The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Entertainment: Game

London Bridge:

London Bridges falling down, falling down. London Bridges falling down, my fair lady. Take the key and lock her up, lock her up. Take the key and lock her up, my fair lady. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Everyone says the verse, two people hold each other's hands and walk around at Monday and when Sunday comes they put someone between them, swinging their arms back and forth and throwing the person away.

Data entry tech comment:

Entered by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C730.360, C523] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Submission card located in a pile marked C750 Jump Rope Rhyme

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ; Myself

Keyword(s): Bridges ; CHILDREN ; GAMES ; Jump Rope ; London ; Playground ; Rhymes

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Jokes

How do you fit four elephants in a Volkswagon?

Two in the front, and two in the back.

Data entry tech comment:

Entered by TRD

Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans

Keyword(s): AUTOMOBILE ; ELEPHANT ; Funny ; JOKE ; Volkswagon

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Superstition

Pregnancy Belief:

When the informant was a student nurse in obstetrics at Mt. Carmel Hospital in 1968, she had a Slavic patient who had a patch of hair on her back at the base of her spine. the woman haad been told by her mother that she had been frightened by a bear while she was carrying her daughter. She was extrememly frightened when she suddenly saw the bearbut as she made the spontaneous gesture of clutching herself, she thought it would be dangerous to her child if she raised her hands to her face in fear in the front, so she reached behind and grabbed her back. She belived this had caused the patch on her daughter's back.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Where learned: Public Health Nurse

Keyword(s): BABY ; Bear ; BELIEF ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; infant ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition

If a pregnant woman is frightened by fire, the baby will have a red or purple birthmark.

Submitter comment:

Belief: Means of Cursing

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P740] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CHILD ; COLOR ; CURSE ; FEAR ; FIRE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; Purple ; Red ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition

Pregnancy Superstition:

If a pregnant woman is frightened her baby will be born marked in some way.

Submitter comment:

This is a superstition common in the Oswald family

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BABY ; BELIEF ; Birthmark ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; jinx ; Mark ; Offspring ; PREGNANCY ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition

My grandmother has a mark, which she calls a "fire mark" on her upper arm. It is oddly similar ro a birthmark, bu this is the story of its origin according to my grandmother:

When her mother was pregnant with her, there was a fire in the Russion town where they lived. Her mother went out to look at it, and the night was quite cold. She grasped her upper arm because of this cold, and so my grandmother was born with a mark in the same place her mother had held her arm.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P840] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; Cold ; CURSE ; FEAR ; FIRE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Russia ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition

Belief:

If you're frightened during pregnancy after the 7th month the child will be born with a birth mark such as a strawberry or in the shape of a thing that produced the fright.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P880] crossed out. Replaced with Current Classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition

Superstition:

Pregnant women should not look at strawberries because then their children will develop red blotches on themselves (which look like strawberries).

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P740] crossed out. replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CURSE ; jinx ; Mark ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; PREGNANCY ; STRAWBERRY ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition: Sports

In order to keep a winning streak going for a team, the team members must not change their socks from game to game.

Submitter comment:

Belief, Predicition, Divination P880

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CLOTHING ; jinx ; LUCK ; SOCKS ; SPORTS ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition: Sports

Winning Streak:

It was believed to be bad luck to wash your athletic socks during a winning streak. If the coach made you wear clean ones, you always wore your dirty ones underneath those so as not to jinx the team.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P500] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Coach ; FATE ; GAME ; jinx ; LUCK ; SPORTS ; SUPERSTITION ; Win ; Winning Streak

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Superstition: Sports

Sports:

Never wash your socks while you are on a winning streak.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P880] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BASEBALL GAME. ; jinx ; LUCK ; SPORTS ; SUPERSTITION ; Win

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

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Entertainment: Game

Jump Rope Song:

Changing Bedrooms Number 1/ Changing Bedrooms Number 2/ Changing Bedrooms Number 3/ Changing Bedrooms Number 4/ Changing Bedrooms Number 5/ etc. etc.

Two people are jumping at opposite sides of the rope. They must switch places on every number.

Submitter comment:

Informant learned it from her friends.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C570] crossed out/replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): CHILD ; Entertainment ; GAMES ; Jump Rope ; Play ; RHYME

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Entertainment: Game

Jump Rope Song:

Cinderella, dressed in yella,

went upstairs to kiss a fella

how many kisses did she receive?

(Hot pepper count until she misses)

Submitter comment:

The informant learned it from the neighborhood kids.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C570] crossed out/ replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Entertainment ; GAMES ; Jump Rope ; Play

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Entertainment: Game

Jump Rope Song:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs / Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say your prayers / Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn out the light / Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say goodnight.

Submitter comment:

The informant learned it from her friends.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN crossed out / Replaced with C750.560

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): CHILD ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; GAME ; Jump Rope ; Play

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Entertainment: Game

Jump Rope Song:

Not last night, but the night before, 24 robbers came knocking at my door. I went out (jump out of rope) to let them in (jump back in) and here's what they said to me:

"Spanish Dancer do the kicks, kicks, kicks, kicks, (jump with legs far apart)

Spanish Dancer do the splits, splits, splits, splits, (jump up with legs extended)

Spanish Dancer turn around, round, round, (turn rope)

Spanish Dancer Touch the ground, ground, ground. (touch the ground)

Submitter comment:

The informant learned it from the neighborhood kids

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C570] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): CHILDREN ; Entertainment ; GAMES ; Jump Rope ; Play ; RHYME

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Entertainment: Game

Jump Rope Song:

Mable, Mable, set the table. Don't forget the salt, but don't forget the red hot peppers. (when "red peppers" is said, the rope is spun faster.)

Submitter comment:

The informant learned it from neighborhood kids.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C570] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Keyword(s): CHILD ; CHILDREN ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; GAME ; Jump Rope ; Play ; RHYME

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