Today's Song of the Week offering is a quick study, as I am focusing the majority of my creative attention on getting ready for Kidfest this Sunday. The good news for you, my dear Spinnerets, is that I will share the fruits of my labors in the form of more stories, songs and resources. Keep in mind that once I had a word-pool going by which a reader would submit a word in the comments section, and then I would write a story based around it. I could do that again.
Today's song of the week is "May-Ree Mack," by Ella Jenkins. Most of you are probably familiar with the chant-rhyme Miss Mary Mack (which is another Jenkins staple). "May-Ree Mack" is Ella Jenkins' variation on a theme. To present it, the leader sings the first two lines, and the audience comes in on the "Hi-yos."
May-Ree Mack, dressed in black
Buttons all up and down her back
Hi-yo, hi-yo, hi-yo-o, hi-yo
Give me a nickel, give me a dime
See my honey baby all the time
Hi-yo, hi-yo, hi-yo-o, hi-yo
Went to the river, couldn't get across
Got in trouble with my boss
Hi-yo, hi-yo, hi-yo-o, hi-yo
Words and Music: Ella Jenkins
© 1968 Ella Jenkins (ASCAP)
Sound sample (Track 7)
6 comments:
Ohh....My kids loved to chant this song while doing this clapping game. If they knew there was a Hi-yo line now,, they would get the biggest kick out of that and yell it out loud. Seriously.
I forgot to mention, Good Luck with the Kidfest! You'll be great!
Thanks, HWM! I hope your children enjoy the song, too.
I will now be chanting "Miss Mary Mack" for the rest of the day. There's nothing I love quite so much as a good jump rope rhyme.
Of course, I used to have a friend who did a version of the chant that started, "Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack/Hopped up on crack, crack, crack." As you can imagine, it went downhill quite quickly after that.
Oh yes!
I love both versions!
They're both on the first Ella Jenkins album I ever got, which I think is called "You Sing a Song."
On a related note, do you sing "Feed my Cow" and if so do you kill the cow like Ella does? I make her get better, myself.
Adrienne--Poor Miss Mary Mack! But that's folklore for you.
Sam-- Yeah, I'm afraid I do kill that cow, just like Ella does. I don't eat the cow, though. That's something, right?
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