Classic
counting rhyme used by children to pick who is "
IT" in a game of
tag or to make other decisions. The person singing the song would
point at one person for each word in the song, rotating around the
circle until the last word is reached. The person being pointed at then would be the one
selected. The spelling of the
nonsense words is variable. Also, sometimes the word "tiger" is replaced by the word "
nigger", but this in generally frowned upon now for obvious reasons.
The most basic, core version goes like this:
eenie meenie miny mo
catch a tiger by the toe
if he hollers, let him go
eenie meeny miny mo
A second variation:
eenie meenie miny mo
catch a tiger by the toe
if he hollers, let him go
my mother told me to pick
the very best one and
you are not it
A third variation:
eenie meenie miny mo
catch a tiger by the toe
if he hollers, make him pay
fifty dollars every day
my mother told me to pick
the very best one and
you are not it