Cinderella Dressed in Yella

So the kids have been coming home from school singing the same schoolyard songs I used to sing. They have especially picked up on the jumprope song:

“Cinderella dressed in yella, Went upstairs to kiss a fella, Made a mistake and kissed a snake, How many doctors did it take? One, Two, Three….”

One I taught them that they think is funny: You need two or more people and stand in a circle. Everyone puts their right hand, palm up, on top of their neighbor’s left hand; and their left hand, palm up, under their neighbor’s right hand hand. As you sing the song you take your right hand and clap your neighbor to the left. You want to go as fast as you can because when the song ends, the last person clapped is out of the circle and you play until there is just one winner. The song goes: “Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky, Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky, Saying hip, hop, hippity hop, East side, West side, Kerrr-plop.”

I guess these don’t mean much without the tunes, but what are some your favorite childhood rhymes?

4 Comments

  1. Heather
    Nov 28, 2006

    Jim O’Shea, On The Dummy Line, Cinderella Dressed in Yella, and Susie Playmate are the only ones I can think of right now. My Dad taught us some really fun ones when we were little.

  2. Heidi
    Nov 28, 2006

    I remember playing the Cinderella one too. I knew tons of other jumprope songs when I was younger but I can’t remember them anymore. (Something about a bear is all I’m getting.) I used to do a clapping one with Holly too but I don’t remember that one either. Holly?

  3. Holly
    Nov 29, 2006

    Wasn’t the clapping one the song where you almost swear a couple times. I think it started, “Miss Suzy had a boyfriend…” Classic entertainment for white-trash children everywhere! I loved that one. I think it still makes me giggle. And the only bear song I can remember is “Fuzzy Wuzzy”, but that wasn’t really a song.

  4. Korby
    Dec 1, 2006

    I have played Down by the banks with my guys and they loved it. That was quite awhile ago I should play it with them more. My words are alittle different. There was one I would sing on the monkey bars ” Open up the barn doors kick out the hay were the girls from the USA”. I dont remember any more if there is any more. Also “Ity bity bopsy daisy opp bop bop sa daisy” I really wish I could remember all the words to all of them they were always crazy and fun.