Title: The K-i-s-s-i-n-g Song
General Information about Item:
- Customary: Taboo, Rhyme, Game
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: US
- Date and Place of Collection: 10/2/16
Informant Data:
Kate Whiston was born in New York City, NY on June 2nd, 1996. She has two older brothers who are 7 and 9 years older than she is. Kate has lived in Rye, NY for her entire life. Her father immigrated from Ireland when he was a young boy, and her mother is from Long Island, NY. Kate is a junior at Hamilton College, and she is a political science major.
Contextual Data:
A few weeks ago, Kate and I were both home for a funeral. There, we were reminiscing about playground games that we used to engage in at Osborn Elementary School where we both attended for grades 1 through 5. There was quite a flirtatious culture in our elementary school, and groups of girls or boys would frequently go around singing the K-i-s-s-i-n-g Song towards people who were “together.” She uses the example of two of our friends who were “boyfriend and girlfriend” in 5th grade.
Associated File (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript of Associated File:
“John and Mary
sitting in a tree,
K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
First comes love,
then comes marriage,
then comes baby
in a baby carriage!”
Informant’s Comments:
Kate mentioned that we use the song to taunt our friends, especially those who were romantically involved at such a young age.
Collector’s Comments:
This song can be considered a taboo rhyme of Childhood Folklore. It touches on the more adult concept of relationships and reproduction, two things that children do not engage in.
Collector’s Name: Addie Chabot ’18
Tags/Keywords: game, verbal, song, taboo, rhyme