The song can be seen as glorifying and poking fun at slave conditions. So I'm going to completely butcher the pronunciation, but there's versions of it that folklorists heard in Denmark, for example, like, (reciting poem with Danish dialect). The sisters claimed the flight attendant was being racist. The original lyrics: "It raind all night de day I left, De wedder it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to def.". 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 flight attendant urged them to pick a seat by saying "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, pick a seat, we gotta go." And we want to be aware of our racist roots," Shaftel said. Zimbabwe: Something went wrong. The song is made up from a number of syllables, (the counting out rhyme). Seemingly innocent, the rhyme is not what it seems. each word or pair of syllables). De lectrick fluid magnified, and killd five hundred n**gers. Eeny meeny miney mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he swears, let it go, Eeny meeny miney mo. Eje, veje, vaek. 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". 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. ", 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. Israeli/British. In some German versions Eena, tena, mona, mi. J.S. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe " In historical references of this song, the word "tiger" is replaced by the N-word. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Despite language differences, the first lines of each version are remarkably alike. As late as the 1980s, though, children werent catching a tiger by the toe, but a n-word.. $MMT = window.$MMT || {}; $MMT.cmd = $MMT.cmd || [];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){ $MMT.display.slots.push(["6e36601e-44cf-4f78-b804-bfbdde6ee2e3"]); }). Ha!" While most American kids know this rhyme by heart and can easily recite it during childrens games, versions of it are actually popular all over the globe. We change the songs and scrub them clean. The link to the names of numerals in ancient languages is also likely. B. Fitzgibbon, Words and music, "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" Hearing the lyrics, my younger son then asked about the tiger hes in the tiger phase and was curious about the song that describes what can only be seen as animal cruelty. Dirty knees could indicate a need to wash, but they also suggest that the person kneels a lot.. The meaning: The meaning of this rhyme is rooted in the slave trade. Eenie, meenie, minie mo. 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. Prior to the popular variation used today that involves catching tigers, a common American variant of the rhyme used a racist slur against Black people instead of the word. Gotta jump down, turn around, Oh, Lordie, pick a bale a day." But where does it come from? 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. Shaftel explains that we usually attach a disclaimer to Bach and explain how his art was a product of his time. The words: "Eenie, meenie, minie mo. Ene, tene, mone, mei, The real lyrics, according to The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, are as follows: Eenie, meenie, miney moe 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? Eena, meena, ming, mong, Some experts claim that catch a n****** by the toe refers to a method of punishment by white owners to slaves who tried to run away. Some of these are obvious, others not so much! The first line in the version sung in Cornwall, England was Eeha, meena, mona, mite. The lyrics of the song include one about the ole massa gone away, and have been terrorizing Black children for centuries. "Its well known that theres some challenging language in the Gospel of John," Michael Marissen, a noted Bach scholar, said in a 2013 interview with WQXR-radio. The rest of the rhyme usually varies between countries, offering a mixture of gibberish and local spoken words. On the Wikipedia page Talk: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, the editors of the rhymes Wiki page were discussing the issue: At school in North London 197278 we used the n***** version, without any ill intention; it was just part of the rhyme, mentioned one of the editors. In more important choices - selecting who has to ask that grumpy man down the road for their ball back - the one pointed to last drops out and the formula is repeated several times until only one is left. Catch a tiger by the toe, 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. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe", which can be spelled a number of ways, is a children's counting rhyme, used to select a person in games such as tag. Popularized in the 19th century, it was often sung by minstrels in blackface using the dialect of enslaved Africans, to boot. Thanks so much for talking with us, Adrienne. Our skimmable newsletter is delivered to your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and get smarter. The Dark Origins Of The Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo Nursery Rhyme. You might think that childrens nursery rhymes are about as innocent as it gets, but as with pretty much anything created after the rise of the concept of racism in the 1400s, thats not the case. He should run again. Get the fascinating stories of your favorite words in your inbox. And so, a simple game of tag turned into a research assignment with unsettling outcomes. Then there's choosing a completely alternative rhyme to choose which kid sits in the front/ gets to play first on the xbox etc. 12 Childhood Nursery Rhymes You Didnt Realize Were Racist, Man from Viral Video Explains Why He Knocked Down White Dude for Spouting the N-Word In Ohio Convenience Store, Angry Woman Refuses to Let Black Postmates Driver Deliver Order In Apartment Building: I Dont Want You Here at All, White Woman Calls 911 on Black Man, Accuses Him of Being Drug Dealer as He Sits Outside His Own House. All The Pasta Shape Names Explained: How Many Do You Know? 'Eeny, meeny, miny, mo' is certainly a strange line, so does it mean anything and does curiosity about its origin lead us anywhere? Despite language differences, the first lines of each version are remarkably alike. Raphel wrote about eeny meeny miny mo for The Paris Review. MARTIN: Can you find it in other languages or is this exclusively something that lives in English? Good Luck! She wrote about eeny meeny miny mo for The Paris Review. Osse bosse bakke disse, Likewise, some believe the nursery rhyme is based on an ancient British counting system. "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" (sometimes written as "moe") has been chanted and beloved by children on playgrounds for centuries. This, though the early 2000s, even, says Dr. Nel. 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. Susanna", the slave is depicted as too dumb to realize his situation and or grasp the concept of geography that's more of the "slaves as property" portrayal. Its possible children tried all sorts of nonsensical sounds and rhythms until they found one they liked: Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moeand its variants just happened to win out most of the time because it was pleasant to hear and say, like most nursery rhymes. The meaning: The protagonist of the song is an African-American slave who is portrayed as dumb and naive. The diverse origins of the first line Eenie, meenie, miney, moeare plausible but contested. On the Wikipedia page "Talk: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe", the editors of the rhyme's Wiki page were discussing the issue: "At school in North London 1972-78 we used the n***** version, without any ill intention; it was just part of the rhyme", mentioned one of the editors. Check it out: England: Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. "Iniminimanimo" is a 1999 song by Kim Kay. In order to justify slavery, slavers propagated the libel that people of African descent were inherently more animal, less civilized, and thus less human.. You know, they're like these nonsense syllables that then sound like words that you recognize. Bolton says that it is impossible to trace the exact origin of the rhyme. Eena, meena, mina, mo, In other musical instances, this is not the case. At School 05. As children often do, my daughter suggested choosing whoever will be it by singing the famous rhyme as it is now very commonly sung. Accuracy and availability may vary. Eeny meeny miny mo. newsletter. The words:"Jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton. Maticaire et matico, 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. 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. [12] It was used in the chorus of Bert Fitzgibbon's 1906 song "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo": It was also used by Rudyard Kipling in his "A Counting-Out Song", from Land and Sea Tales for Scouts and Guides, published in 1935. [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]. Some theories outlined below take a stab at the American chants birthplace. Versions of the rhyme have existed since before 1820. In 2004, two African-American sisters sued Southwest Airlines for discrimination on the basis of the nursery rhyme. [citation needed]. British? Players: 3 Girls Age: 9-11. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. Did we miss any tunes that need to be nixed? The last line is often topped off with a short emphasized 'You are It!' The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Its not hard to see why children would use a playful variation of (essentially) one, two, three to count down their options. We've all taken advantage of the quirky nursery rhyme, "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe." But what does the ditty mean? 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. [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 rhyme appears towards the end of 1949 British black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. The age of the phrase is uncertain. What is known is that countless variations of the nursery rhyme exist. 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. 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. 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