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Clapping and jump-rope rhymes are an intriguing part of the body of folksong. The number one song of this type that still sticks in my head is "Miss Suzie", of which I'm sure there are a gazillion variants in North America. ( Read more... )
A lot of songs and rhymes we learn from our parents or similar older figures, but every clapping and jumping song I ever learned was from other children, and those solely girls, as far as I can remember. I wonder what connection this has, mystically speaking, to women as tale-tellers, and to the predominance of girls/women in fanfic writing, for that matter. But in any case, it's interesting how songs like this spread. They certainly don't do so through regular media channels. All such songs I learned were either in grade school or at summer camp, from age-mates. Where did they get them? Older sisters? They have to be passed down from somewhere, and I don't think it's parents, mostly (at least, my mother never taught me any such).
As somewhat of an aside, I have never managed to work out what is going on with the fact that the song I know as "Mary Mack" ("Miss Mary Mack, mack, mack / All dressed in black, black, black / With silver buttons, buttons, buttons / All down her back, back, back") is so totally different from the homophonous "Mari Mac" of the Maritimes ("There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari Mac / Make no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna track"). Was there never any relation to begin with? Did they diverge wildly at some point?
A lot of songs and rhymes we learn from our parents or similar older figures, but every clapping and jumping song I ever learned was from other children, and those solely girls, as far as I can remember. I wonder what connection this has, mystically speaking, to women as tale-tellers, and to the predominance of girls/women in fanfic writing, for that matter. But in any case, it's interesting how songs like this spread. They certainly don't do so through regular media channels. All such songs I learned were either in grade school or at summer camp, from age-mates. Where did they get them? Older sisters? They have to be passed down from somewhere, and I don't think it's parents, mostly (at least, my mother never taught me any such).
As somewhat of an aside, I have never managed to work out what is going on with the fact that the song I know as "Mary Mack" ("Miss Mary Mack, mack, mack / All dressed in black, black, black / With silver buttons, buttons, buttons / All down her back, back, back") is so totally different from the homophonous "Mari Mac" of the Maritimes ("There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari Mac / Make no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna track"). Was there never any relation to begin with? Did they diverge wildly at some point?
