John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

I’ve been teaching my fourth graders about the Revolutionary War and we discussed yesterday how the colonists chanted “No taxation without representation” over and over again. So, naturally, since I am one to go off topic whenever I get the chance, I asked my class what chants they yell nowadays. They just looked at me. So, I just looked at them. Seriously? Has it gotten that bad that they don’t even know what a chant is?  Well, I remember the ones we used when I was little, and I can’t remember where I put my car keys half  the time.

 I think the first clapping song we were first taught is

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can;

Pat it and prick it and mark it with B,

Put it in the oven for baby and me.

Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can;

Roll it up, roll it up;

And throw it in a pan!

Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man.

 I loved teaching this one to my own children.

The next one is more of a song than a chant, but more of a song that we did a hand clap with. I think.  You can’t expect me to know everything. I’m old. It went like this-

“Say,say, Oh  playmate, come out and play with me. And bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree. Shout down my rain barrel, slide down my cellar door, and we’ll be jolly friends, forever more…..Say, oh playmate, I cannot play with you. My dollie’s got the flu, Oh boo hoo hoo hoo hoo. Ain’t go no rain barrel, ain’t got no cellar door, but we’ll be jolly friends, forever more.” Heres an example of one way we sang the song.

Ta-da.. I remembered it. My mom used to sing this song ALL the time. And without taking a pause to inhale her Salem cigarette.  She loved this little ditty.

2. “A sailor went to sea sea sea to see what he could see see see, and all that he could see see see was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea.”  Yeah, I remember that one. And then we would clap faster each time. I had great eye-hand coordination back then. Hyper little chichuahua’s can concentrate on clapping games and do pretty damn well.

Comet—it makes your mouth turn green.
Comet—it tastes like gasoline.
Comet—it makes you vomit
So eat some Comet and vomit today.

Boys use to chant this one. Of course, we probably did too. We had no idea what anything meant. 

 ”There’s a skeeter on my peter, knock it off. There’s a skeeter on my peter, knock it off. There’s a dozen on my cousin’s
I can hear the bugger’s buzzin’
There’s a skeeter on my peter, knock it off”

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  Engine, engine, number 9
Going down Chicago line
If that train should jump the track
Do you want your money back?

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We abbreviated this song into a chant/jumprope/clapping game

 My mother told me if I was goody
That she would buy me a rubber dolly
My auntie told her, I kissed a soldier
Now she wont buy me, a rubber dolly

Three, six, nine
The goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat. Clap Clap.

We repeated this one alot.

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 I think this was my favorite- John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

Of course, this is the nursing home version…the one I will be rambling over and over in 30 years..probably earlier.

“Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief”

“Gorgie Porgie Puddin Pie Kissed the girls and made them cry He kissed them once, then kissed them twice, how many tears did they cry? 1..2..3..4.. -”

 ”Mabel Mabel if you’re able, don’t forget to set the table…” I don’t remember the rest.

“Cinderella, dressed in yellow
Went upstairs to kiss a fellow”, how many kisses did she get…” and then we counted?

 ”One two buckle my shoe
Three four close the door
Five six pick up sticks
Seven eight shut the gate
Nine ten start again”

Down in the valley
Where the green grass grows
There sat ______(girl’s name)
Sweet as a rose
She sang, she sang
She sang so sweet
Along came ______(boy’s name)
And kissed her cheek
How many kisses did he give her
{count until someone misses}

 Well, I think that’s all my brain can take for one day. If you can think of any others from the 1960′s and 1970′s, just add them to a reply and I will put them on here.

I hope that you will sing at least one of them.  You know you want to.

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