eeny meeny, eenie meenie minie mo

1. (ed: there's a Warning here of some racist content. Shoul I leave it.. or censor. Leave it I think, this is essentially a historical store.. and this is just how it was in 'the bad old days'.)

   Eeny meany miney mo
   Catch a nigger by his toe
   If he squeaks let him go
   Eeny meeny miney MO

   (sometimes with 'You are it' or 'You are NOT it' or 'You are out', added, but more commonly with MO being the declaration if "it-ness")

   (Contributor's note: "In later years nigger was replaced by mousey, but in earlier years we didn't know any better.")

   Another Version:

   Eenie Meenie Minie Mo
   Catch a tiger by it's toe
   If he holl ers make him pay
   Fifty dollars every day

   (an alternate last two lines was)

   If he hollers let him go
   Eenie meenie minie mo

   Contributor says another thing they would do in all of the things, was after they finished the 'minie mo' or whatever they did that day, we would go "My mother told me to pick the very best one and you are it!" - of course, if we didn't want whoever would end up as it to be it, we would say,"And you are not it!". This would cause many disagreements and much argument.

   (ed: There was another rhyme that went something like ibble obble black bobble, or something, does anyone remember how that went?)

   ed: by the way, I was told once that these terms actually represent the remnants of a now forgotten counting system... I wonder if anyone will ever find out where it originated?)

   See also: ▶dipping, ▶the spades go
2. Eeny meeny miney mo
   Catch a tiger by the toe
   If he hollers make him pay
   50 dollars every day
   My mother said to pick the very best one
   And you are not it
   With a dirty dirty dishrag on your toe.
   Eeny meeny miney mo

   Source: USA (south St. Louis, Missouri), circa early 1980's