Category Archives: Musical

Peppermint Patty (child’s song)

Nationality: American
Age: 14
Occupation: Student
Residence: Beverly Hills, CA
Performance Date: 4/24/16
Primary Language: English
Language: French

TK: What are you singing?

JK: A song from when I was in 4th grade.

TK: And?

JK: It goes:

My name is Peppermint Patty
I come from Cincinnati
I have 24 toes and a finger up my nose
And this is how my story goes:

I was walking to my boyfriend’s house
He was talking to another girl
He said I L-O-V-E love you
I’d K-I-S-S kiss you
I’d D-A-T-E date you at 11 o’clock tonight.

I kicked him into Paris,
I kicked him into France,
I kicked him into Disneyland and saw his underpants

TK: What did people say this for?

JK: It was like a hand game (starts motioning)

TK: Did you used to play this?

JK: Mmm… (shaking his head no). Well I played it sometimes, but it was a thing everyone in the grade knew how to do.

TK: Did you play it with your friends?

JK: Ya a couple times (laughing/shameful).

 

THE INFORMANT: Julian is 14 and was enthusiastic to remember this information, he was laughing at the recollection of it.


ANALYSIS: This chant and accompanying hand gesture game spread throughout the class when Julian learned it in 4th grade from a friend, Sophia. He was always more into sports, kind of a boys’ boy, so it’s funny that he can remember this chant (with a hand game that was more of a girl’s thing) from years ago. Although for Julian it originated with a girl who told him the chant, it quickly became something that, as he says, “everyone in the grade knew how to do,” bringing to mind the pervasiveness of elementary school culture, in which trends like this appear and are spread rapidly. Both I and those I have talked to who are older than Julian don’t know this particular chant, and neither does my little sister, indicating that it might have been an anomaly for his year. However, we do remember the classic chant “I see London, I see France, I see _____’s underpants,” which seems to be referenced in the last part of this song.

One for Sorrow, Two For Joy (nursery rhyme)

According to an old superstition, the number of magpies one encounters will determine whether one experiences bad or good luck. Like many folk songs and nursery rhymes, there is considerable variation regarding the lyrics, but here is a contemporary version:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a bird,
You must not miss.

ANALYSIS: Magpies have frequently been considered a bad omen in many cultures, specifically Britain as far back as the early sixteenth century. As the rhyme shows, most of the numbers have good things associated with them; the only bad magpie to see is one lone magpie. For this reason, in many parts of the United Kingdom, “people will salute a single magpie and say “Good morning Mr Magpie. How is your lady wife today?” By acknowledging the magpie in this way you are showing him proper respect in the hope that he will not pass bad fortune on to you. By referring to the magpie’s wife you are also implying that there are two magpies, which bring joy rather than sorrow according to the popular rhyme.” The fact that this superstition has lasted so long reminds us that, especially in places with such ancient culture as the UK, old superstitions die hard and many of our modern ways of behavior stem from them.

Bang Bang Choo Choo Train (Cheer)

Nationality: American
Age: 10
Occupation: Student
Residence: Beverly Hills, CA
Performance Date: 4/24/16
Primary Language: English

(Acting out the whole thing, had to recall it)

Stop don’t talk to me loser lame-o wannabe
Like oh totally t-totally
Rainfall waterfall girl you think you got it all
But you don’t I do so boom with that attitude
Bang bang choo choo train wind me up
I’ll do that thing bang bang choo choo train
Wind me up I’ll do that thing.
Reeses Pieces butter cups you mess with me I’ll mess you up
Loser whatever get that picture. Word. (that’s what people say)

 

THE INFORMANT: Ruby is ten and says she learned this chant in 3rd grade. Everyone in her grade knows it but only the girls act it out because she says the boys are too embarrassed.


ANALYSIS: Some research on this chant, because I remember the “bang bang choo choo train” part but not the rest, has shown that this rhyme / cheer has been around in some form or another since as far back as 1902, with many variations along the timeline. It is often used as a cheer for young girls to perform as cheerleaders or dancers, and has historically been controversial because some versions of it use more sexualized language than parents think is appropriate for their children to perform to. However, the language used in Ruby’s version shows the large differences between the different versions of this cheer from school to school and over time, where only the “bang bang choo choo train” part is still intact.

Michael Finnegan

Nationality: American
Age: 51
Occupation: Owner of a Manufacturing company
Residence: palos verdes
Performance Date: 4/19/16
Primary Language: English

“There once was a man named Michael Finnegan,

He had whiskers on his chin-egan,

they grew off and then grew in-egan

ooh poor Michael Finnegan begin-egan”

Description of Informant: My father, the informant, comes from a very catholic, Irish background. My grandfather, his dad, grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts as the son of two Irish immigrants. Many of the traditions that my grandfather learned as a kid were based on to my father through tradition and thus, were practiced in my family.

Analysis: This song is a form of Folk Music that has been sung in my family since I was born. The song sings a tale about a man named Michael Finnegan who lost his whiskers, or his man-hood, but then regained it and was pitied by the singer. My last name is Finnegan and thus, was often sung in my house. In fact, there was even a big black platter that hung in my house for a very long time with the song on it. Additionally, I have a cousin named Michael Finnegan so the song pertained to my immediate family very much.

Amici-Fraternity Song

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Saratoga, California
Performance Date: 4/27/16
Primary Language: English
Language: latin

Information on the Informant: The informant, Cameron Borch, is one of my good friends who is in the same fraternity as I am at USC. He is 19 years old and is originally from Saratoga, California. He played Water polo and swam while in high school as well as participated in Crossfit. He has two older brothers, whom he looks up to and sees as his best friends. Cameron grew up in a very “masculine” environment and values brotherhood more than anything because of his family situation. Being the youngest child, he always respected and emulated his brothers actions. In fact, both his brothers attend USC as well so it follows plan that he decided to attend USC as well. In the Fall of 2015, Borch decided to join a fraternity and on the way, learned this traditional fraternity song that he shared with me.

“Our strong band can ne’er be broken
Formed in ole Phi Psi
Far surpassing wealth unspoken
Sealed by friendship’s tie

Chorus:
Amici, usque ad aras
(“Friendship, ongoing until death”)
Deep graven on each heart
Shall be found unwav’ring true
When we from life shall part

College life at best is passing
Gliding swiftly by — Then
Let us pledge in word and action
Love for old Phi Psi

When we sing our life’s last measure
Sweetest then shall be
Strains recalling every treasure
Of fraternity”

Analysis: This song displays a lot of the qualities that many fraternities pride themselves on. The song begins with emphasizing the fact that their bond can never be broken, that their brotherhood within the fraternity will withstand any obstacles that are thrown at them in life. It goes on to say that something like material wealth will never trump the bond that was developed in Phi Psi (the fraternity whose song this is). Additionally, what is cool about this song is that it is unique to this certain fraternity and it is known by every member who has ever joined the house, regardless of the school. Furthermore, there lies latin words within the song–the chorus and the title of the song (Amici) are latin. This corresponds with the fact that Fraternities are based on a “Greek System” of classifying houses.