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Secret World Of Children's Chants

In delightful downtown, downtrodden, sectarian-sodden seventies Glasgow, that was Old King Billy...

Popeye was still safely domiciled in his frying pan, but was, apparently, "makin' a livin' frae bear naked wimmen".

Some say he later emigrated to Canada, formed a band etc.
 
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In days of old when Knights were bold,
And women weren't invented,
They stuck their cocks
Between two rocks
And sat there quite contented.

Has anyone heard this one? I can't remember it all...

Mary had a little lamb,
It really was a tup,



The next lines describe some improbable inter-species breeding between Mary and the tup and it concludes with

And Mary had a little lamb.

Implying she gave birth to a sheep/human hybrid.
 
There was this one which was targeted at a specific individual. Not sure if it was widely used for all kids whose surnames rhymed -

Graham Knight
Had a shite
In the middle
Of the night
Saw a ghost
Eating toast
Halfway up a lamp post.
 
David Plankton said:
There was this one which was targeted at a specific individual. Not sure if it was widely used for all kids whose surnames rhymed -

Graham Knight
Had a shite
In the middle
Of the night
Saw a ghost
Eating toast
Halfway up a lamp post.
Click to expand...

The unlucky protagonist in our version was 'Mrs White'.
 
David Plankton said:
In days of old when Knights were bold,
And women weren't invented,
They stuck their cocks
Between two rocks
And sat there quite contented.

Has anyone heard this one? I can't remember it all...

Mary had a little lamb,
It really was a tup,



The next lines describe some improbable inter-species breeding between Mary and the tup and it concludes with

And Mary had a little lamb.

Implying she gave birth to a sheep/human hybrid.
Click to expand...

In days of old when Knights were bold,
And women weren't invented,
The men drilled holes in telegraph poles,
And had to be contented.

And my Dad's version of "Mary":

Mary had a little lamb,
She also had a bear,
I've often seen her little lamb,
But I've never seen her bare.
 
Maviself said:
And my Dad's version of "Mary":

Mary had a little lamb,
She also had a bear,
I've often seen her little lamb,
But I've never seen her bare.
Click to expand...


I've found the version I think I was thinking of....

Mary had a little sheep,
and with that sheep she went to sleep.
The sheep turned out to be a ram.
Mary had a little lamb.
Click to expand...

Or something along those lines.
 
Does anyone recall a chant similar to this?

I can recall a few of us primary school girls singing it, accompanied by a sort of hand-held, backwards and forwards skipping movement (like a wave coming in and out)....like dancing in and out in a fairly old fashioned ‘folky’ way.

A duke he came a-riding, a-riding, a-riding
A duke he came a-riding
Eye-tie-tiddly-toe.

And for the life of me I can’t remember any more verses but it went on for a long time, with many lines.
This was unlike many of our other songs at the time, and actually felt old fashioned to us. The year I recall would have been around 1982/3. North west. Uk.
 
merricat said:
Does anyone recall a chant similar to this?

I can recall a few of us primary school girls singing it, accompanied by a sort of hand-held, backwards and forwards skipping movement (like a wave coming in and out)....like dancing in and out in a fairly old fashioned ‘folky’ way.

A duke he came a-riding, a-riding, a-riding
A duke he came a-riding
Eye-tie-tiddly-toe.

And for the life of me I can’t remember any more verses but it went on for a long time, with many lines.
This was unlike many of our other songs at the time, and actually felt old fashioned to us. The year I recall would have been around 1982/3. North west. Uk.
Click to expand...
 
Mythopoeika said:
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Wow! Thanks for that.
It appears to be somewhat the same yet different.....interesting to think about how versions get altered and added to as they filter down through generations, etc.

Now, I’ve seen this woman and the invisible singing male somewhere before. Perhaps when I was trying to locate Wally Whyton’s version of ‘Billy Boy’, which I used to have on vinyl as a kid. Every single version of Billy Boy was ‘wrong’, and not at all like Wally’s, which really ticked me off.

For some terrible reason she reminds me, just a little, of Theresa May. I just can’t unsee it :eek:
 
I have a feeling I might have seen a version of this song on the BBC's 'Playschool', for what it's worth. Could be my memory playing tricks of course; often with these songs and chants based on folk tunes the melodies get reused...
 
Andy X said:
I have a feeling I might have seen a version of this song on the BBC's 'Playschool', for what it's worth. Could be my memory playing tricks of course; often with these songs and chants based on folk tunes the melodies get reused...
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Playschool was creepy because the adults would talk about the toys as if they were sentient, yet never address them. The toys would sit there like, well, toys, while the adults sang and capered around them.
 
Yes, they sort of talked about them as they sat there unresponsive - shades of 'Tommy'...

I think the boring 'rational' explanation is that the toys didn't have Equity cards so weren't allowed to speak for fear of this causing a catastrophic 1970s-style industrial dispute that would disrupt the BBC's production schedule.
 
Andy X said:
Yes, they sort of talked about them as they sat there unresponsive - shades of 'Tommy'...

I think the boring 'rational' explanation is that the toys didn't have Equity cards so weren't allowed to speak for fear of this causing a catastrophic 1970s-style industrial dispute that would disrupt the BBC's production schedule.
Click to expand...

Actually, the Toys were permanently stoned. Humpty was a heavy user of Corduroy Mushrooms, Hamble had a glue problem but Big Ted.... he had the look of soul who’d seen too much.
 
Andy X said:
Yes, they sort of talked about them as they sat there unresponsive - shades of 'Tommy'...

I think the boring 'rational' explanation is that the toys didn't have Equity cards so weren't allowed to speak for fear of this causing a catastrophic 1970s-style industrial dispute that would disrupt the BBC's production schedule.
Click to expand...

Power to the cloth people!

Gosh, I’m recalling it all now. Hamble, Jemima, Big&Little Ted, Humpty....Round window!
 
jimv1 said:
Actually, the Toys were permanently stoned. Humpty was a heavy user of Corduroy Mushrooms, Hamble had a glue problem but Big Ted.... he had the look of soul who’d seen too much.
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I actually have a very, very old, family heirloom type teddy which always reminded me of little ted.
If you punch his belly it makes him squeak.
Sadly, he does not respond to a gentle touch and punching is the only way to activate his ‘voice’.

Can’t imagine why anyone would design a teddy to squeak when clobbered in the gut.
 
merricat said:
I actually have a very, very old, family heirloom type teddy which always reminded me of little ted.
If you punch his belly it makes him squeak.
Sadly, he does not respond to a gentle touch and punching is the only way to activate his ‘voice’.

Can’t imagine why anyone would design a teddy to squeak when clobbered in the gut.
Click to expand...

‘Punchy Teddy’.
 
merricat said:
I actually have a very, very old, family heirloom type teddy which always reminded me of little ted.
If you punch his belly it makes him squeak.
Sadly, he does not respond to a gentle touch and punching is the only way to activate his ‘voice’.

Can’t imagine why anyone would design a teddy to squeak when clobbered in the gut.
Click to expand...

At least he doesn't say "I love you" or "Will you be my friend?" when you punch him. That would be weird.
 
It appears that in the Aussie Playschool they had Fred Flintstone instead of Humpty :)

MV5BM2E0MTNlYzAtMWIzMy00YzYzLTk1MGItOWU5NmQ4M2QwMWIzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjY5ODM3Mw@@._V1_.jpg
 
Innit though?? :eek:

Look - he's waving. He knows all your secret fears.
 
Furthermore, here's a fella on the ABC programme apparently making a bong, if you please.

SetWidth940-play-school-bong.jpg 1444341862613.jpg
 
Yep, she hides it well but I think I can detect a flicker of panic :)
 
I saw a woman today, on a mobility scooter, and suddenly remembered a chant from junior school (late 70's).

With half a dozen friends, she would link arms and chant "Anybody in the way gets a big banana kick".

Woe betide any lads who didn't take their advice.
 
(Moved here from the Random / Peculiar Images thread.)

Bad Bungle said:
Her features on the coinage was sufficiently characteristic to allow identification of coins that bore no name.

View attachment 14310
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I might not ever get another opportunity to ask you this question Bad Bungle so .. do you remember this school yard song?

Up above the streets and houses
Bungle's flying high
Opens up his hairy arse
and ****'s in Geoffrey's eye

.. or was that just a midlands thing?
 
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Swifty said:
I might not ever get another opportunity to ask you this question Bad Bungle so .. do you remember this school yard song?

Up above the streets and houses
Bungle's flying high
Opens up his hairy arse
and ****'s in Geoffrey's eye

.. or was that just a midlands thing?
Click to expand...

We sang:

George and Bungle in the jungle
Zippey's having fun
Geoffrey's swimming with naked women
and I can see their bums

your version is better.
 
Swifty said:
It's good to know we didn't completely waste our time at school.
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I'm Popeye the Sailor Man (choo choo!)
I live in a frying pan
I stepped on my willy
I said that's a bit chilly
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man (optional "choo choo!")
 
Ogdred Weary said:
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man (choo choo!)
I live in a frying pan
I stepped on my willy
I said that's a bit chilly
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man (optional "choo choo!")
Click to expand...
We had joy, we had fun
flicking bogeys at the sun
but the sun was too hot
so it changed all into snot.

Jesus Christ, superstar
spun round the corner on a Yamaha
did a skid
killed a kid
smashed his bollocks on a dustbin lid

classic 70's education ..
 
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