The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

"Your mother, my, mother, live across the way,
1515 East Broadway. Every night, they have a fight,
And this is what they say:
Icka, Bocka, Soda cracker,
Does your mother chew tobacker?"
As a counting out rhyme, yes or no would be
chosen and then spelled out, such as "Y-E-S spells
yes and you are not it."
As a jumprope rhyme, "yes, no, yes, no" would be repeated
until you fell.

Where learned: NEW YORK ; POUGHKEEPSIE