Mary Mac Clap Game For Kids

'Mary Mack' ('Miss Mary Mack') is a clapping game played by children in English-speakingcountries. It is first attested in the book The Counting Out Rhymes of Children by Henry Carrington Bolton (1888), whose version was collected in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is well known in various parts of the United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and in New Zealand and has been called 'the most common hand-clapping game in the English-speaking world'.^[1]

Jan 22, 2016  Miss Mary Mack Children's song, Nursery Rhyme for toddlers & kids with lyrics performed by Patty Shukla Learn Miss Mary Mack and sing along, Miss Mary Mack is a classic hand game that you can do.

In the game, two children stand or sit opposite to each other, and claphands in time to a rhymingsong.

The same song is also used as a jumproperhyme,^[2] although rarely so according to one source.^[3]

Rhyme[edit]

Various versions of the song exist; a common version goes;

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

All dressed in black, black, black

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons

All down her back, back, back. (or 'Up and down her back back back')

She asked her mother, mother, mother

for fifty (or 15) cents, cents, cents

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants (or hippos or cows)

Jump the fence, fence, fence.

Miss Mary Mack Clapping Game Lyrics

They jumped so high, high, high

they reached the sky, sky, sky

And didn't (or never) come back, back, back

Till the 4th of July ly ly.

She asked her mother, mother, mother

For 5 cents more, more, more

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants

Jump the door, door, door.

They jumped to the flow flow flow

they stubbed their toe toe toe

and that was the end end end

of the elephant show show show.

An alternate version, sung in Canada, includes the words:

She could not read, read, read

She could not write, write, write

But she could smoke, smoke, smoke

Her father’s pipe, pipe, pipe.

An alternate version, sung in the American South:

Mary Mack,

dressed in black,

silver buttons all down her back.

She combed her hair

and broke the comb

She's gonna get a whoopin' when her Momma comes home

Gonna get a whoopin' when her Momma comes home

Clap[edit]

A common version of the accompanying clap is as follows:

• &: Arms across chest
• 4: Pat thighs
• &: Clap hands
• 1: Clap right palms with partner
• &: Clap left palms with partner
• 2: Clap both palms with partner

Another version:^[4]

• &: One palm up, one palm down
• 4: Clap both partners hands
• &: Clap own hands
• 1: Cross arms to chest
• 2: Slap thighs
• 3: Clap own hands

Another Version:

• 4: Pat thighs
• &: Clap hands
• 1: Clap partners right hand
• &: Clap hands
• &: Clap partners left hand
• &: Clap hands
• 2: Clap both partners hands
• &: Clap hands

Another Version:

• &: One palm up, one palm down
• 1: Clap both partners hands
• &: Reverse hands
• 2: Clap both partners hands
• &: Clap own hands
• 4: clap partners right hand
• &: clap hands
• 5: clap partners left hand
• &: clap hands
• 6: clap partners right hand
• &: clap hands

repeat

Possible origins[edit]

The first verse, the repetition, is also a riddle with the answer 'coffin'.^[5]

Early mentions of the part about the elephant do not include the part about Mary Mack.^[6][7]

Mary Mac Clap Game Lyrics

Merrimack[edit]

The origin of the name Mary Mack is obscure, and various theories have been proposed. According to one theory, Mary Mack originally referred to the USS Merrimack, a United States warship of the mid-1800s named after the Merrimack River, that would have been black, with silvery rivets. This may suggest that the first verse refers to the Battle of Hampton Roads during the American Civil War.^{[citation needed]}

See also[edit]

• 'Walking The Dog', a 1960s R&B song by Rufus Thomas with lyrics based on 'Mary Mack'.
• 'Witchcraft (Book of Love song)', a song from the Pop group, Book of Love, with a reference to 'Mary Mack'.
• 'Tobacco Origin Story', a poem by Joy Harjo, refers to the song twice in a prominent way.

Mary Mac Clap Game Lyrics

References[edit]

1. ^Gaunt, Kyra Danielle. The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-hop. NYU Press. p. 63. ISBN0-8147-3120-1. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
2. ^Gaunt, Games Black Girls Play, p. 68
3. ^Cole, Joanna (1989). Anna Banana: 101 Jump-rope Rhymes. HarperCollins. p. 13. ISBN0-688-08809-0. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
4. ^Bernstein, Sara (1994). Hand Clap!, p.88-9. ISBN1-55850-426-5. Rhythm not provided.
5. ^Odum, Howard W. (1928). Rainbow Round My Shoulder: The Blue Trail of Black Ulysses (2006 ed.). Indiana University Press. p. 33. ISBN0-253-21854-3. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
6. ^Heath, Lilian M. (1902). Eighty Good Times Out of Doors. Fleming H. Revell Co. p. 186. Retrieved 2011-04-08. elephant jump the fence.
7. ^Day, Holman F. (1905). Squire Phin: A Novel. A. L. Burt Co. p. 21. Retrieved 2011-04-08.