Edited by Azizi Powell
This post provides lyrics and five video examples of the African American and Caribbean children's singing game "This A Way Valerie" (also known as "Strut Miss Lucy" and "Strut Miss Susie").
The content of this post is presented for cultural, recreational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown creators of these singing games. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos. And thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube and all those who are quoted in this post.
The African American playground singing game "Strut Miss Lucy" was undoubtedly inspired by the 1921 Ragtime song "Strut Miss Lizzie". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/strut-miss-lizzie-information-lyrics.html for a pancocojams post on "Strut Miss Lizzie".
Note that these singing games use longways set (Virgina Reel type) formation of two parallel lines facing each other with a space in the middle for someone to strut (or dance) down. These games are very similar to "Zudio" and that singing game formation was widely popularized in the American television show "Soul Train" as the Soul Train line". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/roots-of-soul-train-line-formation.html"The Roots Of The Soul Train Line Formation" for a pancocojams post that includes information and a video of "Zudio" (also known as "Here We Go Zoodio" and other similar titles.
****
WORDS TO "HERE WE GO VALERIE" ("STRUT MISS LUCY"; "STRUT MISS SUSIE")
From http://www.folkstreams.net/context,201
"THIS-A-WAY VALERIE
References: Trent-Johns p. 14-17; Abrahams p. 130; Hawes-Jones (Zudie-0). I have also heard a tape of this game being played by Negro children in Austin, Texas. The children habitually played this game all the way through: That is, until everyone, whether skilled or inexpert, had had a turn to dance down between the lines. It is also notable that the basic formation never traveled during play; occasionally, the children, while holding hands during the first verse, would side-step slightly back to their original position. This was always done spontaneously, without direction or discussion.
This-a-way, Valerie,
Valerie, Valerie,
This-a-way, Valerie
All day long.
Oh, strut, Miss Lizzie
Lizzie, Lizzie
Strut, Miss Lizzie
All day long.
Oh, here come another one
Just like the other one,
Here come another one
All day long".
-snip-
A small clip of this children's game included in the Folkstream video given as Example __ below.
****
From http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/thiswayvalerie.html
"This Way Valerie
"This game works best with a fairly large group. You will need to have the girls get a buddy and then form 2 lines with the buddies facing each other. As soon as you have them in 2 straight lines they can start singing the song:
This way Valerie, That way Valerie,
This way Valerie all the way home.
Girls join hands with their buddy and sing this part while moving arms in a sawing motion - back and forth
Strut Miss Lucy, strut Miss Lucy,
Strut Miss Lucy all the way home.
Head girl in one line passes between the 2 lines making up any movement she wishes and falls in at the foot of the opposite line
Here comes another one just like the other one.
Here comes another one all the way home.
Buddy of the previous girl copies the movements just done by her buddy as she passes between the 2 lines and then joins the foot of the opposite line.
Both lines move up a wee bit and repeat the song over and over and over again until everyone has had a turn. The girls will eventually start getting quite creative in their actions if you play this many times."
****
From http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/songbook/songs3/S3_96.htm
"Strut Miss Lucy (This Way Valerie)
(to the tune of "Shortnin' Bread")
Thanks very much to Jean, Barb, and Gail, who all helped me to piece together this song.
The girls line up in two lines facing each other. Each girl grabs hands with their partner and move arms alternately forward and back while singing the verse:
This way Valerie, that way Valerie,
This way Valerie, all the way home.
Take a couple of steps back and the head couple do the next two verses while everyone else sings and claps their hands. The girl on the right side struts down the line doing any action she wants. When she gets to the ends she joins the line on the left:
Strut Miss Lucy, strut Miss Lucy,
Strut Miss Lucy, all the way home.
The girl on the left copies the actions of the first girl during the next verse and when she gets to the end she joins the line on the right.
Here comes another one, just like the other one,
Here comes another one, all the way home".
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube with the video with the oldest date given first.
Example #1: Pizza Pizza Daddy-O
folkstreamer, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2006
A 1967 film by Bob Eberlein and Bess Lomax Hawes that looks at continuity and change in girls' playground games at a Los Angeles school
****
Example #2: this a way valerie
rosierose62010, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2009
my little cousin dancing
-snip-
Notice that the little girl is "strutting" (moving with a prideful, rhythmic step). For what it's worth, when I introduced the singing game "Here We Go Zudio" to (mostly) Black girls and boys [ages 5-12 years old] in the game song group that I held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in nearby Braddock, Pennsylvania the children didn't know what "strut" meant and had some difficulty learning that way of walking. They usually ended up dancing instead of "strutting". That same unfamiliarity with "strutting" is shown in the following videos and in other YouTube videos of "Strut Miss Lucy" singing games being taught to children and adult music students.
****
Example #3: Strut Miss Lucy
Rebecca Bichel, Uploaded on Oct 24, 2011
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWBQ8dxxqsI for a short video which shows the children learning this game.
****
Example #4: Rob Amchin—University of Louisville—Strut Miss Mary
Robert Amchin, Published on Nov 26, 2012
A traditional singing game in "longway sets." The music education majors enjoyed struttin'
their stuff in this singing game! It was only a shame that we had to end class!
****
Example #5: Troop 375 Strut Miss Lucy!
Claudette Davidson, Published on Apr 9, 2014
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome
This post provides lyrics and five video examples of the African American and Caribbean children's singing game "This A Way Valerie" (also known as "Strut Miss Lucy" and "Strut Miss Susie").
The content of this post is presented for cultural, recreational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown creators of these singing games. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos. And thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube and all those who are quoted in this post.
The African American playground singing game "Strut Miss Lucy" was undoubtedly inspired by the 1921 Ragtime song "Strut Miss Lizzie". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/strut-miss-lizzie-information-lyrics.html for a pancocojams post on "Strut Miss Lizzie".
Note that these singing games use longways set (Virgina Reel type) formation of two parallel lines facing each other with a space in the middle for someone to strut (or dance) down. These games are very similar to "Zudio" and that singing game formation was widely popularized in the American television show "Soul Train" as the Soul Train line". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/roots-of-soul-train-line-formation.html"The Roots Of The Soul Train Line Formation" for a pancocojams post that includes information and a video of "Zudio" (also known as "Here We Go Zoodio" and other similar titles.
****
WORDS TO "HERE WE GO VALERIE" ("STRUT MISS LUCY"; "STRUT MISS SUSIE")
From http://www.folkstreams.net/context,201
"THIS-A-WAY VALERIE
References: Trent-Johns p. 14-17; Abrahams p. 130; Hawes-Jones (Zudie-0). I have also heard a tape of this game being played by Negro children in Austin, Texas. The children habitually played this game all the way through: That is, until everyone, whether skilled or inexpert, had had a turn to dance down between the lines. It is also notable that the basic formation never traveled during play; occasionally, the children, while holding hands during the first verse, would side-step slightly back to their original position. This was always done spontaneously, without direction or discussion.
This-a-way, Valerie,
Valerie, Valerie,
This-a-way, Valerie
All day long.
Oh, strut, Miss Lizzie
Lizzie, Lizzie
Strut, Miss Lizzie
All day long.
Oh, here come another one
Just like the other one,
Here come another one
All day long".
-snip-
A small clip of this children's game included in the Folkstream video given as Example __ below.
****
From http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/thiswayvalerie.html
"This Way Valerie
"This game works best with a fairly large group. You will need to have the girls get a buddy and then form 2 lines with the buddies facing each other. As soon as you have them in 2 straight lines they can start singing the song:
This way Valerie, That way Valerie,
This way Valerie all the way home.
Girls join hands with their buddy and sing this part while moving arms in a sawing motion - back and forth
Strut Miss Lucy, strut Miss Lucy,
Strut Miss Lucy all the way home.
Head girl in one line passes between the 2 lines making up any movement she wishes and falls in at the foot of the opposite line
Here comes another one just like the other one.
Here comes another one all the way home.
Buddy of the previous girl copies the movements just done by her buddy as she passes between the 2 lines and then joins the foot of the opposite line.
Both lines move up a wee bit and repeat the song over and over and over again until everyone has had a turn. The girls will eventually start getting quite creative in their actions if you play this many times."
****
From http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/songbook/songs3/S3_96.htm
"Strut Miss Lucy (This Way Valerie)
(to the tune of "Shortnin' Bread")
Thanks very much to Jean, Barb, and Gail, who all helped me to piece together this song.
The girls line up in two lines facing each other. Each girl grabs hands with their partner and move arms alternately forward and back while singing the verse:
This way Valerie, that way Valerie,
This way Valerie, all the way home.
Take a couple of steps back and the head couple do the next two verses while everyone else sings and claps their hands. The girl on the right side struts down the line doing any action she wants. When she gets to the ends she joins the line on the left:
Strut Miss Lucy, strut Miss Lucy,
Strut Miss Lucy, all the way home.
The girl on the left copies the actions of the first girl during the next verse and when she gets to the end she joins the line on the right.
Here comes another one, just like the other one,
Here comes another one, all the way home".
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube with the video with the oldest date given first.
Example #1: Pizza Pizza Daddy-O
folkstreamer, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2006
A 1967 film by Bob Eberlein and Bess Lomax Hawes that looks at continuity and change in girls' playground games at a Los Angeles school
****
Example #2: this a way valerie
rosierose62010, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2009
my little cousin dancing
-snip-
Notice that the little girl is "strutting" (moving with a prideful, rhythmic step). For what it's worth, when I introduced the singing game "Here We Go Zudio" to (mostly) Black girls and boys [ages 5-12 years old] in the game song group that I held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in nearby Braddock, Pennsylvania the children didn't know what "strut" meant and had some difficulty learning that way of walking. They usually ended up dancing instead of "strutting". That same unfamiliarity with "strutting" is shown in the following videos and in other YouTube videos of "Strut Miss Lucy" singing games being taught to children and adult music students.
****
Example #3: Strut Miss Lucy
Rebecca Bichel, Uploaded on Oct 24, 2011
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWBQ8dxxqsI for a short video which shows the children learning this game.
****
Example #4: Rob Amchin—University of Louisville—Strut Miss Mary
Robert Amchin, Published on Nov 26, 2012
A traditional singing game in "longway sets." The music education majors enjoyed struttin'
their stuff in this singing game! It was only a shame that we had to end class!
****
Example #5: Troop 375 Strut Miss Lucy!
Claudette Davidson, Published on Apr 9, 2014
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome