This is a choosing rhyme for deciding who's "It" or who goes first in a game – like Eeney Meeney Miney Moe. This game is often done by pointing to the foot and is usually done without saying the 4th line.

Notes

*Five is given here as an example. It could be any number.

Sandra wrote: "In the Tex-mex world, two favorites are Tin Marin and Zapatitos Blancos."

Comments

Carlos sent a slightly different version with this note - which I'll give in Spanish and English…

"This is to decide who is the one that remains to find the players in a game of hide-and-seek, and according to the years that are counted (thus counting-out some players) it is sung until only two remain..."

(Spanish: "Éste es para saber quién es el que se quedará a buscar a las personas en el juego de las escondidas y según los años que se tenga se canta hasta que sólo queden dos...")

Zapatito blanco
Zapatito azul
Dime cuántos años tienes tú
10
1, 2, 3, 4….. 10 [y al que señala se sale]
Zapatito blanco
Zapatito azul
Dime cuántos años tienes tú
12
1, 2, 3,…12, [después de que sólo quedan 2 se juega un "piedra, papel o tijeras"]

English Translation:

White shoe
Blue shoe
Say to me how old are you,
Ten…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 [Whoever 10 lands on leaves the game.]

White shoe
Blue shoe
Say to me how old are you,
Twelve…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 [and after only 2 remain they play Rock, Paper, Scissors].

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Sandra Divnick for contributing and translating this rhyme! Thanks to Carlos Arturo Casas Mendoza for contributing the second version of this song.