We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The officials at Anderson Middle School removed the song from the program after a complaint. Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. 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. Related entries. "Iniminimanimo" is a 1999 song by Kim Kay. 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. A flight attendant urged them to pick a seat by saying "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, pick a seat, we gotta go." The Racist History of Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe. Did we miss any tunes that need to be nixed? 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. Catch a racist by the toe. What kind of music are we preserving? Some versions use a racial epithet, which has made the rhyme controversial at times. And then maybe your new eeny meeny miny mo variation will be the one that kids on the playgrounds for generations will be reciting. 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. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. Despite language differences, the first lines of each version are remarkably alike. Versions of the Score include: Northern England, southern Scotland: yan, tan, tethera, methera, pimp. Support our mission, and make a gift today. Versions of the rhyme have existed since before 1820. Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lover "Eenie Meenie" is a song by American singer Sean Kingston and Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Bennett, P.R. Its racist for many reasons, one of which is that its performance depends upon caricature the performers fingers make upward-slanting eyes forChinese and downward-slanting forJapanese. All rights reserved. If he hollers let him go, Seemingly innocent, the rhyme is not what it seems. And it's really fun to repeat them in a pattern. Every kid seems to know a version of Eeny Meeny Miny Mo. 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". But it's really hard to - and the history of it is much more complicated than that because the sounds in this rhyme are really sticky. I contacted Matthew Shaftel, a professor of Music Theory and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Florida State for an expert opinion. You . The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Director Jokes Yanes Writers J. Bishop Jokes Yanes Stars Andres Dominguez Belkys Galvez David Scott Lago This, though the early 2000s, even, says Dr. Nel. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and The more you know. And tell his mother what he's done. RAPHEL: I'd say it's somewhere between a poem and a song and a chant because it's hard not to do it. 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. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe also known as Eena, meena, mina, mo is a popular counting rhyme and singing game. 98 Likes, 9 Comments - Hannah Arbogast (@hannaharbogast) on Instagram: "eenie meenie miney mo" When the reach of racism robs me of fond memories from my childhood, it feels intensely personal again. Germany: The scholars Iona and Peter Opie noted that many variants have been recorded, some with additional words such as " O. U. T. spells out, And out goes she, In the middle of the deep blue sea"[3] or "My mother told me/says to pick the very best one, and that is Y-O-U/you are [not] it";[3] while another source cites "Out goes Y-O-U. These were, Bolton adds, the most favorite versions with American children and found in almost every state. Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe is a rhyme for choosing who's "It" in a game or to choose who goes first. Ene, tene, mone, mei, J.S. Later, they can learn where the songs came from, and that lesson will be an important one. The song portrays a slave who shows emotion and perhaps longing in the wake of his master's death. While there does seem to be a lot of evidence to support the counting origin of Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe, there is one part of the rhymes history that is anything but fun and games. It was written at a time when slaves were regularly dehumanized and not presented as having internal lives or worth, but the slave portrayed in "Jimmy " is someone who has feelings (whether it be lament or rejoicing), someone who is human, someone "who isn't just property," Shaftel explained. 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. Children appear to have no such concerns. All The Pasta Shape Names Explained: How Many Do You Know? As difference is unwelcome to children, the formula had to be sufficiently unpredictable to be accepted as fair. You can replace "catch a tiger" with any word (catch a boy, catch girl, etc) or any animal, or when singing to baby you can say "catch a baby". Doo-dah!/ I come down dah wid my hat caved in Doo-dah! Were not born racist; its something thats taught. Zimbabwe: In other musical instances, this is not the case. 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. I mean do people kind of sing it? 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. 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 The version before this one was much more grim and ghastly. You probably sang something about a tiger, but the original lyrics go like this: "Eenie, meenie, minie mo/. 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. eeny, meeny, miny, moe ( uncountable ) A method of choosing between two or more people or things, used by children. We've all taken advantage of the quirky nursery rhyme, "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe." But what does the ditty mean? If they squeal make them squeal some more. Thanks so much for talking with us, Adrienne. Osse bosse bakke disse, 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. In the 1800s, the nursery rhyme could be found in both the US and Europe (via An Injustice). Gotta jump down, turn around, Oh, Lordie, pick a bale a day." Une, fine, fane, fo You can also contribute via. In my search, I stumbled upon the book The Counting-Out Rhymes of Children: A Study of Folk-Lore by Henry Carrington Bolton. Eena, meena, mina, mo, [28], Rex Stout wrote a 1962 Nero Wolfe novella titled Eeny Meeny Murder Mo. 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. Its not a coincidencetheres actually a pretty interesting explanation! Stick, stack, stone dead! Right. Eenie, meenie, minie mo." An alternate version: "Catch a negro by his toe/ If he hollers make him pay/Twenty dollars every day." It's all over. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe " In historical references of this song, the word "tiger" is replaced by the N-word. In this case, we say the kids had the right idea to go after those tigers toes. You can replace catch a tiger with any word (catch a boy, catch girl, etc) or any animal, or when singing to baby you can say catch a baby. There's also another version that goes. Eenie Meenie Miney Moe 2013 Not Rated 1 h 34 m IMDb RATING 4.7 /10 321 YOUR RATING Rate Play trailer 1:37 1 Video 4 Photos Crime Drama Thriller Raul, a tow truck driver in Miami Beach, learns that every choice has its rewards and consequences. There is a similarity between the words of the phrase and some of the numerals in pre-English Celtic and Cumbrian languages; for example, the oral tradition of the English coastal town of Yarmouth voices 'one, two, three, four' as 'ina, mina, tethera, methera'. For centuries, this has been a popular method to make a hard choice for both children and adults all over the world. Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lover (Here we go!) The Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo series is now on display at the Children's Defense Fund's national headquarters and is a searing daily reminder of how many children are not free but caged in America. You seem like the type To love them and leave them And disappear right after the song. In order to justify slavery, slavers propagated the libel that people of African descent were inherently more animal, less civilized, and thus less human.. Compare Dutch iene miene mutte German ene mene mu. We don't always do this with American folk songs. Millions turn to Vox to educate themselves, their family, and their friends about whats happening in the world around them, and to learn about things that spark their curiosity. Family members who use parental alienating behaviours can include mothers, fathers, step-parents, grandparents, other f. Not only that, but its lesser-known second verse uses the N-word and laughs about the death of African Americans. For example, you may have heard, "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, catch a tiger by his toe," but the original version was undeniably racist: "Eenie, meenie, minie mo. The explanations for the American versions are varied. Why do so many fairy tales contain a hero named Jack? 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". Eeny meeny miny moe Catch me If you can dodo, yeah Eeny meeny miny moe Watch out If you can dodo, yeah Eeny meeny miny moe Catch me If Eeny Meeny Miny Moe Steph Moody can't take back Eeny, meeny, miny, moe Eeny, meeny, miny, moe My mind says let you go My mind says let you go But my heart says I don't know My heart Google Pay. Whilst there are versions of the first line of this rhyme in both German and Cornish, the two middle lines, it is agreed, undoubtedly originated from America. There's also another version that goes. Give the gift of knowledge with our official 'did you know' book. The stories we learn from them are painful, but also valuable. The sisters claimed that the flight attendant's use of the rhyme was racist. The last line is often topped off with a short emphasized 'You are It!' I've updated the piece to reflect those concerns. The FBI and Energy Department think Covid-19 came from a lab. You know them by heart, but you can do these little, like, switches and flips and variations in them. As adults, we might be curious as to whether the words mean anything and what their origin might have been. Eenie, meenie, minie mo." At School 05. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. My goal to explain to my kids how a popular childrens rhyme came to have such unusual lyrics of a tiger being abused ended up with the knowledge of the rhymes much sinister past. "When the reach of racism robs me of fond memories from my childhood, it feels intensely personal again. 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. Put the baby on the po In the early-mid 1800s, the rhyme could be found in Europe and the US. RAPHEL: I think the take away is these words sound really good together. 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. 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. B. Fitzgibbon, Words and music, "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" It wasnt until a discussion about the rhyme with my American wife that I discovered any tiger version existed, adds another. Nicki Minaj) Justin Bieber 4,179,003 A little over a week ago, NPR had an illuminating and poignant report on the the racist beginnings of the ice cream truck song. The meaning: The song is about a slave and the death of his master. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is part of a large collection of Counting-out rhymes, used in playground games, since the early 19th century. [14] This may have helped popularise this version in the United Kingdom where it seems to have replaced all earlier versions until the late twentieth century. 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. The meaning: . Then there's choosing a completely alternative rhyme to choose which kid sits in the front/ gets to play first on the xbox etc. How the Great Recession paved the way for influencers to inherit the earth, The surprising lesson from a century of Oscar scandals. incremental changes in cultural representations. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe"which can be spelled a number of waysis a children's counting-out rhyme, used to select a person in games such as tag, or for selecting various other things. It's also, you know, it's so much fun because they sound great together. Was? MARTIN: Can you find it in other languages or is this exclusively something that lives in English? Is it originally American? (1974). Then and now give them credit for changing the tune those are the dark ages. Change them? Is It Called Presidents Day Or Washingtons Birthday? Catch a tiger by the toe, However, the original words used in the song have far less benign implications. A more acceptable version has now established itself: Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, Historians and anti-racists argue that songs like these belong in museums, not in our kids virtual libraries. "BasketBall, Watermelon, Cadillac cars, we aint as dumb as you think we..is". You're playing a game, and it's time to figure out who goes first. 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 either "chosen" or "counted out". Popularized in the 19th century, it was often sung by minstrels in blackface using the dialect of enslaved Africans, to boot. 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'. In 2004, two African-American sisters sued Southwest Airlines for discrimination on the basis of the nursery rhyme. 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. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. 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. Wie? 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. ADRIENNE RAPHEL: Yan, tan, tehtera, methera, pimp, sethera, lethera, hovera, dovera - so you can kind of hear the eeny meeny miny mo in it, right? Whenever I hear the music now, the antique voice laughing about niggers and watermelon fills my head," Johnson wrote. Its racist origin, however, still haunts the popular rhyme. "Do I empower them with the history of our country, or encourage the youthful exuberance induced by the ice cream truck? And if you have a vested interest in perpetuating the myths, youll want to start corrupting your children young right from the cradle and thats how these rhymes were surely born. "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. Well, as is so often the case in etymology, yes and no. Nonetheless, it's clear that "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" was adapted through the years and revised to fit the era and place it was sung in. which makes as little sense in Danish as it does in English but, despite it being entirely meaningless to them, the children in the area continued to sing it for centuries. What's its historyboth good and bad? In comparison, "Oh! Following by different variations of if he squeals/screams/hollers and then let him go/make him pay/send him hum. The vinyl release of Radiohead's album OK Computer (1997) uses the words "eeny meeny miny moe" (rather than letter or numbers) on the labels of Sides A, B, C and D respectively.[27]. ine mina mana mu meaning my sisters children in Sa Tomenese sounds very similar to the first line in the childrens rhyme. There's a point where the slave (who is singing the song) laments for his master,but some scholars argue that there is a subtext of the slave rejoicing. The words: " Eenie, meenie, minie mo. "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" (sometimes written as "moe") has been chanted and beloved by children on playgrounds for centuries. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. MARTIN: So how did it morph? The sisters claimed the flight attendant was being racist. Eeny meeny miney mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he swears, let it go, Eeny meeny miney mo. My mother told me Maticaire et matico, Why Eli Lilly is voluntarily capping insulin costs at $35 a month, OpenAI wants to build systems smarter than us. And it sounded a little like this. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. ', which all the children join in with. And we want to be aware of our racist roots," Shaftel said. In the 1950s, a Dutch language historian proposed that the first line Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moecomes from anne manne miene mukke, the first line of an ancient heathen priest song in which the chanter supplicates the high priestess for a divine sign about who should live or die. The diverse origins of the first line Eenie, meenie, miney, moeare plausible but contested. If he hollers, let him go. ), 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. [11] Eenie, meenie, minie mo. These songs, many of which are still sung today, aren't just uncomfortable because of their lyrics; most were used in minstrel/blackface performances in the past. And no, subbing in monkeys and making the rhymes less deadly isnt innocent, says Kansas State University English professor Philip Nel. Iona and Peter Opie (1951) quote the following version: This version was similar to that reported by Henry Carrington Bolton as the most common version among American schoolchildren in 1888. American in origin or English? Good Luck! I love writing about what I love. A version from Yorkshire is: Eeeny, meeny, miney, mo. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Hide and Seek Chasey; Site-wide utilities Related Chasing Games. For instance, the songs may have provided information about the cruelty of slavery to Northerners in the 1800s. And in some cases that becomes extremely problematic. The original lyrics: "De Camptown ladies sing dis song Doo-dah! He should run again. Eenie, meenie, minie mo. There isnt a clearcut explanation as to how these global variations came about and to provide one would require knowing definitively where Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moecomes from (which is, alas, impossible). Bach's St. John Passion, for instance, is set to anti-semitic text. . If they squeal make them squeal some more. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Catch an nigger by the toe. Alternate Versions and Related Songs Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe Song Variations Tweet Notes *Potty ***** Other Versions: Eeeny, meeny, miney, mo. 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. The flight attendant 's use of the world 's biggest problems where the songs came,! 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