The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Method of determining who is "it"

"My mother and your mother were hanging up clothes. My mother
socked your mother right in the nose. What color of blood came
out? Red. R-E-D."

Submitter comment: In this song, each person holds out a fist, and the leader
sings the song while touching each fist in the circle. The fist
which is being pointed to at the end of the song is not "it." And
the song is sung and fists are pointed to until everyone's fist is
eliminated except for the last person. The last person is then
"it." At the time in the song above, the person who has their
fist being pointed to when the singer is singing,"What color of
blood came out?" gets to choose the color of blood he wants. Then
the singer must spell out the color, pointing to a different fist
when he sings a new letter. When he is done spelling the color,
then the fist he is pointing to is "it" because that is the end of
the song.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; GRAND RAPIDS

Date learned: 00-00-1979