They inserted different nonsense words and sounds that were easier to pronounce in their different languages. What evidently happened is that a smorgasbord of both English-speaking and multilingual kids on playgrounds around the world independently picked up variations of Eeny, Meeny and made their own versions. But, it gets a little complicated because parts of the rhyme probably come from different places and times. Is it originally American? British? Dutch? Some theories outlined below take a stab at the American chant’s birthplace. There isn’t a clearcut explanation as to how these global variations came about and to provide one would require knowing definitively where Eeny, Meeny comes from (which is, alas, impossible). Germany: Ene, tene, mone, mei,Pastor, lone, bone, strei, (one version of several they also chant the US variation above):įrance: Une, mine, mane, mo,Une, fine, fane, foĭenmark: Ene, mene, ming, mang,Kling klang, Check it out:Įngland: Eeny, meeeny, mony, my,Barcelona, stony, sty, Despite language differences, the first lines of each version are remarkably alike. And, this particular rhyme isn’t only found in the US kids in England, France, Denmark, Germany, and Zimbabwe all make decisions using similar-sounding rhymes.
the chanter finally gets right down to “it.” Eeny, Meeny around the worldĬounting-out rhymes, like this one, were popular decision-making tools for children years ago and are still used today. The group of prospective chasers and fetchers dwindles with each repetition of the incantation until. My mama told me to pick this one (right over here) and you are not itīright, anxious eyes watch the finger point to each kid in rhythm with the words and syllables of the chant. Or, to keep everyone in heart-pounding suspense: The kid chanting and finger-pointing-probably the most popular rascal in the group-might decide to add something like: It goes something like this:Įeny, meeny, miney, moe,Catch a tiger by the toe,
The children don’t suddenly slip into chaos trying to figure “it” out-they possess a rhythmic selection-procedure, parts of which have probably been around in some form for centuries. In both scenarios, who is it? Which of the rosy-faced children will be designated the chaser in Tag, or the (gulp) fetcher of the kickball from haunted Hunchguts’ thorn bush? Or, maybe they’re in the middle of a kickball game and the ball’s flown over into nasty Mr. A group of kids get together to play a game of Tag.
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