What's in your 'Rhyme Memory bank'?

[Compo 10,328]

Richard Of York Gave Battie In Vein

Helps with the colours of the rainbow(correcect order) Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet.

This used to help with remembering the colour values of electronic resistors when I was an apprentice in the 1960s:

Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Virgins Grow Wise.

[black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White]

[Compo 10,328]

Here's one I found that I recall the girls using in the playground. It was used in hand-clapping, skipping and two-ball games:

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea,
To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.

A sailor went to chop, chop, chop,
To see what he could chop, chop, chop.
But all that he could chop, chop, chop
Was the bottom of the deep blue chop, chop, chop.
Sea, sea, sea.

A sailor went to knee, knee, knee,
To see what he could knee, knee, knee,
But all that he could knee, knee, knee,
Was the bottom of the deep blue knee, knee, knee.
Chop, chop, chop.
Sea, sea, sea.

A sailor went to snap, snap, snap,
To see what he could snap, snap, snap.
But all that he could snap, snap, snap
Was the bottom of the deep blue snap, snap, snap.
Knee, knee, knee.
chop, chop, chopp.
Sea, sea, sea.

A sailor went to jump, jump, jump,
To see what he could jump, jump, jump.
But all that he could jump, jump, jump
Was the bottom of the deep blue jump, jump, jump.
Snap, snap, snap.
Knee, knee, knee.
chop, chop, chopp.
Sea, sea, sea.

[Compo 10,328]

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Pat it, roll it and mark it with a B
Put it in the oven for baby and me
Patt-a-cake, patt-a-cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can;
Roll it up, roll it up;
And throw it in a pan!
Patt-a-cake, patt-a-cake, baker’s man.

[Compo 10,328]

My mother said I never should
Play with the gypsy's in the wood
If I did she would say
Naughty girl to disobey.

[Compo 10,328]

Some TV adverts had great little rhymes too:

Knorr Stock Cubes: 1960s

Six little Knorr cubes sitting in a pack,
One made a casserole and never came back.
Another made a beef broth, another made a stew,
Another made a goulash and then there were two.
Two little Knorr cubes, me oh my,
One made a hot pot, another made a pie.
One, two, three, four , five, six – oh heaven!
Better get another pack for only 2/7.

Rowntree’s Jelly

Mother takes a moulded jelly from the fridge, child seen through open window … skipping and chanting:

Jelly on a plate,
Jelly on a plate,
Wibble wobble,
Wibble wobble,

Heinz Baked Beans

A series with two 6-year-old boys, John and his brother:

I sometimes think my Mum prefers my Dad as much as me,
You ought to see the pile of beans she gives my Dad for tea,
I need Heinz beans as much as him — in fact I need them more
’Cause my Dad’s very very old — and me I’m only four.
(I’m six really, but it didn’t fit.)

-OR-

You can’t have stew for breakfast
You can’t have porridge for tea
But we have Heinz beans at any time
My brother John and me.

Batchelors Savoury Rice

Fresh green peas all the way from America
Red peppers, green peppers, juicy green beans
Orange and lemon, and a pinch of seasoning
Bachelor’s Savoury Rice!

[StephenFord 866]

I'm not sure where this came from, or that I have it exactly right, but it went something like this :

"The Cabinet's finished, they've gone out to dinner -

The secretary stays, and gets thinner and thinner,

Writing the minutes to make his report

Of what HE thinks that THEY think they OUGHT to have thought."

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Birdy Birdy, in the sky,
What you doing in my eye,
It tastes like sugar,
It feels like soup,
Oh, my God,
Its birdy poop.

[Ivor Thirst 120]

Despite being different sizes.

There once was a young lady from Devises

Who had jugs of differing sizes

One was so small,hardly anything at all

and the other was so big it won prizes

[Ivor Thirst 120]

There once was a girl from Darjeeling

Who danced with such exquisite feeling

Not a sound was heard, not a murmur, not a word

Just the fly buttons hitting the ceiling

[don walker 122]

round tree fruit gums yum yum yum ,,, 5 fruity flavours in you tum tum tum, one things for certain beyond dispute,,, in round trees fruit gums you taste the fruit . for a small fee I will sing it

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

There was a you man from Cosham,

Who got out his bollocks to was them,

His wife said Jack if you don't put them back,

I'll tread on the bu99ers and squash them.

[StephenFord 866]

"There was a young man from Dundee

Who was terribly stung by a wasp.

When asked, "Does it hurt?"

He replied, "Not at all -

It can do it again if it likes."

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Georgie Porgy pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
And when the boys came out to play,
He kissed them too 'cause he was gay.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

I met Murder on the way

He had a mask like Castlereagh

Very smooth he looked, yet grim;

Seven bloodhounds followed him

All were fat; and well they might

Be in admirable plight,

For one by one, and two by two,

He tossed them human hearts to chew

Which from his wide cloak he drew

[Commo 1,292]

When ice cream started to be sold in the street in Victorian Times by the likes of the Solari and Cappocci families, it was known as Hokey Pokey and was eaten by by being placed on a small glass receptacle called a "lick". You paid your penny, ate the lick of ice cream and handed back the glass, hopefully to be cleaned before the next customer.

Anyway, my Gran, being enamoured of toilet humour, used to recite a rhyme from then:

Hokey Pokey penny a lump,

That's the stuff to make you trump.

As a little lad I always enjoyed her jokes and rhymes, risque as they were at the time for a little `un.