself.
I refer to the line or lines from stand alone that are found in other rhymes as "add ons", However, "add on" here doesn't mean that these lines are only found at the end of a particular rhyme.
Example #1 and #2 are presented as they were found (online or in a book) except for the numbers I gave to each line as a means of analyzing each of these rhyme examples.
Example #2 is my transcription from a YouTube video (with assigned numbers for the purpose of textual analysis. Additions and corrections are welcome for this transcription.
****
EXAMPLE ANALYSIS
EXAMPLE #1 (Mississippi, circa 1965)
1. Miss Sue
2. Miss Sue
3. Miss Sue from Alabama
4. Someone is in your garden
5. Miss Sue
6. Miss Sue
7. Someone is in your garden
8. Miss Sue from Alabama
9. Show me what you can do
10. Miss Sue
11. Miss Sue
12. Show me what you can do
13. Miss sue from Alabama
14. Is this the way you do
15. Miss Sue
16. Miss Sue
17. Is this the way you do
18. Miss Sue from Alabama
19. Hey Hey
20. A doobie-do-wah
21. Your mama's broke
22. And your papa's broke
23. Turn to the east
24. Turn to the west
25. Turn to the very one you love the best
26. Milk in the pitcher
27. The butter's in the bowl
28. Can't catch a sweetheart
29. To save your soul
I think this is the way we sang this game in Northern Mississippi cira 1965.
-GUEST,nanasallthat, 11 Dec 07, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097
Subject: RE: Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?
-snip-
This contributor didn't include any racial demographic information. However, the textual structure and vernacular language of this example is clearly of African American origin.
Verses in this example:
Verse #1: lines 1-3 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Verse #2: lines 4-8 ["Someone's in your garden" verse]
Verse #3: lines 9-13 ["Show me what you can do verse which corresponds to the still familiar verse in 2018 for some children's singing games that begins with "Let me see your motion"]
Verse #4: lines 14-18 ["Is this the way you do" verse which corresponds to the still familiar verse in 2018 for some children's singing games that begins with "We can do your motion"]
Lines 19 & 20 serve as connecting (bridging) lines from one verse (one portion of this rhyme) to another. My guess is that the scatting words "A dobbie -do-wah" (line 20) and/or similar scatting words are the source for the "Scooby Doo" reference in contemporary (1980s?) or thereabouts "Miss Sue From Alabama" rhymes, i.e. "Miss Sue, Scooby Doo, Miss Sue From Alabama."
Verse #5: lines 21-22 ["Your mama's broke"/And your papa's broke" are probably a part of some other children's rhyme]
Verse #6: lines 23-25 ["Turn to the East" verse; This verse is still recited in some children's singing games today.
Verse #7: line 26-29: [Milk in the pitcher verse; This verse (and the "Turn To The East" verse) are found in other African American folk rhymes such as in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise And Otherwise.the 1922 compilation.]
****
EXAMPLE #2: (New York City, 1976)
1. mmm-Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
2. Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
3. Miss Sue from Alabama
4. Now let’s have a party.
5. Chicka boom chicka boom
6. chicka boom boom boom
7. Now let’s have a tic tac toe
8. Ah tic ah tac ah tic tac toe
9. My mother’s in the kitchen peelin white potatoes
10. My father’s in the alley drinkin lemonade-o
11. Brother in the clink waitin for the clock to go
12. boom tic tock boom tick a wally wally (7x)
boom tic tock
13. Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
14. Miss Sue (clap clap clap)
15. Miss Sue from Alabama
16. She ma
17. My mother had a baby
18. My father called it crazy
19. But, if it’s a girl
20. I’ll give it a curl
21. And If it’s a boy
22. I’ll give it a toy.
23. Wrap it up in toilet paper
24. Send it down the elevator
25. First floor ¬ Stop!
26. (Think it over)
27. Second floor -Stop!
28. (Think it over)
29. Third floor, you better not stop
20. 'Cause S.T.O.P spells stop.
-Songs for Children from New York City [1976] Songs for Children from New York City, 1976;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzyI9N6i0WU [sound file]
Provided to YouTube by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
℗ 2004 Smithsonian Folkways Recordings / 1978 Folkways Records
Transcribed by Azizi Powell from the sound file published on YouTube.
-snip-
Verses in this example:
Verse #1: lines 1-3 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Verse #2: lines 4-8 ["Now let's have ___" verse; "Let's have a party" with rhythmic nonsense words bridging lines "Chicka boom chicka boom" followed by "Now let’s have a tic tac toe".]
Verse #3: lines 9-12 ["My mothers in the kitchen" verse. This verse appears to be very similar to a verse from "Rockin Robin" ("Twee Lee Lee") children's rhyme. Note "clink" = "jail"]
Verse #4: lines 13 & 15 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Line 16: rhythmic connecting [bridging] scatting words
Verse #5: lines 17-20 ["My mother had a baby" [also known as "Mama's having a baby" rhyme]
****
EXAMPLE #3: [1978, St. Louis, Missouri]
1. Miss Sue
2. Miss Sue from Alabama
3. Hey you,
4. scooby do
5. your Mama's got the measles
6. Your papa's got the flu
7. magic measles
8. magic flu
9. Take an a b c d e f g
10. Take an h i j k l.m.n.o.p.
11. Take a smooth shot
12. Take a smooth shot
13. and now freeze.
-Eleanor Fulton, Pat Smith, editors Let's Slice The Ice, (Magnamusic-Baton, 1978; St. Louis, Missouri; p. 16)
-snip-
Verses in this example:
Verse #1: lines 1-2 ["Miss Sue From Alabama" verse]
Verse #2: lines 3-4 [Hey You, Scooby Do" verse]
Verse #3: lines 5-9 [Your Mama's got the measles" verse]
Verse #4: lines 9-12 "Take a b c d e f g verse"
Ending line followed by a certain action [such as staring and trying not to be the first person who blinks] - "and now freeze"
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's note:
I now think that the words "take a smooth shot" originated from "take a flu shot" [an immunization to prevent against getting influenza [disease]. That said, "take a smooth shot" may still have the meaning "to do something difficult with finesse" that I guessed was the meaning when I first published this post.]
****
This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series on "The Textual Diversity Of Miss Sue From Alabama Rhymes".
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Thank