At School 05. The song is made up from a number of syllables, (the counting out rhyme). It is one of a large group of similar 'counting-out rhymes' where the child who is pointed to by the chanter on the last syllable is 'counted out'. The book was published in 1888 and thoroughly describes the authors research into various childrens counting-out rhymes that were popular at the time. "These songs are part of a racist history our nation's history. If he hollers let him go, Then shop him to the FBI. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The sisters lost and when they appealed, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe " In historical references of this song, the word "tiger" is replaced by the N-word. A Cornish version collected in 1882 runs: There are many theories about the origins of the rhyme. There's also another version that goes. For Theodore Johnson III, who wrote the article, knowledge of that history ruined ice cream trucks for him. Again, this is in no way a defense of those songs, a defense for keeping their original lyrics or absolving the audience members from their consumption of racist material. Not only that, but its lesser-known second verse uses the N-word and laughs about the death of African Americans. 'Eeny, meeny, miny, mo' is certainly a strange line, so does it mean anything and does curiosity about its origin lead us anywhere? The first record of a similar rhyme, called the "Hana, man," is from about 1815, when children in New York City are said to have repeated the rhyme: Henry Carrington Bolton discovered this version to be in the US, Ireland and Scotland in the 1880s but was unknown in England until later in the century. The rhyme has existed in various forms since well before 1820, and is common in many languages with . And, this particular rhyme isnt only found in the US; kids in England, France, Denmark, Germany, and Zimbabwe all make decisions using similar-sounding rhymes. ^^Song Info: Toy-Box - Eenie, Meenie, Miney, MoImage/Song Mp3: https://www.mediafire.com/f. The History And Traditions That Make Hanukkah Light Up, The Meaning Of Kwanzaa And Its Celebrations, Winter 2023 New Words: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Fall In Love With 14 Captivating Valentines Day Words, Rizz And 7 Other Slang Trends That Explain The Internet In 2023, Win With Qi And This List Of Our Best Scrabble Words, We Had ChatGPT Coin Nonsense PhrasesAnd Then We Defined Them, Surprise! The link to the names of numerals in ancient languages is also likely. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe Is it originally American? The Racist History of Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe. Good Luck! And who decides this? They include: Some versions of this rhyme used the racial slur "nigger" instead of "tiger". In some German versions Eena, tena, mona, mi. When he's done, Wipe his bum. In 2005, the song made the news when a school in suburban Detroit incorporated "Pick a Bale of Cotton" in a choir performance. Popularized in the 19th century, it was often sung by minstrels in blackface using the dialect of enslaved Africans, to boot. I shut my eyes to hold my brefSusanna, dont you cry. In order to justify slavery, slavers propagated the libel that people of African descent were inherently more animal, less civilized, and thus less human.. [30], The 1933 Looney Tunes cartoon Bosko's Picture Show parodies MGM as "TNT pictures", whose logo is a roaring and burping lion with the motto "Eenie Meanie Minie Moe" in the place of MGM's "Ars Gratia Artis". Eggs, butter, cheese, bread, The sisters claim was rejected both in court and in an appeal. Joe Biden is pretty good at being president. I grew up in Australia and during my childhood years in the mid-late 70s, the only version I was aware of was the n***** version. Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. Eeny meeny miny moe Catch me If you can dodo, yeah Eeny meeny miny moe Watch out If you can dodo, yeah Eeny meeny miny moe Catch me If Eeny Meeny Miny Moe Steph Moody can't take back Eeny, meeny, miny, moe Eeny, meeny, miny, moe My mind says let you go My mind says let you go But my heart says I don't know My heart To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Counting off has always been a way to group and identify things. Update: A reader pointed out that I was inconsistent in citing the use of the word "nigger" in lyrics and in the piece. It goes something like this: Eenie, meenie, miney, moe, A child points to each item in turn (or alternately), while saying a rhyme starting "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe", moving to the next item after each quarter-line (i.e. This, however, is a recent revision. "When the reach of racism robs me of fond memories from my childhood, it feels intensely personal again. All The Pasta Shape Names Explained: How Many Do You Know? And it's really fun to repeat them in a pattern. Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo. I can see right through you. Osse bosse bakke disse, Every kid seems to know a version of Eeny Meeny Miny Mo. But, some folklorists propose it goes back much further, suggesting that counting-out rhymes like Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moeoriginate from Ancient Celtic rituals of sorting out who would be chosen to die as a punishment or, perhaps, a sacrifice. Eena, meena, ming, mong, I told him, dont you ever let me catch you in Riverside Ca. The meaning: The vocabulary used by lyricist Stephen Foster is meant to mimic black speech. And no, subbing in monkeys and making the rhymes less deadly isnt innocent, says Kansas State University English professor Philip Nel. Right. There's an idea that it comes from slave selection or a description of whatwhite slave owners would do if they caught a runaway slave. How the Great Recession paved the way for influencers to inherit the earth, The surprising lesson from a century of Oscar scandals. Here are some versions from English-speaking countries Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe Eeeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo England, English Language Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe USA, English Language Eenie Meenie Sicileeny USA, English Language [11] You know? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. The classic American version most are familiar with goes like this: "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, catch a tiger by the toe, If he hollers, let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, mo." This, however, is a recent revision. [3], Iona and Peter Opie pointed out in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) that the word "nigger" was common in American folklore, but unknown in any English traditional rhyme or proverb.[3]. In other online discussions, I found a theory that this line refers to a common way for slave traders to examine a prospect slave. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Although it seems weird that a similar rhyme would emerge all over the world, researchers believe that it could have simply resulted from different children learning which sounds go well together. If he hollers, let him go Its not hard to see why children would use a playful variation of (essentially) one, two, three to count down their options. Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lover (Here we go!) Eeny, meeny, mony, my, 144 Likes, 0 Comments - VW Barstool (@barstool_vw) on Instagram: "eenie meenie miney mo, your season is over, time to go home @barstool_elida" Every kid waits in suspense, hoping the last moe doesnt land on them. The sisters claimed that the flight attendant's use of the rhyme was racist. But in that context, does the current edit make this nursery rhyme any less derogatory? "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe"which can be spelled a number of waysis a children's counting-out rhyme, used to select a person in games such as tag, or for selecting various other things. Of all of the phrases and idioms in the English language 'eeny, meenie, miny, mo' must be the one with the widest variety of spellings. Years later, in 1982, linguist Derek Bickerton proposed a theory that Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe was actually a distorted version of an African phrase. In some Dutch versions Ene, mine, mike, maken.. To make matters worse, that song became the basis for an offensive folk song in 1916 titled, "Nigger Love A Watermelon Ha! The sisters claimed the flight attendant was being racist. Nowadays weve got a vested interest in nurturing the opposite, so its probably time to retire these particular tunes. It was written by Stephen Foster (Camptown Races, Swanee River,) in the 19th century, and was originally sung in a slave dialect. Despite language differences, the first lines of each version are remarkably alike. Interestingly, Dutch scholars had the same idea. The more you know. The poem has many versions used in different regions, but the roots consistently make clear references to slavery and discrimination of Black people. Pastor, lone, bone, strei, Oops. Seemingly innocent, the rhyme is not what it seems. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. And you are [not] it. MARTIN: Can you find it in other languages or is this exclusively something that lives in English? Eeny meeny miny mo. If he hollers, let him go, Une, fine, fane, fo A version from Yorkshire is: Eeeny, meeny, miney, mo. The first line in the version sung in Cornwall, England was Eeha, meena, mona, mite. RAPHEL: An earlier version of the rhyme that children recited on playgrounds did include a racial slur sometimes. Another is that it associates Asians with either poor hygiene or subservience. Tell us about them in the comments! Ancient Celtic counting system or Victorian nonsense verse? Accuracy and availability may vary. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Eenie, meenie, miney, mo Catch a bad chick by her toe If she holla If, if, if she holla, let her go She's indecisive, she can't decide She keeps on looking from left to right The original rhyme, though, was about 10 little n-words, not monkeys, and when they fell out of bed they died in one of the horrible ways only Black children perished at the time. The original lyrics: "It raind all night de day I left, De wedder it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to def.". Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism? Eeny meeny miney mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he swears, let it go, Eeny meeny miney mo. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. Gotta jump down, turn around, Oh, Lordie, pick a bale a day." Our skimmable newsletter is delivered to your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and get smarter. Ene, fune, herke, berke, Its racist origin, however, still haunts the popular rhyme. The stories we learn from them are painful, but also valuable. MARTIN: So what's the take away - that kind of children everywhere - there's some universal quality to the sound of these words and repeating them in a pattern? Bickerton says that the language was used by African slaves and that this term might have been picked up by American children to be used in the rhyme. Versions of the rhyme have existed since before 1820. "BasketBall, Watermelon, Cadillac cars, we aint as dumb as you think we..is". [28], Rex Stout wrote a 1962 Nero Wolfe novella titled Eeny Meeny Murder Mo. Then shop him to the FBI. In the US, Bolton found no less than 8 different versions using the word n***** in the second line. ', which all the children join in with. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Catch a tiger by the toe It was used in the chorus of Bert Fitzgibbon 's 1906 song "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo": Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo, Catch a nigger by the toe, If he won't work then let him go; Skidum, skidee, skidoo. The songs meant something at the time they were created, and they have a different, and important meaning to our lives now: remembering a past that we should never forget. In this theory, the words Eenie, meenie, miney, moeare thought come from the Celtic words for the numbers one, two, three, four.. which makes as little sense in Danish as it does in English but, despite it being entirely meaningless to them, the children in the area continued to sing it for centuries. As late as the 1980s, though, children werent catching a tiger by the toe, but a n-word.. Bach's St. John Passion, for instance, is set to anti-semitic text. There's also another version that goes. The rest of the rhyme usually varies between countries, offering a mixture of gibberish and local spoken words. There are considerable variations in the lyrics of the rhyme, including from the early twentieth century in the United States of America: During the Second World War, an AP dispatch from Atlanta, Georgia reported: "Atlanta children were heard reciting this wartime rhyme: A distinct version of the rhyme in the United Kingdom, collected in the 1950s & 1960s, is: There are many scenes in books, films, plays, cartoons and video games in which a variant of "Eeny meeny " is used by a character who is making a choice, either for serious or comic effect. You know them by heart, but you can do these little, like, switches and flips and variations in them. Doo-dah!/ I go back home wid a pocket full of tin -- Oh! I jumpd aboard the telegraph and trabbled down de ribber, Remarks on a little-known Africanism. Children often utilize this rhyme to determine whos it, especially during a game of Hiden Seek. The original lyrics: "De Camptown ladies sing dis song Doo-dah! An example comes from the Danish region near Kattegat, where the Jack and Jill rhyme, which arrived during the British occupation in the Napoleonic wars, was repeated as: Jeck og JillVent op de hillOg Jell kom tombling efter. [citation needed], In Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh (1995), the leading character and his three sisters are nicknamed Ina, Minnie, Mynah and Moor. Harvard PhD student Adrienne Raphel looked into its origins, and tells NPR's Rachel Martin it's found on playgrounds around the world. Sign up for writing inspiration in your email, Harness Your Moxie To Take This Word Of The Day Quiz, Getting Braggadocious: Top Word Trends On Dictionary.com, (one version of several; they also chant the US variation above), There isnt a clearcut explanation as to how these global variations came about and to provide one would require knowing definitively where. The rhyme appears towards the end of 1949 British black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. It's safe to say that as classic as "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" is, the centuries-old nursery rhyme no doubt has a haunted past and not so kid-friendly origins. [31] The uncensored word was restored for the Criterion Collection edition of the film. As children often do, my daughter suggested choosing whoever will be it by singing the famous rhyme as it is now very commonly sung. It is one of a large group of similar rhymes in which the child who is pointed to by the chanter on the last syllable is chosen. For the most part, schools in the U.S. have gone with the latter. Shaftel explains that we usually attach a disclaimer to Bach and explain how his art was a product of his time. Shawty is a eenie meenie miney mo, lover [Justin Bieber] Let me show you what your missing, Paradise, With me you're winning girl, You don't have to roll the dice, Tell me what you're really here for, Them other guys? Eenie, meenie, minie mo. Its racist for many reasons, one of which is that its performance depends upon caricature the performers fingers make upward-slanting eyes forChinese and downward-slanting forJapanese. This nursery rhyme has been taught to many children to help them learn how to count. And then the words that recognized take on a life of their own. It first began to be written down in the 19th century - the scholarly journal Notes and Queries published this in the February 1855 edition: "The following are used in the United States for the selection of a taggerEeny, meeny, moany, mite,Butter, lather, boney, strike,Hair, bit, frost, neck,Harrico, barrico, we, wo, wack". ", When it comes to these songs, Shaftel explains that children should be taught the modified versions because they can't grasp the nuances of race just yet and don't have multiple levels of understanding. This bears more than a passing resemblance to the English version recorded by Fred Jago in The Glossary of the Cornish Dialect, 1882: Ena, mena, mona, mite,Bascalora, bora, bite,Hugga, bucca, bau,Eggs, butter, cheese, bread.Stick, stock, stone dead - OUT.". The song's melody, it turns out, was popularized in antebellum minstrel shows where the lyrics "parodied a free black man attempting to conform to white high society by dressing in fine clothes and using big words." Is it my responsibility to foul the sweet taste of ice cream with their first taste of racism?". The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. The version before this one was much more grim and ghastly. The stories we learn from them are painful, but also valuable. Eena, meena, mina, mo, There never was an accepted definitive version, so the children who used the rhyme were very happy to substitute their own words as the mood took them. Eenie, meenie, minie mo." Something went wrong. Was? But when you get money, your little bride Will surely find out where you hide, So there's the door and when I count four, Then out goes you. If then the slave would scream, the trader would decline to purchase him. The words: "Eenie, meenie, minie mo. The best known version of the rhyme is the one that is now widely derided as insulting, especially in the USA, where the middle two lines originated: Eena, meena, mina, mo, Catch a n*gger by the toe, If he hollers, let him go, Eena meena, mina, mo. What's its historyboth good and bad? Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. The words: "Ol' massa's gone and I'll let him rest/They say all things are for the best/ But I'll never forget 'til the day I die". All rights reserved. The second line in the American rhyme, Catch a tiger by the toe, has a clearer and more dismal ancestry that traces right back to the United States. You probably sang something about a tiger, but the original lyrics go like this: "Eenie, meenie, minie mo/. The last line is often topped off with a short emphasized 'You are It!' We change the songs and scrub them clean. Director Jokes Yanes Writers J. Bishop Jokes Yanes Stars Andres Dominguez Belkys Galvez David Scott Lago I understand that one of the earlier versions of the rhyme included a racial slur. Ene, mene, ming, mang, (Laughter). Now what? Catch an nigger by the toe. Iona and Peter Opie (1951) quote the following version: This version was similar to that reported by Henry Carrington Bolton as the most common version among American schoolchildren in 1888. Millions turn to Vox to educate themselves, their family, and their friends about whats happening in the world around them, and to learn about things that spark their curiosity. Google Pay. Harvard PhD student Adrienne Raphel looked into its origins, and tells NPR's Rachel Martin it's found on playgrounds around the world. Copyright 2015 NPR. Parental Alienation (PA) is the outcome of one parent (the alienating parent) using Parental Alienating Behaviours (PABs) to damage the relationship between their child and the child's other parent (the targeted parent). Lets take a look at some of them. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe. A leader takes the counting role and, in the rhythm of the rhyme, points to each child in turn. In Johnson's article, he writes that he ultimately decided against telling his kids about the origins of the ice cream truck song, but they will likely learn it one day. [Note: UK residents who voted in the May 2011 referendum might notice a parallel with the 'First Past the Post' and 'Alternative Vote' systems.]. The vinyl release of Radiohead's album OK Computer (1997) uses the words "eeny meeny miny moe" (rather than letter or numbers) on the labels of Sides A, B, C and D respectively.[27]. F. B. Haviland Publishing Co (1906). Many people conveniently forget parts of American history like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Japanese internment camps that dotted the American West during WWII, but the truth is, Asian Americans have never had it easy in the States. ), Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary, similar children's counting-out games in other languages, As for this thing, he held up the shuttlecock, contaminated, in his outstretched right [hand], this idiot tickler, the only thing it's good for is, Well, said Lord Galen in some dismay, I suppose we shall have to cast lots or play at, la bla nca trska panca, oj gdi Vno na kapitno, n piy, w piy, y zh xiomo zu fij, literally "cap cip cup flower bud, a horse ran and was pinched by the door", ni bni rs, kvnter fnter s, ni bni rjba, kvnter fnter ba, , , cap cip cup kembang kuncup, kuda lari kejepit pintu, entliczek pentliczek czerwony stoliczek na kogo wypadnie na tego bec, , , , , https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=eeny,_meeny,_miny,_moe&oldid=71429390, Requests for etymologies in English entries, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, A method of choosing between two or more people or things, used by. Catch an nigger by the toe. Whenever I hear the music now, the antique voice laughing about niggers and watermelon fills my head," Johnson wrote. Eeny meeny miney mo, Catch a tigger by the toe, If you ever let it go, Eeny meeny miney mo. ", "Catch a negro by his toe/ If he hollers make him pay/Twenty dollars every day. Sung in Cornwall, England was Eeha, meena, ming,,... This website the reach of racism? `` are many theories about the death of African Americans he... But the roots consistently make clear references to slavery and discrimination of Black people and then the words recognized! # x27 ; s done, Wipe his bum authoritative record of NPRs programming the. That recognized take on a life of their own using the dialect of enslaved,. Bakke disse, Every kid seems to know a version of the.. ; s its historyboth good and bad hollers let him go, Eeny meeny miney mo nigger '' of... And then the words: `` de Camptown ladies sing dis song!... To your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and get smarter history nation! Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today, Remarks on a life of their own in forms... The counting role and, in the version before this one was much more grim and ghastly you them... Is delivered to your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and smarter. Wid a pocket alternatives to eenie meenie miney mo of tin -- Oh that we usually attach a disclaimer to Bach and explain how art... In other languages or is this exclusively something that lives in English syllables, Laughter. To Bach and explain how his art was a product of his time and Coronets delivered to your inbox week... How the Great Recession paved the way for influencers to inherit the earth, the Tenth Circuit of! 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Do you know attach a disclaimer to Bach and explain how his was!, says Kansas State University English professor Philip Nel, '' Johnson wrote made up from a number syllables! Down de ribber, Remarks on a little-known Africanism will only be used for processing... Or is this exclusively something that lives in English either poor hygiene subservience. Every kid seems to know a version of the rhyme, points each... The time that it associates Asians with either poor hygiene or subservience about the death of African Americans was. To retire these particular tunes: Toy-Box - Eenie, Meenie,,! Telegraph and trabbled down de ribber, Remarks on a little-known Africanism how the Great Recession paved the for... Attendant was being racist second verse uses the N-word and laughs about the origins of the page across the. Less deadly isnt innocent, says Kansas State University English professor Philip Nel is also likely,! 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And laughs about the origins of the page across from the article title our Terms! Let him go, Eeny meeny Murder mo and no, subbing in monkeys and making the rhymes less isnt...: Some versions of the rhyme is not what it seems was published in 1888 and thoroughly the! Do you know and thoroughly describes the authors research into various childrens counting-out rhymes were! Butter, cheese, bread, the first line in the rhythm of rhyme. & # x27 ; s its historyboth good and bad our nation history! In them is this exclusively something that lives in English into its origins, and tells NPR Rachel... Day. was being racist lives in English it seems 1888 and describes... Our website Terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information it originally American `` ``.