Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for CHILDHOOD returned 85 results.
JOKE-GESTURE ABOUT STRONG MEN, ON HOW THEY USE ANY
EXCUSE TO SHOW OFF. EXAMPLE IS POINTING GESTURE:
THEY FLEX THEIR ARM THEN TURN WRIST AND THEN POINT.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Jest Anecdote SPEECH -- S236 SPEECH -- Games Riddles Jokes |
Date learned: NOT GIVEN
Superstition
Superstition:
Anything tried on Friday the 13th will fail.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P880.6] crossed out and replaced with P574.5
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; HOME
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CURSE ; DATE ; Day ; Friday ; jinx ; SUPERSTITION ; TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA ; Weekday
James Callow Keyword(s): TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA
| Subject headings: | 686 Specific number by specific number being described BELIEF -- Measure of time WeekDayHour |
Belief: Children's Song
If you step on a crack you'll break your mother's back.
Submitter comment:
Stepping on Cracks Superstition
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P880] crossed out and replaced with C860.740
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ; Myself
Keyword(s): Back ; BELIEF ; CHILDHOOD ; CHILDREN ; Crack ; GAME ; Line ; MOTHER ; RHYME ; SONG ; Spine ; SUPERSTITION ; VERSE
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief |
Myth
Easter Bunny:
The Easter Bunny - A big rabbit with a white tail who hides eggs around your house.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P429] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; HOME
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; Bunny ; CUSTOM ; Easter ; Eggs ; Hare ; holiday ; MYTH ; Rabbit
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Mammal |
Weather
IF IT RAINS, THE DEAD ARE HAPPY.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; HOME
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Cloud Fog Mist Rain Hail Ice Snow Frost Dew BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial |
Date learned: CHILDHOOD
PATTY THE BAG
APPARENTLY, IN IRELAND PATTY THE BAG IS A WITCH CREATURE WITH
WHICH CHILDREN ARE THREATENED IF THEY MISBEHAVE,
E.G. IF YOU DON'T WATCH OUT, PATTY THE BAG WILL TAKE YOU.
Submitter comment:
INFORMANT HAD KNOWN OF THE LEGEND SINCE HER CHILDHOOD IN IRELAND.
SHE WAS BORN C. 1870
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; IRELAND
James Callow Keyword(s): THREAT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- P435, |
Date learned: NOT GIVEN
STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES,
BUT WORDS WILL NEVER HURT ME.
Submitter comment:
REPLY TO A TAUNT.
Data entry tech comment:
Updated by TRD
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; GRADE SCHOOL
Keyword(s): BONES ; Defense ; poem ; Reverse Taunt ; RHYME ; SONG ; Sticks ; STONES ; TAUNT ; WORDS
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse BELIEF -- P870 P870.570 |
Date learned: NOT GIVEN
PROVERB
BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP, BUT IT HELPS.
Submitter comment: CORRUPTION OF THE FAMILIAR.
Data entry tech comment: VARIANT
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; HOME
Keyword(s): HUMAN BODY
James Callow Keyword(s): HUMOR ; PARODY
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Date learned: NOT GIVEN
KRAKOWIAK (POLISH DANCE)
LIKE THE AMERICAN SQUARE DANCE.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; NOT GIVEN ; HOME ; PENNSYLVANIA ; MICHIGAN ; LETTER ; OHIO ; NEW JERSEY ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; AUTOGRAPH BOOK ; GROSSE POINTE ; HARPER WOODS ; GROSSE POINTE WOODS ; WARREN ; JAPAN ; RUSSIA ; GRAND RAPIDS ; SHIPLE HALL ; GARDEN CITY ; ROYAL OAK ; TOLEDO ; TRENTON ; FARMINGTON ; KALAMAZOO ; CANADA ; ONTARIO ; MARYGROVE COLLEGE ; DETROIT ; MAIL ; INDIANA ; DETROIT, ASSUMED ; TOLD AT HOME ; FERNDALE ; SOUTHFIELD ; TENNESSEE ; MACKENZIE HIGH SCHOOL ; HAMTRAMCK ; DEARBORN ; MINNESOTA ; ILLINOIS ; NEW YORK ; FLORIDA ; KOREA ; WISCONSIN ; NEW HAMPSHIRE ; STUDENT UNION ; READING ; AUSTRALIA ; Sylvania ; Sterling Heights ; MICHIGAN, ASSUMED ; GROSSE POINTE PARK ; OAK PARK ; SOUTHGATE ; STURGEON LAKE ; REDFORD ; TOORAK ; VICTORIA ; ROSEVILLE ; LINCOLN PARK ; TRAVERSE CITY ; HUNTINGTON WOODS ; PONTIAC ; TROY ; PORT CHESTER ; SOUTH AMERICA ; BROOKVILLE ; MONTREAL ; SEOUL ; NORTH OLMSTED ; EASTOWN THEATER ; ERIE ; University of Notre Dame ; FRANKLINVILLE ; TORONTO ; TOLD AT ; TOLD BY ; TOLD IN ; SCRANTON ; MONROE ; GLENVIEW ; MOSCOW ; GULLEY ; FINLAND ; HARBOR BEACH ; HOUGHTON LAKE ; Hudson Lake ; INDIANAPOLIS ; JONESBORO ; KANSASVILLE ; LEXINGTON ; MASSILLON ; MAUCH CHUNK ; MELVINDALE ; MILFORD ; NEW ROCHELLE ; NIAGARA FALLS ; PANAMA CITY ; PATAGONIA ; ARGENTINA ; RESIDENCE HALL ; SAINT CLAIR SHORES ; TOLD AT HONORS HOUSE ; AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Dance |
Mandy
Mandy was a Bahama girl (2x's)
(Mandy oh Mandy, Mandy Mine. REFRAIN)
Dark Brown hair and eyes of blue,
love nobody else but you. REFRAIN
Met her on a Saturday night
Was the happiest night of my life. REFRAIN
Married her on Bahama sands
Put a wedding ring on her hand. REFRAIN
Mandy had a little baby
Had a baby just for me. REFRAIN
Baby made my Mandy cry
Cry so hard she was sure to die. REFRAIN
Buried her on Bahama sands
With her wedding ring on her hand. REFRAIN
Mandy was a wife to me
Now she's just a memory. REFRAIN
There's a teardrop in my eye
There to remain until I die. REFRAIN
Submitter comment:
Along with this song goes the belief that it should only be sung in darkness or at night or it will start to rain.
This song was learned at a Girl Scout Camp at age of fourteen.
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are same person.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ; Girl Scout Camp
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Ballad Epic |
HOLY WATER
WHENEVER YOU DIP YOUR HAND INTO THE HOLY WATER DISH, YOU SHOULD
SHAKE THE EXCESS DROPS OFF BEFORE YOU MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS.
EACH DROP THAT YOU SHAKE OFF QUENCHES THE THIRST OF ONE SOUL IN
PURGATORY. THAT SOUL THEN GOES TO HEAVEN.
Submitter comment:
THIS WAS TOLD TO ME AS A BELIEF.
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are the same person. She learned this in childhood.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; MICHIGAN ; GRAND RAPIDS
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Hands, palms, fingernails BELIEF -- Church |
Date learned: 00001956 CHILDHOOD
SLEEPING IN CHURCH
IF YOU FALL ASLEEP IN CHURCH, AN USHER WILL COME AND TICKLE
YOUR NOSE TO WAKE YOU.
Submitter comment:
INFORMANT SAID THIS WAS DONE TO HIM IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS.
Data entry tech comment:
Informant told to collector, his son, during childhood.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; OHIO ; CANTON
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Nose BELIEF -- Church |
Date learned: NOT GIVEN
HOLY COMMUNION
WHEN I WAS AROUND EIGHT YEARS OLD, I BELIEVED IF I CHEWED THE HOST,
MY TEETH WOULD ROT.
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are the same person.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; MICHIGAN ; FERNDALE
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Religious hero BELIEF -- Body part Senses Mouth, teeth, lips, tongue BELIEF -- Church |
Date learned: NOT GIVEN
Patty Cake Song
I woke up Sunday morning
And looked upon the wall
The kooties and the bedbugs
Were playing a game of ball
The score was six to nothing
The kooties were ahead
I got so darn excited I
Fell right out of bed!
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are the same person.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Game Verse |
IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN
IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE NO MORE
IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE
HOW IN THE HECK CAN THE OLD FOLKS TELL
THAT IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE.
MOSQUITO HE FLY HIGH, MOSQUITO HE FLY LOW
O MOSQUITO LIGHT ON ME, AND YE AIN'T GONNA FLY NO MORE.
IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE NO MORE
IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE
HOW IN THE HECK CAN I WASH MY NECK
IF IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE.
A PEANUT SAT ON A RAILROAD TRACK, ITS HEART ALL A FLUTTER.
AROUND THE BEND CAME 416, TOOT TOOT, PEANUT BUTTER.
IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE NO MORE
IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE
HOW IN THE HECK CAN THE OLD FOLKS TELL
THAT IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN NO MORE.
Submitter comment:
Learned in childhood.
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are the same person.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): ANIMAL-INSECT
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest |
Date learned: LEARNED IN CHILDHOOD
The Ants Go Marching
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one, the last one stops to pick up a gun,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching two by two, the last one stops to tie his shoe,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching three by three, the last one stops to climb a tree,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching four by four, the last one stops to shut the door,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching five by five, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching five by five, the last one stops to take a dive,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching six by six, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching six by six, the last one stops to pick up sticks,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching seven by seven, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching seven by seven, the last one stops to fly to heaven,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching eight by eight, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching eight by eight, the last one stops to shut the gate,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching nine by nine, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching nine by nine, the last one stops to pick up a dime,
And they all join in to go down, in the ground, and come out in the rain. Bum, bum, bum.
Oh, the ants go marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching ten by ten, hurrah, hurrah.
Oh, the ants go marching ten by ten, the last one stops to
Start again!
Submitter comment:
Tune: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are the same person.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; MICHIGAN ; GRAND RAPIDS
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Nobody Loves Me
Nobody loves me, everybody hates me.
Think I'll eat some worms.
Big ones, little ones, ishy, gishy, goo ones,
Ones that squiggle and squirm.
First one's greasy -- goes down easy
Second one sticks to your tongue.
Third one's custard, fourth one's mustard
Fifth one tries to run.
First you cut the heads off
Then you suck the juice out
Then you throw the skins away.
No one knows how (name) can live on worms three times a day.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; ILLINOIS ; CHICAGO ; PLAYGROUND
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Ten Little Children
There were ten little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were nine little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were eight little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were seven little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were six little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were five little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were four little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were three little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there were two little children lying in bed
And the last one said: Roll over.
So they all rolled over and one fell off
And there was one little child lying in bed
And he said: Good night!
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; ILLINOIS ; CHICAGO
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Little Bus
There was a little bus, the cutest little bus, the cutest little bus that you ever did see.
The bus was on the wheels, the wheels were on the ground and the motor in the bus made the wheels go around.
Bump-ba-ad-e-ad-a-bump-bump
There was a little seat, the cutest little seat, the cutest little seat that you ever did see.
The seat was on the bus, the bus was on the wheels, the wheels were on the ground and the motor in the bus made the wheels go around.
Bump-ba-ad-e-ad-a-bump-bump
There was a little girl, the cutest little girl, the cutest little girl that you ever did see.
The girl was on the seat, the seat was on the bus, the bus was on the wheels, the wheels were on the ground and the motor in the bus made the wheels go around.
Bump-ba-ad-e-ad-a-bump-bump
There was a little hat, the cutest little hat, the cutest little hat that you ever did see.
The hat was on the girl, the girl was on the seat, the seat was on the bus, the bus was on the wheels, the wheels were on the ground and the motor in the bus made the wheels go around.
Bump-ba-ad-e-ad-a-bump-bump
There was a little feather, the cutest little feather, the cutest little feather that you ever did see.
The feather was on the hat, the hat was on the girl, the girl was on the seat, the seat was on the bus, the bus was on the wheels, the wheels were on the ground and the motor in the bus made the wheels go around.
Bump-ba-ad-e-ad-a-bump-bump
There was a little flea, the cutest little flea, the cutest little flea that you ever did see.
The flea was on the feather, the feather was on the hat, the hat was on the girl, the girl was on the seat, the seat was on the bus, the bus was on the wheels, the wheels were on the ground and the motor in the bus made the wheels go around.
Bump-ba-ad-e-ad-a-bump-bump
There was a little match, the cutest little match that you ever did see.
MATCH IN THE GAS TANK FREE RIDE!
Submitter comment:
Learned in childhood.
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are the same person.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Narrative Verse
When we were children we used to sing such silly verses as: "Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of mud."
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector are the same person.
Where learned: CHILDHOOD
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest |