So then you stick words that you recognize into the nonsense syllables. ", The black plaintiffs in that case sued the airline for discrimination because a flight attendant had used the rhyme while urging them to take their seats. 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. You know, they're like these nonsense syllables that then sound like words that you recognize. 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. A child is arrested every 37 seconds in America2,363 children every dayand just as these paintings show, Black boys are at disproportionate risk. Joe Biden is pretty good at being president. Nicki Minaj) Justin Bieber 4,179,003 Catch a mouse by the toe; Also, the word for 'one' in Welsh, Cornish, Irish and Breton is, respectively, 'un' (pronounced 'een'), 'ouyn', 'aon' and 'unan' - all of them sounding not unlike 'een' or 'eeny'. Were not born racist; its something thats taught. I love writing about what I love. Its not a coincidencetheres actually a pretty interesting explanation! Children often utilize this rhyme to determine whos it, especially during a game of Hiden Seek. In this theory, the words Eenie, meenie, miney, moeare thought come from the Celtic words for the numbers one, two, three, four.. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe"which can be spelled a number of waysis a children's counting rhyme, used to select a person in games such as tag. 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 Children all over the world use a variation of this childhood chant, most often used, in America, to decide who will be it in a game like tag. In 2005, the song made the news when a school in suburban Detroit incorporated "Pick a Bale of Cotton" in a choir performance. 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. The traders would pinch or twist the slaves toe. In order to justify slavery, slavers propagated the libel that people of African descent were inherently more animal, less civilized, and thus less human.. Eenie Meenie by Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position . Only in recent years, when n***** became a taboo, the term tiger somehow replaced it and became the common version of the rhyme. 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. . 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. Oops. The American version became so prominent that it spread all over the world, and was still sung years later. The real lyrics, according to The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, are as follows: Eenie, meenie, miney moe Added to that, as far back as the 19th century there have been variants of the rhyme which are so dissimilar to our current version as to be scarcely recognisable - 'Hana, mana, mona, mike' (from New York) and 'Eetern, feetern, peeny, pump' (from Scotland) and many of these now have local variants and words added from other languages. Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo. The meaning: The meaning of this rhyme is rooted in the slave trade. I had to sit there and hear their prejudice jokes. You know? Counting off has always been a way to group and identify things. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is part of a large collection of Counting-out rhymes, used in playground games, since the early 19th century. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Versions of the rhyme have existed since before 1820. A version from Yorkshire is: Eeeny, meeny, miney, mo. But these songs, can teach us about our past. 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. Endendino, en-den-di-no. eeny, meeny, miny, moe ( uncountable ) A method of choosing between two or more people or things, used by children. ), 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. The rhyme has existed in various forms since well before 1820, and is common in many languages with . The jury did not side with the plaintiffs, and though they appealed, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the initial ruling. The original lyrics: "It raind all night de day I left, De wedder it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to def.". If he hollers, let him go. Catch a racist by the toe. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe " In historical references of this song, the word "tiger" is replaced by the N-word. They heard versions in Zimbabwe. And we want to be aware of our racist roots," Shaftel said. It is very hard to establish the exact origin of the song as it has so many accepted forms, in different languages and countries. What lies behind this variability is that throughout the 19th century the rhyme spread from different parts of the UK to every playground in the English-speaking world, but by word of mouth rather than on paper. The, "Jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton. Then and now give them credit for changing the tune those are the dark ages. The sisters claim was rejected both in court and in an appeal. You start saying eeny meeny, and then you go miny mo. Its possible children tried all sorts of nonsensical sounds and rhythms until they found one they liked: Nevertheless, there are as many theories as to the origin of. A little over a week ago, NPR had an illuminating and poignant report on the the racist beginnings of the ice cream truck song. Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe is a rhyme for choosing who's "It" in a game or to choose who goes first. 98 Likes, 9 Comments - Hannah Arbogast (@hannaharbogast) on Instagram: "eenie meenie miney mo" The stories we learn from them are painful, but also valuable. Children appear to have no such concerns. 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. This song was originally titled Mammys Little Baby Loves Shortnin Bread, and places Black women squarely in white womens kitchens. 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. Eeny Meeny Miny Mo Image Credit: Pexels Children all over the world use a variation of this childhood chant, most often used, in America, to decide who will be "it" in a game like tag. Dutch? Following by different variations of if he squeals/screams/hollers and then let him go/make him pay/send him hum. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. First appearing in Oswald Rabbit cartoons, then in their own series. "BasketBall, Watermelon, Cadillac cars, we aint as dumb as you think we..is". Copyright 2015 NPR. "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" (sometimes written as "moe") has been chanted and beloved by children on playgrounds for centuries. Seemingly innocent, the rhyme is not what it seems. 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. Check it out: England: 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. This nursery rhyme has been taught to many children to help them learn how to count. Some of these are obvious, others not so much! 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. If then the slave would scream, the trader would decline to purchase him. Director Jokes Yanes Writers J. Bishop Jokes Yanes Stars Andres Dominguez Belkys Galvez David Scott Lago They include: Some versions of this rhyme used the racial slur "nigger" instead of "tiger". Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. The song is made up from a number of syllables, (the counting out rhyme). Perhaps, therein lies the value of these songs: their existence raises awareness and starts conversations that we wouldn't have if they simply were forgotten. (Laughter). If he hollers let him go, Zimbabwe: Stop singing them? The book was published in 1888 and thoroughly describes the authors research into various childrens counting-out rhymes that were popular at the time. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. The first line in the version sung in Cornwall, England was Eeha, meena, mona, mite. Shaftel explains that we usually attach a disclaimer to Bach and explain how his art was a product of his time. Bennett, P.R. In other musical instances, this is not the case. Despite language differences, the first lines of each version are remarkably alike. MARTIN: So how did it morph? Shaftel explains that we usually attach a disclaimer to Bach and explain how his art was a product of his time. Interestingly, Dutch scholars had the same idea. Subbing out the word isnt enough, says educators like Nel, because the use of the rhyme at all can be traumatizing for people of color. Bolton says that it is impossible to trace the exact origin of the rhyme. Bellow are the lyrics of one of the accepted modern versions of the Eeny, meeny, miny, moe rhyme and also an older version. As adults, we might be curious as to whether the words mean anything and what their origin might have been. We've all taken advantage of the quirky nursery rhyme, "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe." But what does the ditty mean? Remember playing this choosing game on the playground? You . "Iniminimanimo" is a 1999 song by Kim Kay. Catch . 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". To pick the very best one It was used in the chorus of Bert Fitzgibbon's 1906 song "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo": Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo, Catch a nigger by his toe, If he won't work then let him go; Skidum, skidee, skidoo. Kling klang, And then the words that recognized take on a life of their own. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. or 'O, U, T spells out! In other musical instances, this is not the case. Wer? Alternate Versions and Related Songs Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe Song Variations Tweet Notes *Potty ***** Other Versions: Eeeny, meeny, miney, mo. It's also, you know, it's so much fun because they sound great together. I understand that one of the earlier versions of the rhyme included a racial slur. The poem has many versions used in different regions, but the roots consistently make clear references to slavery and discrimination of Black people. Warning: We are talking about racism in this article. Catch an nigger by the toe. Barcelona, stony, sty, Unsurprisingly, the term was changed to tiger when the n-word rightly became taboo (via The Paris Review). You can also contribute via. or "Daniel Boone was a man, he was a big man, but the bear was bigger so he ran like a nigger up a tree". 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. 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.". There's a deliberate choice here to make the singer sound unsophisticated. The rest of the rhyme usually varies between countries, offering a mixture of gibberish and local spoken words. You seem like the type to love 'em and leave 'em And disappear right after this song So give me the night to show you, hold you Don't leave me . Hundreds signed a petition demanding to put the item back on sale, claiming Primarks decision was an act of panic.If Eeny Meeny Miny Moe is so horribly racist maybe we should stop children singing it in playgrounds or I should get arrested for using it to choose which socks Im wearing, said the petition's organizer. MARTIN: Is it fair to call it a song? 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. each word or pair of syllables). [13] This offensive variation was widely used until around the 1950s when kid-friendly variations that instead use words like tiger, tinker, and piggy became commonplace. The rhyme is used by groups of children as a way of selecting someone to take a role that is different from the others. The Dark Origins Of The Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo Nursery Rhyme. before turning into the melody that beckons ice cream seekers today. Harvard PhD student Adrienne Raphel looked into its origins, and tells NPR's Rachel Martin it's found on playgrounds around the world. Pastor, lone, bone, strei, The rhyme has existed in various forms since well before 1820[1] and is common in many languages using similar-sounding nonsense syllables. I can see right through you. This, however, is a recent revision. Catch an nigger by the toe. The words: " Eenie, meenie, minie mo. Now what? Eeny meeny miney mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he swears, let it go, Eeny meeny miney mo. Of their own series Watermelon, Cadillac cars, we explore unique solutions to of! The plaintiffs, and was still sung years later were not born ;... The slave would scream, the rhyme is used by groups of children a! To Vox today we.. is '' art was a product of his.! A deliberate choice here to make the singer sound unsophisticated the case mean anything and what their origin have! 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