Author Archives: Alexander Fiance

Hymn

Shema

Shema yisrael adonai eloheinu

Adonai echad

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God,

The Lord is one.

Jay Rockman is a freshman at USC and a dedicated follower of Jewish religion and tradition. His mother is Israeli, and as a child he learned to speak Hebrew. From grades 6-12 he attend Milken Community School, a prestigious private school in Calabasas, CA that integrates Jewish education into its curriculum. According to Jay, they would often sing Jewish hymns and prayers at assemblies or certain classes; the school would combine both the Hebrew text and the English translation into these short hymns. The third and fourth lines of the hymn are normally written in Hebrew characters, with this version containing the phonetic pronunciation of the words.

The “Shema” is the most sacred Hebrew hymn, as it provides a general framework for the indispensable principles of the Jewish religion. The central concept is the idea that God is “one,” but this can be interpreted in multiple ways. First and foremost, the prayer stresses monotheism, meaning that the Jewish people cannot pray to anyone but God (meaning they cannot have idols or statues). Also, the “Shema” discusses God’s omnipotence, claiming that there truly is no barrier between God and the natural world; instead, the Lord is “One” with everything He has created. Thus, to disrespect the Earth or other human beings is to directly disrespect the Lord. Finally, the hymn speaks to the land of Israel, as it is considered the homeland of the Jewish people, meaning that every Jew has a direct connection to the land. While there has been tremendous controversy over who should have sovereignty over the holy land of Israel, the “Shema” certainly confirms the location as an indispensable aspect of Jewish culture. These ancient texts certainly explain why the Israelis are so protective of their land, as they are directly commanded by God to represent and protect the holy territory.

Folk Chant

Recess Taunt

U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi

You ugly, yeah yeah you ugly;

Reeses Pieces, buttercup,

Mess with me, I’ll mess you up;

Bang bang choo choo train,

Wind me up, I’ll do my thang!

Brick wall, waterfall,

Girl you think you got it all…

You don’t, I do!

So POOF with that attitude!

According to Talia, these rhymes can be sung in almost any order, and they are rarely ever intended to be insulting. They are generally sung by a big group of girls and are often accompanied with an improvised, cheerleader-style dance (or a jump-rope). The girls will take turns reciting lines, turning it into a friendly vocal competition. Talia claims that there are many more similar rhymes, and that she and her friends often try to think of new ones. On rare occasions, the lines are recited between competitive teams, and that girls can take these rhymes personally if they are intended to isolate a person or a group.
Although these rhymes are generally recited in a cheerful, spirited manner, the actual lyrics are rather demeaning. The “U-G-L-Y” lines are designed to isolate someone because of her physical appearance, suggesting that she is not attractive enough to be associated with a certain person or group. The “Reeses Pieces” rhyme is actually a direct physical threat that establishes dominance between groups or people. The remaining lines are less directly insulting, and are instead geared towards personal empowerment. The singer proclaims complete confidence in her abilities and challenges the other girl/group to test her competence. Of course, as Talia stated, the rhymes are almost never recited maliciously; yet, they do represent competitiveness, aggression, and superficiality.

An interesting parallel to these chants can be found at

Powell, Azizi. “Schoolyard Taunts.” CocoJams. 7 Mar. 2007. 8 Apr.

2007 <http://www.cocojams.com/taunting_rhymes.htm>.

This site is an online message board where people are able to submit their own taunts or rhymes. While many of the rhymes are very similar to those of Talia and her friends, none of them directly correlate (revealing both multiplicity and variation in the folklore).

Folk Chant

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones

May break my bones

But words will never hurt me

I am rubber. You are glue

Whatever you say

Bounces off of me

And sticks to you

While Talia acknowledges learning this chant in approximately the first grade, she rarely ever hears it recited anymore. The “sticks and stones” chant is not insulting at all, but rather a clever comeback that is taught by adults as a response to verbal abuse from another child. Talia feels that kids who still use the rhyme (in 6th grade) are viewed as corny and nerdy, but that it used to be an effective comeback during elementary school. Still, the chant has always felt too scripted to her, so she has generally refrained from using it throughout her life.

Clearly, this rhyme has been fabricated and preached by adults in order to encourage kids to refrain from using physical measures in response to insults. The kid reciting the lines is essentially proclaiming immunity from verbal harassment, while the final lines (“whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you”) assert that one who chooses to insult others is an empty person who will eventually feel the pain of the insults. Throughout my youth, I remember adults telling kids that bullies have self-confidence issues and project their negative feelings on others, and the rubber and glue metaphor reinforces the sentiment that those who pick on others receive negative emotional consequences as well. What I find interesting about the rhyme is that it seems like a challenge for a direct physical response, as the child is basically stating that the only way to affect him/her emotionally is through violence (“sticks and stones”). I cannot recall a time in which the chant solicited actual violence, but there is a noticeable contradiction between the opening lines and the grand theme (not to pick on others).

Folk Song – Westlake Village, California

Tarzan

(Leader goes: “This is a repeat after me song!”)

Tarrrrrrrzan

Swinging on a rubber band

Tarrrrrrrzan

Bumped into a frying pan

Ooo that hurts

Now Tarzan has a tan

And I hope he doesn’t peel

Like a banaaaaaaana

Jaaaaaane

Hanging on an airplane

Jaaaaane

Crashed into a traffic lane

Ooo that hurts

Now Jane has a pain

And Tarzan has a tan

And I hope he doesn’t peel

Like a banana

Cheeeeeetah

Dancing on a pizza

Cheeeeetah

Burned his little feetza

Now Cheetah is velveeta

And Jane has a pain

And Tarzan has a tan

And I hope he doesn’t peel

Like a banaaaana

(Singer sings name of a camper)

Fell in love with Cheetah

Ooooooooooooo

Nicole Ross is the camp director of First Neighborhood Day Camp in Westlake Village, CA. Over 200 kids attend camp every week, and throughout the day the counselors lead multiple song medleys. Generally, Nicole selects a counselor to come on stage with his/her group of campers and pick a song, which they will sing on stage in front of the entire camp. I attended the camp from ages 7-13, but when I arrived to work as a head counselor in the summer of 2006 I noticed that many of the songs had changed. Since the camp has been around for more than twenty years, many of the songs have been modified, and Nicole brought many new songs to the camp’s tradition. She claims to have learned “Tarzan” back when she was a camper around 1993.

At first glance, the lyrics of “Tarzan” seem very random, intended merely for entertainment purposes. Inspired by the traditional Tarzan stories, the popular song features reckless characters that reach bizarre consequences for their actions. Thus, the song’s central theme is to warn kids from performing senseless actions (such as “hanging on an airplane”) by stressing the potential risks of such activity ( as Jane “crashed into a traffic lane”). First Neighborhood Day Camp is not gated and is surrounded by public parks and residential neighborhoods; therefore, it is imperative that the campers do not wander off and act foolishly. Of course, the primary goal is for the kids to have fun, but not at the expense of their safety. The song suggests that people must take responsibility for their actions, even if they seem as harmless as “dancing on a pizza.” At the end, the song ends on a humorous note, with the song leader selecting a camper that will fall in love with Cheetah, much to the amusement of the rest of the camp.

Folk Song

The Little Green Frog

Mmmmm-blatttttttttt went the little green frog one day

Mmmmm-blattttttttt went the little green frog

Mmmmm-blattttttttt went the little green frog one day

And his eyes went blooomp blooomp blooomp

All the other frogs went doo dee doo dee doo dee doo

Doo dee doo dee doo dee doo, doo dee doo dee doo dee doo

All the other frogs went doo dee doo dee doo dee doo

And the little green frog went mmm-blatttt mmm-blatttt mmm-blattt-blattt

(Dance: mmm-blattt: the singers stick out their tongue and open their hands by their face, bloomp: the singers bob their head, doo dee doo dee doo dee doo: the dancers spin in a circle with their hands in the air)

Nicole Ross is the camp director of First Neighborhood Day Camp in Westlake Village, CA. Over 200 kids attend camp every week, and throughout the day the counselors lead multiple song medleys. Generally, Nicole selects a counselor to come on stage with his/her group of campers and pick a song, which they will sing on stage in front of the entire camp. I attended the camp from ages 7-13, but when I arrived to work as a head counselor in the summer of 2006 I noticed that many of the songs had changed. Since the camp has been around for more than twenty years, many of the songs have been modified, and Nicole brought many new songs to the camp’s tradition. She claims to have learned “Little Green Frog” back when she was a camper around 1993.

Upon observation, the “Little Green Frog” song and dance looks completely absurd, with campers and counselors spinning around and making awkward noises in a massive group. However, the lyrics certainly have a deeper metaphorical connection to the children’s everyday life. The “little green frog” is representative of uniqueness and individuality, as it makes sounds and motions that are completely different than all of the other frogs. Rather than ostracizing the frog’s unusual habits, its distinctiveness is celebrated through boisterous chanting and uncontrolled dance moves. In fact, the song criticizes the conformity and anonymity of all the other frogs, as the associated dance shows them spinning around aimlessly. The idea of accepting others who are different and encouraging a child to be original is especially important to Nicole and the message she wants to convey to the camp. As a head counselor, I am given strict rules that I must enforce regarding tolerance and unity amongst my group. The most substantial disciplinary actions taken by the administration towards campers arise when a child is picked on or criticized, as the camp tries to foster an environment in which creativity is celebrated, not censured.

An interesting parallel can be found at:

Rule, Jim. “The Little Green Frog.” Songs for Teaching. 9 Apr. 2007

<http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/littlegreenfrog.htm>.

The site actually includes an audio clip of the song, which sounds very similar to the way it is performed at camp. Still, there is variation in the lyrics of the song, and the addition of the dance at the camp certainly distinguishes the two folklore items.