Hand Clapping Games

River Bay Day Camp
That's me, second from left.
(August 1978)

The girls had secrets. This was understood. There were no girls in our house (mom wanted a girl, apparently that’s why they had me) so I remained ignorant of even the most basic facts of girlhood until I started dating one.

But as I was saying, girls had secrets. And they had mysteries. They could divine the future and probe the inner-most thoughts of their friends and others through the use of a cootie-catcher. 

They passed notes and looked at you and whispered (or in my case, they didn’t look at you and whispered) and they executed intricate hand-clapping games with bravely-recited, risqué lyrics.

Miss Suzy had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Miss Suzy went to heaven
The steamboat went to …
HELLO operator
Give me number nine
If you disconnect me
I'll kick your big …
BEHIND the 'frigerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss Suzy fell upon it
And cut her big fat …
ASK me no more questions
Give me no more lies
The boys are in the restroom
zipping up their …
FLIES are in the meadow
The bees are in the park
Miss Suzy and her boyfriend
Are kissing in the D. A. R. K.
D. A. R. K. D. A. R. K.
Dark Dark Dark!!

When I was ten, the cool girls really liked to say the word “ass.” Like in that Blondie song, you know the one.

There was this oral tradition among children which goes back generations (see: Ben Is Dead) where songs like these were passed along without thought of where they came from or where they might lead. Do kids still recite "Miss Suzy" while clapping, or jumping rope?

Regardless, I am thinking of composing some verses for this thing I'm working on. I think it will be fun!

River Bay Day Camp, 1963
Cleveland Memory Project