Category Archives: Folk speech

Roses-Are-Red Poem

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
A face like yours
Belongs in the zoo
Don’t be mad, I’ll be there too
Not in a cage, but laughing at you

Context:

This is a saying that the informant heard from her older brother, when he was 10 and she was 5. She remembers being overjoyed when she heard this iteration of the “roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you” saying because she thought it was far more interesting. She was also very glad that there was a version of the saying that was no longer expressly romantic, but was rather a coded insult. After she learned the phrase from her brother, she proceeded to say it to numerous boys in her grade, while also instructing her friends to spread it as well.

Analysis:

This was really interesting to hear, because this is not a version of the classic “roses are red” poem that I have heard before! This type of poem was quite common, and even today I continue to hear new versions. However, this was a creative version I was not expecting to hear. As the informant said, it was a departure from the status quo of roses-are-red poems because is meant to be an insult, rather than a compliment. In my experience, these jokes are told mainly in elementary school and middle school, and this one seems like it would fit perfectly in the settings as a cheeky insult, contributing the American cultural catalog of “boy” versus “girl” insults and jabs (although it is not explicitly gendered).

Echo Riddle

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Riddle: I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? 

Answer: An echo

Context:

The informant grew up in Los Angeles, and has lived there her entire life. She first heard this riddle in the 4th grade, when her teacher wrote it on the white board for their “riddle of the week.” Each day, they would get an additional hint until someone guessed it. This particular riddle (which was told in the winter) was the first one that never got properly guessed. When the teacher revealed the answer, the informant decided it would be her go-to riddle if someone asked for one. When I was unable to guess the answer, the informant laughed because it reminded her of when she would ask people the riddle on the playground.

Analysis:

I find riddles especially interesting because, in my experience, the narrator gets joy out of the recipients inability to answer. I think that this particular riddle is interesting because it is less “intuitive” than many riddles. Riddles have a unique historical context as they appear throughout mythology (ie. the myth of the Sphinx). It is also interesting because this is a myth that I heard when I was in elementary school (in a different part of the United States), but it remained the same. I think that this myth is particularly interesting because it is not something necessarily tangible, and thus not something that listeners would immediately guess.

Dirty Broom

Nationality: American

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Age: 17

Residence: San Antonio

Text

“An old broom knows the dirty corners best.”

Context

This informant is my little sister. We lived in Texas, New Mexico, and Florida, but we are of Irish descent. We love digging deep into family history, and upon learning this was a popular phrase in Ireland, began using it regularly.

Analysis

This saying is a metaphor for age, knowledge, and the value of experience. The informant and I often use this saying when someone new enters our life and tries to change something that we believe shouldn’t be changed. For example, if there’s a new boss at work who fires a bunch of employees, we’ll say “an old broom knows the dirty corners best” in an almost spiteful way. Interestingly, this past-oriented way of thinking contradicts Dundes’ article discussing future orientation in American worldview. The dirty broom saying praises what is older and more experienced rather than what is deemed ‘newer’, ‘hotter’, or ‘better’ – it challenges novelty, something highly valued in American culture.

Cow Sinner

Nationality: Mexican/American

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): Spanish

Age: 40

Residence: Los Angeles

Text

“Tanto peca el que mata la vaca como el que le agarra la pata.”

Translation

“He who kills the cow sins as much as he who grabs its leg.”

Context

This informant is Mexican/American – his father is from Mexico, and his mother is from the United States. He was born in Mexico, grew up in Los Angeles, stayed in Los Angeles, and visits Mexico for family visits. He was told this proverb by mentors growing up.

Analysis

This proverb means that if someone participated in a crime or something similar, it doesn’t matter to what extent, because he or she is also guilty. It’s a message about guilt and taking accountability for your actions, and it can be used as a warning or disciplinary phrase. Although the specific content refers to a small group of people killing a cow, when taken non-literally, the proverb also serves as a metaphor for group action, however large or small the undertaking. For example, this proverb can be applied to larger societal issues related to politics, religions, etc. Regardless of their specific role in the matter, anyone who takes part in something should be held responsible for the consequences.

“Who’s ‘we,’ you got a frog in your pocket?

Nationality: Dallas, TX
Age: 20
Language: English

Context:

When someone refers to an ambiguous, undefined “we” in conversation, one would pose the question: “who’s ‘we,’ you got a frog in your pocket?”

Origin:

The informant learned this humorous saying from her dad, who himself learned it from his law school roommate. Though he attended law school in Dallas, Texas, the person who introduced it to him hailed from Southern California.

Interpretation:

Though this saying seems nonsensical, it allows asker to pose the question “who is ‘we’?” without the natural implication of suspicion or aggression that might be invoked by the question by itself. Similarly undercutting tension, it reminds the person being asked that they have neglected to provide relevant details in a manner that is humorous and non-accusatory.