Acka-backa, soda cracker

[Wilson Gray]

I knew only the "Catch-a-Jap" version of Eenie Meenie. But, now that I
see your version of it, Larr, I'm reminded that the version that I
learned of Acka-Backa had, after the ethnic slur, a line:

My mother told me to pick the very best one
O-U-T spells out goes YOU!

It's an interesting coincidence that two different chants both include
a very similar line that kinda blows up the rhythm of each chant.

-Wilson


On Jan 29, 2005, at 10:39 AM, Mark A. Mandel wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Acka-backa, soda cracker
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> said:
>>>>
> Curious the way these choosing rituals incorporated ethnic slurs.  In
> our neighborhood (Washington Heights, NYC, c. 1950) it was always
>
> Eenie meenie meinie moe
> Catch a tiger by the toe
> If he hollers let him go
> My mother said to pick this very one
> Y-O-U spells you
>
>
> <<<
>
> NYC,fifties: same except that the last line was "out goes Y-O-U".
>
>
> mark by hand
>