I love to hear the different ways people spoke in the past. It’s similar to how I enjoy hearing different languages. You can imagine life in another time or place.
Quite a while back, Arlene Charest wrote me with some rhymes and sayings she remembered from growing up in the 1940’s. I felt these are important to try to preserve. Here are a couple, along with what Arlene had to say about the times…
I know so many rhymes and sayings from 1940 and during the war when we could roller skate down the center of a no longer busy street (no gas, no rubber, no young men), holding hands and singing, “Coming in on a wing on a prayer…”. We did a lot of ball bouncing:
One Two Three a Nation,
I observed my confirmation,
On the day of decoration,
One Two Three a Nation.The other one was:
“A” my name is Arlene,
My husband’s name is Alfred,
We live in Albany
And we eat Apples, and so on through the alphabet.My grandmother had an old victrola with the wind up handle and, “It’s a long way to Tiperarie; it’s a long way to go; it’s a long way to Tiperarie, to the sweetest girl I know…” and of course, “There’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover” which everybody old knows. -Arlene
Arlene mentioned other sayings in an earlier email:
“Go up to your kind policeman; he’ll tell you just where to go.”
-From NYC school system, to keep children from getting frightened if they got lost, around 1940.
Also, my husband remembers his uncle singing a rhyme:
“Sitting on a curbstone chewing Pepsin gum….
Go on you big fat lobster, said the little bum.”
And that brings me to expressions like “Eh Gads and Saints Preserve Us and For Heaven’s Sake” – nobody, boy or girl ever swore that I can recall, but there were many funny exclamations like these.There were wonderful rope jumping rhymes and I am trying to bring them back to mind – if I had a word or two, I know it would come. Maybe one of your readers knows part of a phrase and I could then remember.
Just tickling our memories. -Arlene
If anyone would like to share any rhymes or songs from the 1930’s and ’40’s to help Arlene remember, please feel free to comment below or email me.
Lisa
UPDATE: We found some of these songs below. You can find the lyrics to Go up to your kind policeman; he’ll tell you just where to go at the link with a recording by Tiny Tim.
This article was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 4:43 pm and is filed under American Kids Songs, Ball Bouncing Rhymes, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Languages, Proverbs, Rhymes by Theme, Sayings, Sayings from the 1940's, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
June 27th, 2014 at 4:11 pm
My father used to sing at bedtime, “Go to bed and cover up your head with your old gray beard a shakin’.”
June 27th, 2014 at 4:16 pm
Saying I used to hear when I was growing up were, “Well, I’ll be John Brown,” “I’ll be a yellow dog,” and “I double-dog dare you!” I use all of these phrases in my novel, “Callie Kinser of Brush Creek”, out in Sept. I love these old sayings. I hope they never die.
September 23rd, 2014 at 12:22 am
Went to the river and couldn’t get across. Jumped on a gator cause I thought it was a horse. May have been more but I don’t remember.
April 12th, 2015 at 7:35 pm
On the final day of school in 1947 when I was in sixth grade, we sang a song entitled “I’ll See You in September.” As I remember, the last verse concluded as follows:
“Goodbye (or farewell) to all the happy times,
I’ll see you in September.”
I’ve been searching for the words to this song for over 38 years to no avail. Can ANYONE out there help? If so, I would be most grateful.
Thank you.
April 12th, 2015 at 7:56 pm
There’s a song called “See You in September” from The Happenings. Lyrics:
http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/s/seeyouinseptember.shtml
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-vh6JSjaLM
May 19th, 2015 at 5:24 pm
My fourth grade teacher would recite a rhyme with the line, and the little elf said take two, take two (cookies). I can’t remember the rest. Does anyone out there remember the rest?
September 10th, 2015 at 5:04 pm
My mother used to recite a poem about never wanting to be a man for then I never —— my —-and Day. Does anyone know it?
February 18th, 2016 at 1:59 pm
My mother is visiting and remembering a rhyme her father used to say. It was full of US City and state names and she remembers it being quite long, but can only remember snippets of it:
“There was a girl who lived in Maine
She used to Bangor hair”
It had city and state names throughout and ended:
Walla Walla Washington
Della’s going to the fair
If I wear my New Jersey
What will Della Wear?
This would have been in the 40s. Her father was originally from Maine.
February 19th, 2016 at 3:00 pm
Is this the song you’re looking for Timothy?
Oh, what did Delaware, boys? Oh, what did Delaware?
Oh, what did Delaware, boys? Oh, what did Delaware?
Oh, what did Delaware, boys? Oh, what did Delaware?
I ask you now as a personal friend, what did Delaware?
She wore her New Jersey, boys. She wore her New Jersey.
She wore her New Jersey, boys. She wore her New Jersey.
She wore her New Jersey, boys. She wore her New Jersey.
I tell you now as a personal friend, she wore her New Jersey.
Other verse pairs include:
Oh, what does Iowa? She weighs a Washington.
Oh, what does Idaho? She hoes her Maryland.
Oh, what does Tennessee? She sees what Arkansas.
Oh, where has Oregon? She’s gone to Oklahoma.
Oh, what did Massa-chew? She chewed her Connecti-cud.
Oh, how did Flori-die? She died in Missouri.
Here’s a second version of the song, which appears to go to a
different tune than the song above.
What did Delaware, boys?
What did Delaware?
What did Delaware, boys?
What did Delaware?
She wore a brand New Jersey,
She wore a brand New Jersey,
She wore a brand New Jersey,
That’s what she did wear.
Why did Cali-phone ya,
Why did Cali-phone?
Why did Cali-phone ya,
Was she all alone?
She phoned to say “Hawaii”
She phoned to say (“How-ah-yee”)
She phoned to say “Hawaii”
That’s why she did phone.
Where has Oregon, boys,
Where has Oregon?
If you want Alaska,
(I’ll-ask-a) where she’s gone.
She went to pay her Texas
She went to pay her Texas
She went to pay her Texas,
That’s where she has gone.
What did Mississip, boys,
What did Mississip?
What did Mississip, boys,
Through her pretty lips?
She sipped a Minna-soda,
She sipped a Minna-soda,
She sipped a Minna-soda,
That’s what she did sip.
How did Wiscon-sin, boys?
She stole a New-brass-key,
Too bad that Arkan-saw, boys,
And so did Tenna-see.
It made poor Flori-die, boys,
It made poor Flori-die, you see,
She died in Missouri, boys,
She died in Missouri!
According to Wikipedia, “Delaware” was written by Irving Gordon.
April 8th, 2016 at 7:57 am
I hope I’m not intruding by posting here. But I’ve been trying to think of this song my mother sang as a lullaby when I was a child. I’m also fairly certain hers sang it too.
Anyway it goes something like
“There were three bums / three jolly old bums / they traveled the hmmm hm hmm” (don’t remember)
Then later, something about shoveling coal then “I’d rather go on the bum”
I can’t find anything that matches what I remember anywhere.
Thanks in advance.
April 23rd, 2016 at 3:29 pm
Trying to remember the words to a “Chant” or “Rhyme” from my school days that went–
1st grade babies, 2nd day tots, 3rd day angels, 4th day snots. That is as far as I remember. Can anyone finish it for me?
April 23rd, 2016 at 9:29 pm
Ginny – is this the one you’re looking for…
First grade babies
Second grade tots
Third grade angels
Fourth grade snots
Fifth grade peaches
Sixth grade plums
And all the rest are
Dirty Bums!
June 25th, 2016 at 3:11 am
My mother would always say this quote for a good tongue twister. She would say ‘Bet you can’t say this’ then really fast she would say: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, a peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
June 25th, 2016 at 8:13 pm
I thought perhaps my great uncle had made up this riddle he told me dad when my dad was a kid in the 50’s. However, Kathy’s riddle about the world of wickum wackum was so similar that I suspect there must have been several similar to this one.
As I was walking around my little whirly wicki wack
I saw dumb back
So I called Thumb tack
To get dumb back
Out of my little whirly wicki wack
The answer to the riddle is that a cow was in the corn patch, so the dog was called to get the cow out.
By the way, I just stumbled across this site but I love it!
June 29th, 2016 at 4:37 am
As I went up my lonesome donesome
I peeped out my limber lee
There I saw old bony bickum backum
In my whirley whickum whackum
I told old Tommy Tickum tackum
To get old bony bickum backum
Out of my whirley whickum whackum
From his room, he looked out the window, saw horse in garden, told dog to chase the horse out.
Taught to my 4th grade teacher when she was a child by a young “lady” who worked for a family next door to her. Much later,
I became acquainted with the “lady” who told this to my grandson when we were on a car trip. And much later, my 4th grade teacher wrote it down for me. How old is it, at the very least, 5 generations. Because it was taught to the “lady” by her parents or perhaps her grandparents.
Amazing.
August 19th, 2016 at 4:52 pm
My grandma used to say a little ditty that ended with:
“…wrapped it up in brown paper,
threw it down the elevator and ran like heck.”
Does anyone know the beginning of this? I think it may have been from a radio program from the 1940s.
November 11th, 2016 at 10:02 pm
Hello Lisa, I am looking for a song My grandmother used to sing to me in the 1950s. it goes something like this… when I grow up like a birdie in the tree… Something like that .it has haunted me for years .I cannot find it .I don’t know the lyrics All the Way .I would like to have it so much that I have searched the internet. if you can help I would be most grateful! Thank you very much Marti
November 11th, 2016 at 11:53 pm
Hi Marti,
It seems like it’s a Shirley Temple song…
When I grow up
in a year or two or three,
I’ll be happy as can be
like a birdie in a tree.
You can find the lyrics here and a recording on YouTube here.
Enjoy!
January 16th, 2017 at 1:53 pm
Hi, I’m looking for a rhyme my grandad used to recite but unfortunately never wrote it down before he passed. it goes like – Wun lung one me Too lung two by the side of the so lung sea.
If anyone knows what it is that would be amazing!
January 31st, 2017 at 7:39 am
Ice skating is nice skating,
But remember this
When you’re ice skating,
Never skate where
The ice is thin.
The ice will crack and you’ll
Fall right in.
And come up with icicles
Under your chin,
If you skate where the ice is thin.
April 4th, 2017 at 10:39 pm
To Jodi Oviedo
I read your question and Little Miss One, going on two is from the movie Little Miss Sunshine
The words are:
Little Miss One, going on two
Gee but its fun being daddy to you
Watching you grow and trying to walk
The first thing you know you’ll be able to talk
Little Miss One, going on two
Life’s just begun smiling brightly on you For one tiny kiss my worlds at your feet
My armful of bliss adorably sweet
Now your mommy is so beautiful And you look more like her everyday
But the laugh in your eyes when you’ve had a surprise Looks like you dad in a way
Little Miss Queen when you’re sixteen All of the boys will be stealing the scene
Till then I’m the one who’ll take care of you
Little Miss One, going on two
by Paul Herbert and Eddie Oliver
Hope this is what you were looking for
April 16th, 2017 at 8:31 pm
Anyone know or recognise this?
A silly goose, on apple juice, refreshed herself one day,
And then among her friends so young, she wandered on her way.
There is more, but Mom can’t remember it…
July 30th, 2017 at 5:49 pm
My dad always said this one:
As I was going across the London bridge, I met my brother Will, he had a cat with nine tails. Slip Jack slip Tom, throw your belly through a rock, through a reel, through a sheep shank bone, was there ever such a riddle known?
He also had one he said about Ben Bickerbacker going to get in his Whirly Whickerwackee (combine) and along comes Tom Tickertacker but I can’t remember the rest, he passed last year and wish I could remember it to share with his grandchildren.
August 10th, 2017 at 5:46 pm
I remember my grandmother always telling me (in the late 1940’s) “Sing before you eat; Cry before you sleep”. I always hated hearing that because, as a child, I sang ALL the time….
January 28th, 2018 at 7:00 pm
My Dad always sang this version of a song posted earlier here…
“Johnny Robhut the Dutchman, how could you be so mean?
I told you you’d be sorry for inventing that machine.
All the neighbors’ cats & dogs will never more be seen!
You grind them up for sausages in Johnny Robhut’s machine.
Now Johnny’s machine was busted, the darn thing wouldn’t go.
So, Johnny crawled inside of it to see what made it so!
His wife she had a nightmare, a-walking in her sleep.
She gave the crank a heck-of-a yank, and Johnny became the meat!
There came three boys a-walking, they walked right in the store.
They bought three pounds of sausages and placed them on the floor.
The boys began to whistle (say witz-ell), they whistled (witz-elled) up a tune.
And all the little sausages, they danced around the room!
February 15th, 2018 at 1:39 am
Does anyone know of a riddle that goes something like my brother’s father is my father too…
That might not even be how it goes but my dad used to always say it. I wish I could go back in time and ask him because I’ve been trying to remember it for years. I would really appreciate if anyone has any insight.
March 22nd, 2018 at 9:42 pm
I’ve been trying to remember a rhyme that my grandfather used to recite way back in the 60’s. I can only remember a couple of snippets. If anyone could help, it would be awesome. “Ole rhyme ramsack” and further in the rhyme “kitty wants a kimeo”. I know that isn’t much, but at least I remember that much, my siblings don’t remember this much.
Thanks.
March 23rd, 2018 at 12:28 am
There are different songs with kitty and kimeo – often as “sing song kitty kitchie kimeo”. You can hear one here.
March 24th, 2018 at 7:03 pm
My husband half-remembers a song from grade school in the 40’s that began:
Down to the river came little Eileen with her bright golden hair like the crown of a queen.
If anyone knows the rest, we would like to hear it.
March 25th, 2018 at 12:14 pm
Does anyone know who wrote this poem. I learnt it as a very young child in the 50’s
Uncle Jack came back from sea, and he bought a doll for me,
it had such an ugly face and a nasty cross grimace. such a funny coat, not a bit of petticoat, oh I really could not kiss such a foreign doll as this. So I said I’d go and play and I took the doll away and I smashed it’s ugly face in a very stony place, then when I came in for tea, and they asked me where is she? I replied quite slow and sad, I dropped her somewhere, so I had.
April 6th, 2018 at 5:08 am
My dad used to sing me a song but no idea how old it is. It went like this.
Old Jonny digger went out one day. Stuck his foot six foot in the clay. He ran for a shovel, to dig himself out. When he got back, their was nobody about. Old Jonny digger how do how do. Old Jonny digger how do how do. Old Jonny digger how do how do. Old Jonny digger how do how do.
This is just one of many verses. I only know two.
April 25th, 2018 at 7:51 pm
My mom used to recite a poem that included these lines:
Why should I worry, why should I care. . .
And if by chance he should die, I’ll just find myself another guy!
Sound familiar? Would have been from her early years 1930/40s
April 29th, 2018 at 12:50 pm
I remember learning this as a kindergarten student in the 50’s—taught by a teacher who grew up in the 30’s/40’s.
As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with 7 wives.
Each wife had 7 sacks.
Each sack had 7 cats.
Each cat had 7 kits.
Kits, cats. sacks, wives…
How many were going to St. Ives?
April 30th, 2018 at 3:04 am
Back in 2010 Arlene made mention of her father telling her something was “up in Lizzie’s room behind the meat axe”
This refers to the true story of Lizzie Borden,
but later folks made up this little ditty about it
Read the story here
https://www.biography.com/people/lizzie-borden-9219858
Lizzie Borden took and axe
And gave her Mother 40 whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her Father 41!
At 80 Yrs. old I’m the patriarch and the historian in my family. I’m a published author and poet, and I remember many of the things mentioned in this column. Great fun to read and to remember!
June 24th, 2018 at 12:06 am
I found this website by accident and really enjoyed it. I remember many songs my father taught me, but one I need help with. It’s called ” Laughed at the Wrong Time.” He used to sing “The Preacher and the Bear” and the lullaby, “My Little Buckaroo.” My wife and I sing to each other regularly, “I Love You a Bushel and a Peck.” By the way the song, “I’m My Own Grandpa” can be found at other websites. I look forward to your responses.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:57 am
I found this website by looking for old English sayings as my Nana was English. She taught a little prayer which I have always remembered ” As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
Other sayings from an Uncle…
“I come before you, To stand behind you, To tell you something, I know nothing about.” And…
“Sam Sam was a dirty old man, He washed his face with a frying pan, And combed his hair with a leg of a chair,”____ I can’t remember the next line.
My father used to say at Xmas— “Christmas is coming and the ducks are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man’s hat. If you haven’t got a penny then a halfpenny will do, if you haven’t got a halfpenny then God Bless You. Halfpenny was pronounced “haypen-e”.
Unless us oldies can remember some of the sayings of yesterday sadly they will be lost. I enjoyed reading this page.
January 13th, 2019 at 12:08 am
Re. Patricia Hay’s comment from 3/25/18, we received a letter from Carol U. about the same poem…
“I’ve been trying to find an old poem that I had in a little book of children’s poetry back in the 50’s. I think it was called ‘The Foreign Doll’. It went something like this:
‘When Uncle Jack came back from sea he brought a foreign doll for me but it had an ugly face and a something or other grimace.’ Then something about ‘not a bit of petticoat’.
It ended up with ‘so I smashed it’s ugly face in a very stony place. When I came in for tea and they asked me ‘where is she’ I replied quite slow and sad ‘lost her somewhere’ – so I had’.
Not at all politically correct I know!
Does anyone else know it? I’d love to have all the words.” -Carol
January 17th, 2019 at 10:50 pm
To Jana Carman: I came to this website in an attempt to find the same song. It was in the Elementary School Music Book published by Ginn around 1957-61. I can tell you what I remember of the lyrics:
“Down to the river came little Eileen/With her bright golden hair like the crown of a queen;”
I forget the next line, but then it continues with this:
“But if you’ll take me over, I’ll pay with a smile.”
At any rate, the missing line ends with a word that rhymes with “smile.” I sometimes have heard an Irish expression “I’ll pay with a smile,” so I still hope to find the entire song.
January 17th, 2019 at 11:01 pm
I would like to contribute a Spanish language song I learned in Spanish I in high school in 1962.
Un Barco Chiquito
Hay Una vez un barco chiquito,
Hay Una vez un barco chiquito
Hay Una vez un barco chiquito
Que no podia, no podia, no podia trabajar.
Por uno, dos, tres, Cuatro, cinco, seis, siete semanas,
Por uno, dos, tres, Cuatro, cinco, seis, siete semanas,
Por uno, dos, tres, Cuatro, cinco, seis, siete semanas
Y empieza, empieza, empieza a faltar.
The English words are these:
There was a little boat (sing two more times)
That could not work
For one, two, three, four, five, six, seven weeks (sing two more times)
And it began to sink!
January 19th, 2019 at 9:10 pm
Patricia wrote, “This just popped into my head. My father, trying to be cute when we started off in the car, would say…
‘We’re off like a turd of hurtles…. I mean a herd of turtles.’
But inevitably, Mr. Cum Laude in physics, would say it correctly the first time, so we got the line three times!” -Patricia
January 26th, 2019 at 1:23 pm
In 2008 Anne mentioned a rhyme that I remember well as a child but can’t remember the book it came from. Can anyone remember the name of the book please? The rhyme went like this:
Ball ball bouncy
bingo’s in the bath
bunny’s eating lettuce
up the garden path
mousie’s in the larder
gee gees rather lame
so ball ball bounce
let’s have a game.
January 26th, 2019 at 5:03 pm
Gail – Could it be in a book called “A Rocket in My Pocket”?
February 19th, 2019 at 8:30 pm
Wow, what a wealth of memories here ❤️ I found this site while searching for a nursery rhyme my grandmother used to say to my dad (which he said to us kids and I say to my sons)
Wake up baby Hazel
The sun is in the sky
and all the larks and robins are singin in the branches way up high!
Why hickory dick your frisky father was up and about hours ago
Now it’s time the house is tidy, I can’t rock you to and fro
February 20th, 2019 at 8:36 pm
My grandma had a plaque with the saying, “The little bear sleeps in his little bear skin. Last night I slept in my little bare skin and caught a helluva cold.”
March 23rd, 2019 at 1:54 pm
One dark night when the moon was shining bright,
Two dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
and came and killed those two dead boys.
April 27th, 2019 at 11:17 pm
WOW, what a great page! This takes me back.
There are some rhymes I learned from my sisters, not sure if they were used to jump rope or not, but they were fun to say!
Home Rome
Rumpstick Bumpstick
Boot jack
stovepipe
Kitty won’t you ky-me-oh
There’s a candy dish
Where’s my share?
The cat ate it.
Where’s the cat?
In the woods.
Where’s the woods?
Fire burned it.
Where’s the fire?
Water put it out.
Where’s the water?
Ox drank it.
Where’s the ox?
Butcher killed it.
Where’s the butcher?
Rope hung him.
Where’s the rope?
Knife cut it.
Where’s the knife?
Hammer broke it.
Where’s the hammer?
Down in the cellar cracking nuts
You eat the shells, I’ll eat the guts!
Flea
Flea Fly
Flea Fly Flo
Flea Fly Flo Vista!
Coomala coomala coomala vista
Eenie meenie dosameenie ooh wokka wokka a meenie
Eenie meenie zylameenie ooh wokka wokka a meenie
BEEP belly oaken doken
Bo bo ba deeten dotten
Shhhhhhhh
Thanks! Great stroll down memory lane! :)
May 2nd, 2019 at 4:41 am
Down by the river came little Irene,- with her bright golden hair like the crown of a queen,-
for it’s over the river, to market she’ll go,- and she’ll bring back a bunny as white as the snow.-
“If you pass over the river today,” said the lad on the boat, “why, you surely must pay!”.-
“But I haven’t a penny, I’ve walked for a mile! And if you take me over, I’ll give you a smile!”-
“Blue are your eyes, and your smile is so bright!- I suppose, since you asked me, it’s really all right;-
But we must hurry over before it can rain-…and perhaps, if you ask me, I’l take you again!”
May 14th, 2019 at 7:51 pm
A lovely old lady I used to sit and hear stories from died last year and she used to tell me a story about: two girls, a mum and then a teacher across the road who couldn’t blow out a candle…
She also used to say a rhyme/story about telling lies.
Please help
June 24th, 2019 at 5:31 pm
Trying to remember the Ryan that went with a game. The game was played by one person standing behind another and whacking them lightly on the back while singing this rhyme.
“Higgama jiggama thorny cup……(memory trails off) . Then something about “how many fingers do I hold up? “.
The other person would make a guess between 1 and 5. Depending on if the guess was wrong/ right.
“_____ is what you said, and ______ is what it is. (another blank) higgama higgama thorny cup.”
The last time I remember playing this game i was 8 or 9 years old. That was almost 30 years ago. Hope someone knows this. It’s one of many of my fondest memories.
Oh, and this webpage is AWESOME!!
June 24th, 2019 at 5:47 pm
Randy – It seems this might come from the song called “Ten Little Numbers” which was sung by Hank Williams and written by Roy Acuff”. Here’s the verse with “Higgama jiggama”:
Higgama, jiggama, horney cuff,
How many fingers do I hold up
One you say, and ten I see
Now open your eyes and count with me
I hope this helps!
Mama Lisa