Text:
“A man rode out of town on Sunday. He stayed the whole night at a hotel and rode back to town the next day on Sunday. How is this possible? The horse’s name is Sunday.”
Context:
A girl from LA who learned this riddle from her grandma.
Analysis:
Interestingly enough, I have heard this riddle before, but the horse’s name was Friday instead of Sunday. This serves as an example of multiplicity and variation when sharing and spreading folk speech like riddles.
Text:
“Happy, happy birthday. What? Birthday. What? Happy, happy birthday. What? Birthday. What? Everybody knows that it’s your day, so we’re gonna celebrate in the best way. All your friends, no families here. This only happens once a year. Happy, happy birthday? What? Birthday. What?”
Context:
A girl from NYC who learned this song at sleep-away camp, where she spent her summers growing up.
Analysis:
This song is passed down each year from camper to camper during birthday celebrations. It is sung in unison and also features a matching clap “dance” to create the rhythm. This rendition of the Happy Birthday song was made to cater to campers who may or may not be homesick and need to be reminded that they area surrounded by all their friends and having the best time. The song is interactive and dynamic, making the birthday celebration all the more exciting.
Text:
(Call and response) “You can’t ride in my little red wagon.” “You can’t ride in my little red wagon.” “The front seat’s broken, and the axle’s dragging.” “The front seat’s broken, and the axle’s dragging.” “Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga.” “Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga
Context:
A girl who grew up in LA and learned this song at summer camp. She also heard it at other camps beyond that one.
Analysis:
This is a classic camp song that hardly get’s varied with the words, at least from any of the times I’ve heard it. I also learned this in summer camp, but at mine, we had a slight variation by repeating the song multiple times at different volumes. The first time was normal, the second was loud, the third was whispering, and the fourth was loud again. Through this call and response activity, everyone can engage and sing together.
Text:
“Down by the banks of the hanky-panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky with a heap, off, over the top, land on a lily pad with the curplop.”
Context:
A girl from Denver, Colorado describing a game she used to play with her friends as a child where they sat in a circle with their palms facing up. Each person goes one by one, singing and clapping their neighbors hand at the rhythm of the song, typically increasing speed as the game progresses. If you are the last person to be slapped, you’re out of the game. The last man standing is the winner.
Analysis:
It was interesting to hear this rendition of the song because mine was slightly different in the second half from what I can remember. The beginning was the same, but the end of mine was slightly different, going, “heap, hop, soda pop, he missed the lily pad, he went curplop.” However, the heart and content was still the same, with the general storyline of the song and clapping hands while seated in a circle motion, trying to not get eliminated. This demonstrates the multiplicity and variation when passing along games.
Text:
“So my sister had a friend who’s older sister had a friend who studied abroad in Milan her junior jear of college. When she was studying abroad, she, like other normal college students, wanted to go on a date. So she ended uo going on a date with this guy. She went back home with him, and everything was going well until he asked to give her a massage. He gave her a massage. She thought something was up and felt something was weird, so she just left. Then after a few days, a rash started to develop on her back. She was like, ‘What is this?’ So she went to the Italian doctor, and the Italian doctor was like, ‘For some reason, the fibers of your skin are starting to break down. This could leech into your muscles. Good thing you came in, but how did this happen? The only way this would have happened is with a flesh dissolver.’ She said, ‘What? What are you talking about?’ Less than a month later, the guy that she went on a date with got arrested for killing multiple women and eating them, meaning he was preparing her to be skinned and eaten after giving her that massage.”
Context:
A boy from Kansas City, Missouri telling a story he heard from his sister (who heard the story from a friend) about a date-from-hell while a girl was studying abroad in Milan.
Analysis:
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time I’ve heard this story. I’d like to think that it’s a legend or greatly exaggerated story from being retold indefinitely (hopefully). Regardless, it serves as an example for how folklore spreads through storytelling, often leading to multiplicity and variation between each iteration.