Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I (Numbers - H) of a two part series that provides an alphabetized list of text (word only) examples of Douuble Dutch rhymes ot Double Dutch rhymes that have been chanted in the United States. I'm referring to this compilation as the pancocojams (Azizi Powell) compilation of Double Dutch rhymes)
The examples are presented by the first letter in their titles or the first letter in their first lines.
Click for Part II (I-Z)
This is a work in progress. I'm not numbering these pages as additional examples will be added when I come across those examples and when examples are posted on this blog's comment thread.
This compilation is undoubtedly only a small portion of the number of Double Duch rhymes that have been chanted in the United States. Most of these examples reference being sung or chanted while playing "Double Dutch" which is a sub-set of jump rope. However, some Double Dutch rhymes may be (or may have been) chanted or sung for single rope jumping (and vice versa).
I remember unsuccessfully attempting to jump Double Dutch and unsuccessfully trying to turn the ropes for Double Dutch and I remember watching other girls jump Double Dutch and be enders (turners) for Double Dutch (in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the mid 1950s). I know that they sang songs/rhymes when they jumped, but I can't remember any of those songs or rhymes. In contrast to the pancocojams compilations of foot stomping cheers, I haven't directly collected any Double Dutch rhymes.
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EXAMPLES: NUMBERS - H
These examples are presented in alphabetical order based on the first number or the first letter of the first letter of the first word. The source (i.e. book, direct collection, or website) is given below the example along with demographic information and/or comments.
Numbers -B
[Google Books]
"Some Jump Rope Rimes From South Philadelphia" by Roger D. Abrahams in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Volume 8, Spring Issue 1963, edited by Simon Bronner
[page 3]
"The Negro in the neighborhood of South Philadelphia in which I lived and collected from 1958-1960 not only jumped rope extensively, but developed such coordination in doing so that many of their games were considerably more complex than those observable in most places elsewhere....The most common method of [jump rope] play is "single jumping", the rope being turned by two "enders" in a single strand...
This, however, is the least common method of playing in the neighborhood. The 'double dutch' games in which the 'enders' double the ropes and turn the two strands separately and alternately overhand, are much more common. In this game a rhythm is created that is twice as fast but not as insistent as in "singles".
[page 4]
The most common rime used with this game, especially by the younger children (5-8) is the simple counting one:
2,4,6-8, 10
2,4,6-8, 20
2,4,6-8, 30
etc.
(The 6-8 are said much quicker than any other number.)
or
D.I.S.H. choice
(With the "s" and the "h" said much faster than other letters.)
ALL IN TOGETHER
any kind of weather
I see teacher looking out the window
ding, dong fire drill
January, February, etc.
-http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=31403&page=6, Kisha, 04-01-2003
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Hey, I remember that one. We used to use it as a double dutch song:
Apple sticks, make me sick
make my stomach go 246
not because it's dirty
not because it's clean
not because I kissed the boy behind the magazine
So, come on girls let's have some fun.......
I can't remember a big part right here
I can wiggle, I can jiggle I can do the splits
but I betcha five dollahs you cain't do this.
(Start jumping on one foot)
Say 1 - all around
2 - all around
3 - all around etc,....
-Bamboozled, 03-27-2003, http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=31403&page=4 , Old School Chants
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BEVERLY HILLBILLIES TELEVISION SHOW THEME SONG
"Yes I'm from da hood and we use double Dutch to the Beverly Hill Billies song ..comma listen to A story bout a man name Jed❤❤❤"
-Vee Davis, 2018, [comment] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I0c4OfX6JU "Tamera Shows Off Her Double Dutch Skills" published by The Real Daytime, Sep 29, 2014
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BIG MAC
As Cheyna, a fourth-grade African American girl had said, "Want to hear my favorite?" (Snap fingers on down beat. Accented syllables are capitalized)
Big MAC, Fillet FISH, Quarter POUNDer, French FRIES, Ice COKE,
Milk SHAKE, Foot
Fillet FISH, Quarter POUNDer, French FRIES, Ice COKE, Milk
SHAKE,
BOUNCE
Fillet FISH, Quarter POUNDer, French FRIES, Ice COKE, Milk
Shake,
HOP
Fillet FISH, Quarter POUNDer, French FRIES, Ice COKE, Milk
Shake,
TURN
Fillet FISH, Quarter POUNDer, French FRIES, Ice COKE, Milk
Shake,
CRISS
-African American girl, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Chapter 4: Double Dutch And Double Cameras: Studying The Transmission of Culture In An Urban Shool Yard" by Ann Richman Beresin in the 1999 book Children's Folklore: A Sourcebook edited by Brian Sutton-Smith, Jay Mechling, Thomas W. Johnson, Felicia McMahon (Utah State University Press), page 83
Here's an excerpt from that chapter:
Big Mac appeared in twenty-three out of fifty-six live unrequested recordings of double dutch chants, closely followed by a follow-the-Ieader game, "Challenge Challenge, One, Two, Three." This contrasted with the rest of the active repetoire, of which two or three versions were recorded of each. First observed in mid-October, "Big Mac," and its occasional partner "Challenge Challenge," were the only chants jumped at recess until February. Most of the other rhymes did not appear at all until April. "Big Mac" represented forty percent of all the songs sung for double dutch, with "Challenge Challenge" representing thirty percent.The remainder totaled three to six percent, tallying another thirty percent. "Big Mac" was therefore not only the first jump-rope rhyme to appear in the school yard and not only the most frequently jumped, but, as we will see, also the one used for learning how to play the game of double dutch itself. "
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CINDERELLA DRESSED IN YELLA
Used to do this years ago on the street where l lived. We'd use two ropes n there was a rhyme we used to say. "Cinderella dressed in yella went upstairs to kiss her fella". There's a couple more lines, which l can't remember but at the last line we had to count up to 20 n skip really fast, (nothing like these ladies tho) then jump out n someone else jumped in. This is a lovely memory of innocent times which l'd forgotten. Thank you for bringing it to my mind. ❤
-️
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Reply
Cinderella dressed in yella, went upstairs to kiss her fella"
"Made a mistake and kissed a snake"
"How many doctors did it take? One, two, three.. etc." and then make the rope faster after each number. :) Thank you for the memory jog.
-EmP, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5eMHAFmPQ4
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Reply
.... I’m 76 now, in 2020, which makes me jumping in 1954 (10yrs old). Never heard rap music then, but did know “Cinderella, Cinderella,”.... we also used 2 ropes (on dirt playground!) and had lots of fun with all different rhymes. Wonderful memories!!!!
-Frankie Butler, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5eMHAFmPQ4
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BOOM BOOM TANGLE
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Yo Kenya [jumper’s name] yo
Let me see you do the
MC Hammer she said
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Yo Kenya yo
Let me see you do the
Bobbie Brown she said
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Yo Kenya yo
Let me see you do the
Heavy D she said
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Yo Kenya yo
Let me see you do the
Roger Rabbit she said
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Yo Kenya yo
Let me see you do the
The Butterfly she said
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Yo Kenya yo
Let me see you do the
The Honky Tonk she said
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
Boom boom tangle
tang boom tang
-African American girls playing Double Dutch, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [page 91, 92 in "Recess Battles: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling" edited byAnna R. Beresin], (collected 1992, 1999)
"When an artist’s name was sung -M.C. Hammer, Bobbie Brown, Heavy D-the girls imitated the artist’s style, moves, gestures. The artists are mixed in with a reference to a movie character, Roger Rabbit, and the butterfly, a creature famous for changing his body"
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BOOTS
Juice Juice, gotta get loose
We came here to knock some boots
Foot oh yeah oh yeah
Hop oh yeah oh yeah
BOUNCE oh yeah oh yeah
-African American girls playing Double Dutch, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [page 95 in "Recess Battles: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling" edited byAnna R. Beresin], collected in 1992
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C, D
CHALLENGE CHALLENGE 1 2 3
*****
[Page 8]
D. I.S. H. Choice
This is a jump that allows you to pick which way you want the rope turned. “D” stand for “Double Dutch”, “I” for “Irish”, “S” for single turn, “H” for “hop”, and “choice” is for any of the previous four.
The one you miss on is the one you must do.
[Google Books]
"Some Jump Rope Rimes From South Philadelphia" by Roger D. Abrahams in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Volume 8, Spring Issue 1963, edited by Simon Bronner
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
H O P, hop
1, 2, 3"
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D.I.S.H. CHOICE
D.I.S.H. choice, do your footsies
D.I.S.H. choice, up the ladder
D.I.S.H. choice do your hopsies
D.I.S.H. choice do your turnsies
1, 2, and 3, and a 1, 2, and 3
Hop, 1, 2, and 3
Jump, 1, 2, and 3
(At choice* the jumper can do "what she wants")
-African American girls playing Double Dutch, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [page 94 in "Recess Battles: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling" edited byAnna R. Beresin], (collected in 1992, 1999)
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D. I.S. H. ChOICE
This is a jump that allows you to pick which way you want the rope turned. “D” stand for “Double Dutch”, “I” for “Irish”, “S” for single turn, “H” for “hop”, and “choice” is for any of the previous four.
The one you miss on is the one you must do.
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
H O P, hop
1, 2, 3
-"Some Jump Rope Rimes From South Philadelphia" by Roger D. Abrahams in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Volume 8, Spring Issue 1963, edited by Simon Bronner, page 8
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E, F
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G, H
GIRL SCOUT GIRL SCOUT DO YOUR DUTY
[Double Dutch rhyme mentioned in Chapter 4: Double Dutch And Double Cameras: Studying The Transmission of Culture In An Urban Shool Yard" by Ann Richman Beresin in the 1999 book Children's Folklore: A Sourcebook edited by Brian Sutton-Smith, Jay Mechling, Thomas W. Johnson, Felicia McMahon (Utah State University Press)
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HEY CONCENTRATION
"Hey concentration
Where have you been
Around the corner
And back again
Stole my money
Stole my honey
Mama's got the hiccups
Daddy's got the flu.
Now come on boys
Let's slice the ice.
Slice it 1
Slice it 2
Slice it 3 4 5
Slice it 6
Slice it 7
Slice it 8 9 10
Hey everybody
Come on and do your thing.
2 up bop, bop.
2 down bop, bop
2 up bop, bop.
2 down bop, bop
2 up"
-Eleanor Fulton, Pat Smith, Let’s Slice The Ice (published St. Louis, Missouri. Magnamusic-Baton, 1978, page 27)
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HEY, CONCENTRATION
...And remember those songs the girls would sing, using the rhythm of the rope and their feet as percussion:
"Hey Concentration
Where have you been?
Around the corner and back again.
Stole my money
And my honey
Papa got the hiccups, Mama got the slice.
So come on baby let's slice that ice,
Slice 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!
I knew an old lady who lived in a town.
She tried to do the jump but she turned around.
She tried to do the split but she did the kick.
Oh my Lawd now what is this?"
https://bigmediavandal.blogspot.com/2008/02/imagery-saturdays-games-people-play.html Saturday, February 09, 2008, "Imagery Saturdays: Games People Play", By Odienator
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HEY, CONCENTRATION
"Hey concentration
Where have you been
Around the corner
And back again
Stole my money
Stole my honey
Mama's got the hiccups
Papas got the mumps.
Now come on baby
Let's slice that ice.
Slice 10 9 8 7
6 5 4 3 2 1
Gypsy Gypsy, Rosalie
Who on earth can your old man be?
Is he a rich man, poor man
baker man, chief?
Dr, lawyer, store man, thief.
Now spell your name on one foot.
That's a N-i-n-a
Nina's a girl from overseas
She don't dig no boys in dungarees.
She lives uptown, she lives downtown
She lives all around
Now let's get down.
(then you hot jump as fast as you can for as long as you can)"
-email to Azizi Powell from Nina Gonzalez (Jersey City, New Jersey), 8/6/2017
-snip-
Nina began her email with this comment. "I love this. when i was a little girl in jersey city nj we had a variation of hey concentration which was/is my favorite rope song"
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HEY DJ
Hey DJ let's sing that song
Keep a footin'
All night long
Hey DJ let's sing that song
Keep a hoppin'
All night long
Hey DJ let's sing that song
Keep a turnin'
All night long
Hey DJ let's sing that song
Keep a clappin'
All night long
The body had to show "endurance" all night long and it had to show style and "get loose". Jumpers had to be disciplined "on time", and flexible ("Do it right").
-African American girls playing Double Dutch, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [page 94 in "Recess Battles: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling" edited byAnna R. Beresin], (collected in 1992)
[page 94 in "Recess Battles: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling"]
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This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series.
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