Anonymous
Post 08/12/2024 20:56     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
This is amazing. I did “Miss Suzie” in Pennsylvania in the 80s. This is what memes used to be, and they had much longer staying power.
Anonymous
Post 08/12/2024 20:31     Subject: Re:Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We did "light as a feather, stiff as a board" and Bloody Mary at slumber parties and girl scout retreats in Missouri in the 80s (and told ghost stories, always including the China doll with the long fingernails), but I've never heard of the egg/yolk thing.


Our egg/yolk started with “x marks the spot, circle and a dot…”


Ours started with "Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate on what I'm saying. People are dying, children are crying, concentrate on what I'm saying." And you weren't supposed to see colors at the end, just get goosebumps ("a cool breeze, a tight squeeze, now you've got the chillies!")
Anonymous
Post 08/12/2024 18:24     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Ah yes, memories of my teen cousin teaching 5 year old me this at Passover in the 90s. He also taught us:

There was an old man
Who lived by the crick
And every old night he played with his…
Banjo in the moonlight
With the lady next door
You could tell by just looking that she was a…
Fine young lady who rolled in the grass
And when she rolled over you could see her bare…
Legs in the moonlight she walked like a duck
She said she would teach us a new way to…
Raise the children
She brought them up well
If you didn’t like my story you can go to…
Sleep!

Chicago, early 90s. Anyone else remember that one?
Anonymous
Post 08/12/2024 12:02     Subject: Re:Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Miss Suzie had a baby, she named him Tiny Tim
She put him in the bath tub to see if he could swim
He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap
He tried to eat the bathtub but it wouldn't go down his throat

***Measles said the doctor
Mumps said the nurse
Hiccups said the lady with the alligator purse***


Southern California early/mid 90's


Interesting that this was a part of the Miss Suzy/Miss Lulu song for you.

As a child of the 70's I had never heard this, but then my children (children of the 2010's) brought this home a few years ago from preschool. It's a similar tune, but definitely not the same. And I had not heard these lyrics until my kids brought the song home. So, it seems much newer to me!

This is the Tiny Tim tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpPXl7OTdwU
This is the Miss Lulu turn (almost the same as the one I learned): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl_dTms1Nrc

http://rhymeslyrics.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-had-little-turtle.html
I had a little Turtle,
His name was Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub,
To see if he could swim.

He drank up all the water
And ate a bar of soap.
And now he's in his bed,
With bubbles in his throat.

Bubble, Bubble, Bubble,
Bubble, Bubble, Bubble,
Bubble, Bubble, Bubble
Bubble, PoP!

Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 21:04     Subject: Re:Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Anonymous wrote:We did "light as a feather, stiff as a board" and Bloody Mary at slumber parties and girl scout retreats in Missouri in the 80s (and told ghost stories, always including the China doll with the long fingernails), but I've never heard of the egg/yolk thing.


Our egg/yolk started with “x marks the spot, circle and a dot…”
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 19:00     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
We ended with DARK
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 18:59     Subject: Re:Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is how i remember it ending!

I know I know my sister with the 80 meter bra. My mother is godzilla, my father is king kong. My sister is the stupid one who made up this dumb song. A song is like a rhythm, a rhythm's like a beat, a beet is like a vegetable that everybody eats!

Hm I always sang "18 hour" bra. No?


Yeah, that makes a lot more sense - Playtex 18 hour bras were a thing back then.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 18:40     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Anonymous wrote:Did anyone say:

Early in the morning
Late at night
Two dead boys
Got up to fight
Back to back
They faced each other
Drew their swords
And shot each other
The dead policeman
Heard their noise
And came to kill
The two dead boys
If you don’t believe
This lie is true
Then ask the blind man
He saw it too.

Sounds so horrid and morbid now. But we just shouted it quickly and we’re pretty oblivious to how dark it was. Just felt like a taboo thrill.


Yes, I remember your poem. That is how I learned it, too, but apparently there are many versions.

https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/two-dead-boys-got-up-to-fight/

Yesterday upon the stairs, I met a man that wasn't there. He wasn't there again today, oh how I wish he'd go away!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigonish_(poem)
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 18:38     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
I know what you are talking about but I never learned this as a kid
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 18:37     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Anonymous wrote:I was just trying to remember the words to this so I could teach it to my 7yo! However now I'm reconsidering teaching her the words as it's a bit risque...

New England, early 80s:

Miss had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Miss Suzie went to heaven
The steamboat went to
Hello, operator, please give me number nine
and if you disconnect me I will chop off your
behind the 'frigerator there was a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it and broke her little
ask me no more questions
I'll tell you no more lies
the boys are in the girls' room, zipping up their
flies are in the meadow, the bees are in the park
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend are kissing in the
D-A-R-K D-A-R-K D-A-R-K
Dark is like a movie, the movies like a show
The show is like a tv set and that is all I know know know!

We did it as a clapping game.

There was also this one:

Miss Sue, Miss Sue, Miss Sue from Alabama
Just sitting in a rocker, eating Betty Crocker
Watching the clock go tick, tock, tick tock fin-alli-alli-alli
A B C D E F G
Wash those spots right off of me
Moo-cha moo-cha moo-cha freeze!
Do not show your teeth to me!
(Repeat without showing teeth)


I remember this one! (California mid/late 80’s) Almost the same except for instead of “tick tock fin Alli Alli Allli” it was “tick tock, tick tock shawawa; tick tock tick tock shawawa”

And it ended with the “moo-cha moo-cha moo-cha freeze” line at which point it was a contest as to who could freeze the longest.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 18:35     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
We sang:
Ranger Rick had a 10 foot dick
And showed it to the lady next door
She thought it was a snake
Hit with a rake
And now it’s only 5 foot 4

Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 18:35     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Miss Suzy here. SoCal, 1970s and 80s.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2023 18:33     Subject: Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell ... ding ding - Appropriate age?
Anonymous wrote:You can't find it because it is Miss Lucy, not Suzy.


No. Once again, it’s regional, and as several of us have said, kids where we grew up sang Miss Suzy. There isn’t a “right” version and it isn’t covered under ASCAP.