Eenie Meanie Sassaleeny Clapping Songs. Between the silly (or nonsense) lyrics and the fast-paced sequence of claps, taps, snaps, and crosses, cl. Athena Mertes. What others are saying Remember those clapping games we used to play as kids? Between the silly (or nonsense) lyrics and the fast-paced sequence of claps, taps, snaps. Eenie Meanie Sassaleeny, Opps ah tumbalini, Achi cachi Liberace, I love you, Take a peach, Take a plum, Take a stick of bubble gum, No peach No plumb No stick of bubble gum Saw you with your boyfriend last night How’d you know I was peaking through the key hole Miss Susie behind the refrigerator there was a Read more ».
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Edited by Azizi PowellThis post features examples of the playground rhyme that begins with the 'eenie meenie sisaleenie' (or similar spelling) verse and also includes the 'saw you with your boyfriend' verse. Text analysis and other comments about these rhymes and some other related rhymes are also included in this post.The content of this post is provided for folkloric and recreational purposes.All copyrights remain with their owners.DISCLAIMERIncluding these rhymes on this blog that focuses on African American rhymes & songs and rhymes & songs from other Black cultures throughout the world, isn't meant to imply that examples of this rhyme are only chanted by Black people. That is obviously not true. However, given its structure and its words, I believe that some, if not all, of the early examples of this rhyme originated with African Americans.EDITOR'S TEXT ANALYSIS OF 'EENIE MEENIE SISALEENIE'Eenie Meenie Sissaleeni' (or similarly pronounced spelling) is a large family of playground rhymes that originated in the United States. Those rhymes may be chanted as a four line verse without the addition of 'saw you with your boyfriend' or any other verse. Other versions of this rhyme begin with a two line rhyme similar to that given as Example #1 in the 'Other Text Examples' found below or this three line example:Eenie Meanie Justa LeanieOoca lacka TrackalackaI love you.In those examples, the first line contains an internal rhyme based on the 'eenie' syllable, and the second line contains an internal rhyme based on the 'acka' syllable.I chanted a four line version of this rhyme while doing a partner hand clap routine (Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1950s).
We sang:Eenie meenie epsodeenieOoh aah umbaleenieAshie mashie kohkah lashieI love youThe dashes represent one pause in the beat.-snip-Four Line StructureIn the four line 'eenie meenie sissalini' verse, the first line contains an internal rhyme made from the the 'eenie' syllable. The last word of the second line also ends with the 'eenie' sound and thus rhymes with the first line. The third line contains an internal rhyme made by the 'ie' (pronounced 'ee') syllable, and thus rhymes with the first and second lines. The fourth line is the only one that does not have an internal or end word rhyme.'
In the mid-70s in Yreka, California, my friends and I chant-sang the following - and it always made sense to me as a story about a girl who was, or fancied herself as, a gypsy queen and thought she could have a secret boyfriend only to learn that she was caught out and her friends knew all along. I had no idea there were different versions, of course.Eenie meenie gypsy queenieOoh ah allimeenieAtchie Caughtchie LiberaceI love you. pauseSaw your boyfriend the other dayWhat's his name?John Wayne.How did you know?Peekin' through the keyhole.Nosy!Hate to do the dishes.Lazy!Jumpin' through the window.Crazy!Eenie meenie gypsy queenieOoh ah allimeenieAtchie Caughtchie LiberaceI love you! We played this game as a double dutch chant in the 70's in Philadelphia Pa. It went like this:Eeny meany sisaleenie. Ooh ah chacha leenie ocka bocka liberacha I love you choo choo shampoo.I saw ya with your boyfriend last nightWhat was his name?Charlie WhiteHow do you know?Because I Peeked through the peepholeNosey!Wash those dishes! Lazy!Jump out the window!
Crazy!Oh I can do the oochi coochi,I can do a split!Betcha 5 dollars you can't do this!Lady on 1 footLady on 2 footsclose your eyes and count to ten.If you miss you've got the ends1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10! Unknown, thanks for sharing that version of 'Eeny Meany'.And thanks for adding demographic information and the information that this rhyme was chanted while playing double dutch jump rope.Was this rhyme primarily chanted by African Americans in Philadelphia?And did the boyfriend's name change with each jumper?Also, as explanation, sometimes 'enders' is the term that is used for the two people who turn the two ropes that are held together and turned for double dutch (That term is also used for the two people who turn the one rope that is used for jump rope with three or more people). That explains the line that Unknown shared 'If you miss you've got the ends'.Thanks again! Unknown, thanks for sharing demographics (location and decade) along with your remembrances of this 'Eenie Meanie Sisaleenie' rhyme. I wonder when the 'I love you' ending changed to 'I hate you'. Given how children are, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened soon after this rhyme was first chanted.The 'kissing behind a magazine' words are probably from the 'Apple on a stick' rhyme.
The basic words to that rhyme are:Apple on a stick makes me sick,Makes my heart beat two-forty-six,Not because you're dirty, not because you're clean,Just because you kissed a boy behind a magazine.-snip-Like other children's recreational rhymes, that 'Apple On A Stick' verse is often combined with other rhymes.When you wrote that you remember some lyrics saying 'kissing behind a magazine' did you mean that you chanted 'Eenie Meenie Sisaleenie' with that 'kissing behind a magazine' rhyme?Click for a 2014 pancocojams post on 'Apple On A Stick'. I'm an African American mother, grandmother, & retired human services administrator.
For more than forty years I have shared adapted West African stories with audiences in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.I have four blogspots:,. Much of the content of these blogs were previously found on my cocojams and jambalayah cultural websites. I curate all of these blogs on a voluntary basis.Each of these blogs have the primary goal of raising awareness about cultural aspects of African American culture and of other Black cultures throughout the world, particularly in regards to music & dance traditions.Viewer comments are welcome on my blogspots.
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Eenie meenie miney mo
Catch a bad chick by her toe If she holla (if, if, if, she hollas) let her go
She's indecisive
She can't decide She keeps on lookin' From left to right Girl, c'mon get closer Look in my eyes Searching is so wrong I'm Mr. Right
You seem like the type
To love 'em and leave 'em And disappear right after the song So give me the night To show you, and hold you Don't leave me out here dancin' alone Related
You can't make up your mind, mind, mind, mind, mind
Please don't waste my time, time, time, time, time I'm not tryin' to rewind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind I wish our hearts could come together as one 'Cause shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' ooh
Let me show you what you're missin'
Paradise With me you're winning girl You don't have to roll the dice Tell me what you're really here for (here for) Them other guys? I can see right through ya
You seem like the type
To love 'em and leave 'em And disappear right after the song So give me the night To show you, and hold you Don't leave me out here dancin' alone
Can't make up your mind, mind, mind, mind, mind
Please don't waste my time, time, time, time, time Not tryin' to rewind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind I wish our hearts could come together as one
Shawty yeah is an eenie meenie miney mo lover'
Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover'
Eenie meenie miney moe
Catch a bad chick by her toe If she holla (if, if, if she holla) let her go Eenie meenie miney moe Catch a bad chick by her toe If she holla (la la la la) let, let her
Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover'
Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo
Cant make up your mind, mind, mind, mind, mind
Please don't waste my time, time, time, time, time I'm not tryin' to rewind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind (oh yeah) I wish our hearts could come together as one
(Here we go) Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover' Oh ![]() Comments are closed.
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