Posted on October 29, 2014 - By Meg Butler. In 2004, two African-American sisters filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines after a flight attendant tried to rush them into choosing a seat saying, Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, pick a seat, we gotta go.. The first record of a similar rhyme, called the "Hana, man," is from about 1815, when children in New York City are said to have repeated the rhyme: Henry Carrington Bolton discovered this version to be in the US, Ireland and Scotland in the 1880s but was unknown in England until later in the century. ". Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. In the 1800s, the nursery rhyme could be found in both the US and Europe (via An Injustice). B. Fitzgibbon, Words and music, "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" Silly song, but my point is that the phrase seems to appear in other places as well as the rhyme. Support our mission and help keep Vox free for all by making a financial contribution to Vox today. The words make it sound kid-friendly song evolved many times. Popular media portrayed Black people as content with their place in society. Y osain!; punch, originally meaning a drink with five ingredients, is a Hobson-Jobson of panj, meaning five.. The one word in the classic nursery rhyme that has child care centres concerned. What kind of music are we preserving? Despite language differences, the first lines of each version are remarkably alike. (CNSNews.com) - A Southwest Airlines flight attendant's use of a popular children's rhyme - "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe" - has resulted in a federal racial discrimination lawsuit against the airline filed by two African American women asking for unspecified financial damages.One of the two women suing over the allegedly offensive nursery rhyme claims hearing the rhyme caused her to be bedridden . Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo: Racist Nursery Rhymes You Didn't Know You Were Learning. Something went wrong. Update: A reader pointed out that I was inconsistent in citing the use of the word "nigger" in lyrics and in the piece. If he hollers, let him go. Its not a coincidencetheres actually a pretty interesting explanation! Wer? Stick, stack, stone dead! Wheel of Fortune viewers stormed Twitter to mention the puzzle has a racist past. This, though the early 2000s, even, says Dr. Nel. The origin of this nursery rhyme. And no, subbing in monkeys and making the rhymes less deadly isnt innocent, says Kansas State University English professor Philip Nel. All rights reserved. I told him, dont you ever let me catch you in Riverside Ca. There isnt any evidence to back up this theory, which basically means that a term used by African slaves was used by white children in a racist song mocking them. That being said, it's almost impossible to track down the true origin of "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo." "It raind all night de day I left, De wedder it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to def.". There is another meaning and different words used in the original song during the days of slavery. Dirty knees could indicate a need to wash, but they also suggest that the person kneels a lot.. Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe. Prior to the popular variation used today that involves catching tigers, a common American variant of the rhyme used a racist slur against Black people instead of the word tiger. The concept of the lyrics stems from the slave auction and trade. According to Vox, the original version of this rhyme is "rooted in the slave trade," and was not used by children but by slave-owners. For Theodore Johnson III, who wrote the article, knowledge of that history ruined ice cream trucks for him. Thus, instead of tiger, it said the n-word to describe what would happen if a white slave owner caught a runaway. Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo. In some German versions Eena, tena, mona, mi. ", The black plaintiffs in that case sued the airline for discrimination because a flight attendant had used the rhyme while urging them to take their seats. Hinty, minty, cuty, corn, wire, briar, limber lock (United States). This phrase started in the early 20th century mocking Chinese people. We try to introduce a variety of sheep, says Celine Pieterse, co-ordinator of Malvern Easts Central Park Child Care. Many poor southern White people were not able to meet such expectations, so seven states passed laws that made men eligible to vote if they had been granted the right to vote before 1867 or were lineal descendants of voters back then. Seemingly innocent, the rhyme is not what it seems. Their Antiquity, Origin, and Wide Distribution. In 2004, two African-American sisters sued Southwest Airlines for discrimination on the basis of the nursery rhyme. British? with the sea saw hat". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. For the most part, schools in the U.S. have gone with the latter. The traders would pinch or twist the slaves toe. Every year on April 19th, psychonauts join forces to celebrate Bicycle Day. Powwows have long been culturally significant social gatherings for ceremonial and celebratory purposes, conducted under strict protocols. The words: "Eenie, meenie, minie mo. Then shop him to the FBI. In England, for example, Bolton found this version: In the US, while Bolton found dozens of different versions, a similar theme, with very specific wording, was found in many of them. Learn about the famous day when Albert Hoffman first discovered the effects of LSD. Bolton says that it is impossible to trace the exact origin of the rhyme. It turns up in strange places: in Pulp Fiction, in the Great Vermont Corn Maze, in Justin Bieber songs. Long time no see you.. Historically, the notion was birthed after a brief period of relatively open voting, with the goal of enfranchising poor White people, while simultaneously stripping Black people of their rights. Eeny meeny miney mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he swears, let it go, Eeny meeny miney mo. Check it out: England: Eenie, meenie, minie mo. Warning: We are talking about racism in this article. Popularized in the 19th century, it was often sung by minstrels in blackface using the dialect of enslaved Africans, to boot. , wipe his bum: Eeny meeny miny mo." Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.28.150.22 (talk) 11:20, 23 February 2013 (UTC . While the song has been modified regionally over time, the common modernized version goes: "Eenie, meenie, miney, moe. 1 60. Example: I cant do it. > No can do., Another example of a racially insensitive mockery of a pidgin language is the phrase long time no see, which is said when reuniting with someone after a prolonged absence. Rolf later apologised for the lyrics, which shamed Aboriginal people for their misfortune in Australia. The secret delegate battle that will decide the 2024 Republican nominee, The Dark Brandonmeme and why the Biden campaign has embraced it explained. But these songs, can teach us about our past. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" (sometimes written as "moe") has been chanted and beloved by children on playgrounds for centuries. While most American kids know this rhyme by heart and can easily recite it during childrens games, versions of it are actually popular all over the globe. I love writing about what I love. Re. In the song, the singer can't grasp the ideas of temperature and geography. And who decides this? The stories we learn from them are painful, but also valuable. The sisters claim was rejected both in court and in an appeal. The vinyl release of Radiohead's album OK Computer (1997) uses the words "eeny meeny miny moe" (rather than letter or numbers) on the labels of Sides A, B, C and D respectively.[27]. This word was used to describe and oppress Black people. An unavoidable question arises: what do you do with these songs? Please verify that you are over 18 years of age below. The version before this one was much more grim and ghastly. But as far as history goes, Baa, Baa, Black Sheep isnt the only kids rhyme thats come under fire for being racist. De bulgine bust and de hoss ran off, I really thought Id die; The shared genetics of all these counting-out ditties strongly imply an r-Eeny Meeny. Well so did lots of other parents, with one mother telling The Herald Sun, What ignorance. In these scores, the rhythm and ritual of the whole are more significant than the meaning of each individual component. When we shine the magnifying glass on the objectifying roots of this phrase, the whole American history book sparks on fire. , combined with evidence of various other versions of the rhyme in the British Isles pre-dating this post-slavery . Posted on 9/26/22 at 7:26 pm. If it doesnt seem to make sense, even in the gibberish Eeny Meeny world, that youd grab a carnivorous cats toe and expect the tiger to do the hollering, remember that in both England and America, children until recently said Catch a nigger by the toe. The nigger-to-tiger shift is one of the rare instances where changes in the rhyme happen in such an explicit and pointed fashion. Kling klang, Its possible children tried all sorts of nonsensical sounds and rhythms until they found one they liked: Nevertheless, there are as many theories as to the origin of. If she holler (if, if, if she holler) let her go. Eenie, meenie, minie mo. Cant make up your mind, mind, mind, mind, mind. Some theories outlined below take a stab at the American chants birthplace. The lyrics of the song include one about the ole massa gone away, and have been terrorizing Black children for centuries. These classic kids' books are actually a bit disturbing. Johnson's piece got us thinking about the songs like the ice cream truck song a seemingly innocuous folk song, nursery rhyme, or jingle that we may not have known were racist, and what we should do when we learn about their histories. The song portrays a slave who shows emotion and perhaps longing in the wake of his master's death. Itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka-dot bikini. "Gonna jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton. It goes something like this: Eenie, meenie, miney, moe, On the Wikipedia page Talk: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, the editors of the rhymes Wiki page were discussing the issue: At school in North London 197278 we used the n***** version, without any ill intention; it was just part of the rhyme, mentioned one of the editors. It is said that the song is based on slave selections and what white slave owners threatened when the enslaved attempted to escape. There is some offensive language below. And several folklorists have proposed various etymologies based on the content of some versions of Eeny Meeny, trying to derive significance from some variation of the gibberish. There's two common verses that come after the verse with the N word, in that version: Unless the "let him go" implicitly means "kill him" it doesn't seem to be about lynching. The racial term that seems to be present predated slavery and originally meant the "black one" or the Devil. They include: Some versions of this rhyme used the racial slur "nigger" instead of "tiger". A flight attendant urged them to pick a seat by saying "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, pick a seat, we gotta go." Subject: Men. Germany: If he hollers, let him go, According to Vox, the 19th century American version of the nursery rhyme was rooted in the slave trade. If he hollers, let him go Eenie Meenie Miney Moe." Critical race theory (CRT) is one such phrase that has become a calling card for misinformation, led largely by far-right conservatives on social media and other platforms. It paints a picture of the demeaning ways Black people have been historically depicted. shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lova Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lova Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lova Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lova : In the 1700s up to the early 1900s, variations of the Score were used in the UK and the US by fishermen needing to take stock of the days catch, shepherds and farmers accounting for their animals, and women keeping track of rows in knitting. And Id be remiss in omitting One potato, two potato, three potato, four / Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more, which flirts with replacing eeny meeny as the counting-out gold standard in the United States. Now, I listen to the lyrics of songs to know what it means and pay attention to melodies and instrumentals to learn their origin. Man from Viral Video Explains Why He Knocked Down White Dude for Spouting the N-Word In Ohio Convenience Store, Angry Woman Refuses to Let Black Postmates Driver Deliver Order In Apartment Building: I Dont Want You Here at All, White Woman Calls 911 on Black Man, Accuses Him of Being Drug Dealer as He Sits Outside His Own House. Some of them involved white slave owners and what they would do to enslaved people if they were caught trying to escape. He changed the lyrics to racist stereotypes. Eena, meena, ming, mong,Ting, tay, tong,Ooza, vooza, voka, tooza, Vis, vos, vay. . Its racist origin, however, still haunts the popular rhyme. Susanna", the slave is depicted as too dumb to realize his situation and or grasp the concept of geography that's more of the "slaves as property" portrayal. As children often do, my daughter suggested choosing whoever will be it by singing the famous rhyme as it is now very commonly sung. The song can be seen as glorifying and poking fun at slave conditions. Across northern England and southern Scotland, a set of numerals exists for specific, ritual purposes: shepherds use it to count sheep, women to keep track of knitting, fishermen to harvest their catch. So how did Black people get pigeonholed into this label? His parents subsequently removed him from that school. Childrens literature and culture helped promote the lie of Black animality by presenting African Americans as apes or monkeys, either via racist caricature or via monkey characters who behaved like they imagined African Americans behaved. I AM SAD when I see other black kids running to get ice cream as that song is played. But studying these songs within the proper context suggests the songs represent more than may appear at first listen. I'm not tryin' to rewind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind (oh yeah) I wish our hearts could come together as one. Me being the only black guy on the Helitack team was rough. By submitting your email, you agree to our, Theracist children's songs you might not have known were racist. Shorty is a eenie meenie miney mo lover, ooh. But in that context, does the current edit make this nursery rhyme any less derogatory? The song was written by an actor named Harry C. Browne and released to the public in 1916. Eeny meeny miny mo: Sit the baby on the po: When he's done, . By entering Reality Sandwich, you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditionsand Privacy Policy. However, the song is much older than its release date. newsletter, NPR had an illuminating and poignant report, white slave owners would do if they caught a runaway slave, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the initial ruling. In this part of the song the slave mourns for him. Would you sing any of these nursery rhymes to your children? Eenie, meenie, miney moe. Niggas stealin' flows, I'ma need it back. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. When I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1969 and subsequently heard the "eenie meenie miney mo" rhyme chanted by other people, that rhyme was always given as "Catch a tiger by a toe". Some experts claim that catch a n****** by the toe refers to a method of punishment by white owners to slaves who tried to run away. For centuries, this has been a popular method to make a hard choice for both children and adults all over the world. While modern language has coined sold down the river to imply being betrayed or cheated, the historical meaning is both dark and literal. Sign up for writing inspiration in your email, Harness Your Moxie To Take This Word Of The Day Quiz, Getting Braggadocious: Top Word Trends On Dictionary.com, (one version of several; they also chant the US variation above), There isnt a clearcut explanation as to how these global variations came about and to provide one would require knowing definitively where. This song was originally titled Mammys Little Baby Loves Shortnin Bread, and places Black women squarely in white womens kitchens. Irel pirel to easel diesel is easy to figure out: When you say a set of phrases over and over, the ends and beginnings blend into each other, as when Work it work it work it work it becomes twerk. So Scottish kids in the fifties, used to hearing diesel elsewhere, heard it for pirel here. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe also known as Eena, meena, mina, mo is a popular counting rhyme and singing game. Were you shocked by any of these? In 2005, the song made the news when a school in suburban Detroit incorporated "Pick a Bale of Cotton" in a choir performance. By the 1950s, the word was fueled with hostile racial undertones. Osse bosse bakke disse, During the Vaudeville era (1880s1930s), the peanut gallery was the section cheapest to sit in and furthest from the stage; the only option for Black and poor attendees. Related Chasing Games. Songs. Write the first name in the box below, and press + to add to the List. Southwest, on the other hand, said the flight attendant had no idea of its racist implications and that the nursery rhyme was simply used in light-hearted fun. The words go like this: "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,/Catch a nigger by the toe./If he hollers, let him go,/Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Well at least, that's the . It is one of a large group of similar rhymes in which the child who is pointed to by the chanter on the last syllable is chosen. The meaning: The protagonist of the song is an African-American slave who is portrayed as dumb and naive. Doo-dah!/ I come down dah wid my hat caved in Doo-dah! Catch a Tiger by the Toe." Once the viewers at home guessed the puzzle, they were disturbed by what they discovered. Shawty is an eenie meenie miney mo lover'. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe"which can be spelled a number of waysis a children's counting-out rhyme, used to select a person in games such as tag, or for selecting various other things. Required fields are marked *. Eenie, meenie, miney moe. Wie? Biar aku tunjukkan apa yang kau rindukan, surga. Gyp. Support me by joining Medium via this link: https://eladsi.medium.com/membership. The category was "Rhyme Time," and the answer was later revealed as "EENIE MEENIE MINY MOE CATCH A TIGER BY THE TOE," which didn't sit well with viewers. Peasants knew the system for centuries as Yan tan tethera. Rhythmically, the score divides into fives (think number of fingers per hand), with a pronounced lilt and an emphasis on rhyming pairs. Alternative version: "Catch a negro by this toe/ If he hollers make him pay Twenty dollars every day.". Are Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in love, or are they good actors? The meaning: The song is about a slave and the death of his master. Ha!" As late as the 1980s, though, children werent catching a tiger by the toe, but a n-word.. It is very hard to establish the exact origin of the song as it has so many accepted forms, in different languages and countries. Bach's St. John Passion, for instance, is set to anti-semitic text. Eeny meeny miny mo. It could date back to a culture clash in early contact where the notion of gift-giving had different culturally established rules. Eeny meeny miney mo - the meaning and origin of this phrase. And she says you can trace the rhyme's origin way back to when shepherds used it to count hundreds of years ago. The sisters lost and when they appealed, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling. But that decision raises even more questions: what kind of music are we censoring? At Vox, we believe that everyone deserves access to information that helps them understand and shape the world they live in. Is it my responsibility to foul the sweet taste of ice cream with their first taste of racism?". Please enter a valid email and try again. Eeny, meeny, miny, mo and the ambiguous history of counting-out rhymes. These songs are part of a racist history our nation's history. I've opted for 'Eeny, meeny, miny, mo' but there are many others - 'Eenie, meenie, miney, moe', 'Eany, meany, miney, mo' and so on. I contacted Matthew Shaftel, a professor of Music Theory and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Florida State for an expert opinion. @galeholmes if you do more research you will find that the song dates back farther than the 1900's first of all and secondly James Whitcomb Riley put a spin on the original version which was an African American folk song. I'm gay you're gay he's gay she's. By 1880, Mark Twain had entirely disassociated the word from Indigenous Peoples culture in A Tramp Abroad: She was on the war path all the evening., Merriam Webster defines Indian giver, accurately labeled dated & offensive, as a person who gives something to another and then takes it back or expects an equivalent in return. According to Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., There are opposing schools of thought about the origin of this derogatory phrase.. Another is that it associates Asians with either poor hygiene or subservience. Eenie meenie meenie, miney moe Miney moe, catch a whippersnapper by the toe And if he, if he hollers hollers, let him go Singing eenie meenie meenie, miney moe. Since at least prohibition, anxiety has governed Americas disastrous relationship with substance use. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,Catch a tiger/monkey/baby by the toe. The officials at, But I'll never forget 'til the day I die", It raind all night de day I left, De wedder it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to def. As may be expected from oral traditions perpetuated through . The song is known to make a joke of conditions for American slaves. I recommend you teach your kids the lyrics of what they listen to, whether it is "Eenie Meenie Miney Moe" or "The Ice Cream Truck" song, to understand the origins and meanings behind the lyrics they are singing. Image Source: Shutterstock.com. Another popular tune in the black community is the ice cream truck song. Buffoonery is often associated with amusing but undignified behavior. Gotta jump down, turn around, Oh, Lordie, pick a bale a day." Harry stole the melody from a song called "Turkey in the straw." I have not been much of a substance user in my lifetime, sans an addiction to Diet Coke. First appearing in Oswald Rabbit cartoons, then in their own series. Doo-dah day!". Your email address will not be published. Nevertheless, there are as many theories as to the origin of Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moeas there are variations. Songs with a Questionable Past. [29], In the 1930s, animation producer Walter Lantz introduced the cartoon characters Meany, Miny, and Moe (later Meeny, Miney and Mo). . Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is part of a large collection of Counting-out rhymes, used in playground games, since the early 19th century. The black plaintiffs in that case sued the airline for discrimination because a flight attendant had used the rhyme while urging them to take their seats. F. B. Haviland Publishing Co (1906). But at their core, counting-out rhymes tend to be very conservative. ine mina mana mu meaning my sisters children in Sa Tomenese sounds very similar to the first line in the childrens rhyme. A flight attendant urged them to pick a seat by saying "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, pick a seat, we gotta go." The sisters claimed the flight attendant was being racist. [3] Bolton also found a similar rhyme in German: Variations of this rhyme with the nonsense/counting first line have been collected since the 1820s. Sure as far as some are concerned, but the Stephen Foster ones and Jimmy cracks corn, well, as a criminal psychologist I believe anyone who reads those connotations into these is a potential pervert, and should be monitored. Why do so many fairy tales contain a hero named Jack? Hoyt JohnsonRock-A-Billy - Rock'n Roll and Hillbilly Vol 8 Membran Music LtdReleased on:. New York: D. Appleton & Co. (1888). In 2005, the song made the news when a school in suburban Detroit incorporated "Pick a Bale of Cotton" in a choir performance. This has even been modernized to long time no chat, or long time no email. Long time no see originally mimicked an Indigenous Peoples greeting, which was used after an extended separation. But, some folklorists propose it goes back much further, suggesting that counting-out rhymes like Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe originate from Ancient Celtic rituals of sorting out who would be chosen to die as a punishment or, perhaps, a sacrifice. Catch an [N-word] by the toe. The solution, "EENIE MEENIE MINY MOE CATCH A TIGER BY THE TOE" has been cited as early as the 1900s, with "tiger" replaced with the n-slur for African Americans. Children often utilize this rhyme to determine whos it, especially during a game of Hiden Seek. This nursery rhyme has been taught to many children to help them learn how to count. It was meant to propagate the sense of superiority white children felt even after they lost the Civil War. At School 05. We change the songs and scrub them clean. Words vary from region to region, but the score goes something like this: Yan, tan, tethera, methera, pimp,Sethera, lethera, hothera, dovera, dick,Yan-dick, tan-dick, tether-dick, mether-dick, bumfit,Yan-a-bumfit, tan-a-bumfit, tethera bumfit, pethera bumfit, gigert. Eje, veje, vaek. Legacies of Racism and Discrimination--African Americans. In some Dutch versions Ene, mine, mike, maken.. Ene, mene, ming, mang, Eeny Meeny Miny Moe by the Dutch group Luv in 1979 "Eenie Meenie" by Jeffrey Osborne on self-titled 1982 album. Your email address will not be published. Gyp or Gip is a term commonly used to refer to being cheated or ripped off. This is likely a shortened version of gypsymore accurately known as the Romani, an ethnic group now mostly living in Europe and the Americas. However, most have no idea the racist origins of these tunes that became a stamp in households, schools, and communities. A Lo-fi Guide And List Of Gen Z Fashion Aesthetics, Course Vs. Coarse: A Crash Course On The Differences, Cha-Ching! Eeny, meeny, miny, moe O-U-T spells out You are not it Pig snout you are out Out goes Y-O-U (Someone skips the last verse, or they change it with another verse) Variations: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe Catch a piggy by the toe If he hollers let him go! There's also another version that goes. Premier Vs. The meaning: The meaning of this rhyme is rooted in the slave trade. J.S. In 1982, similarly, Derek Bickerton postulated that the rhyme derives from Sa Tomenese, a Creole language spoken by African slaves. The stories we learn from them are painful, but also valuable. Think this is political correctness gone mad? In elementary school (early 70s) the n-word was allowed, but . Versions of the Score include: Northern England, southern Scotland: yan, tan, tethera, methera, pimp. Doo-dah day!". In this theory, the words Eenie, meenie, miney, moeare thought come from the Celtic words for the numbers one, two, three, four.. The duke had a long and lucrative affair with James I, while also seducing many of the ladies of the court. Eeny meeny miney mo Counting-out Rhyme (English) Eeny-meeny-miney-mo There's a commotion in the box, Eeny-meeny-miney-mo And out you go. " Eeny, meeny, miny, moe " tag . Catch an nigger by the toe. It's safe to say that as classic as "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" is, the centuries-old nursery rhyme no doubt has a haunted past and not so kid-friendly origins. cockroach, mockroach). The anthropologist Michael Barry, who conducted an exhaustive study of these shepherds scores, failed to find a single instance of anyone who could recall an actual shepherd using the score to count his sheep. In my search, I stumbled upon the book The Counting-Out Rhymes of Children: A Study of Folk-Lore by Henry Carrington Bolton. Refrain: Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, catch a nigger by the toe. It is one of a large group of similar rhymes in which the child who is pointed to by the chanter on the last syllable is chosen. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe The officials at Anderson Middle School removed the song from the program after a complaint. Raphel wrote about eeny meeny miny mo for The Paris Review. Some etymological research suggests the word Eskimo comes from Algonquin, ashkimeq, which literally means eaters of raw meat, while other research suggests it could mean snowshoe-netter. Regardless of its origins, it trivializes the existence and culture of entire groups of people by referring to their perceived behaviors. think HARD! Notes *The actual word is pinge, stressed on the first syllable, it means big, fat. Whilst there are versions of the first line of this rhyme in both German . Our skimmable newsletter is delivered to your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and get smarter. Here Are The Key Crypto Terms To Explain Digital Currencies. In Johnson's article, he writes that he ultimately decided against telling his kids about the origins of the ice cream truck song, but they will likely learn it one day. Catch an [N-word] by the toe , , , (Eeny, meeny, miny, moe ) . The racist origin of 'eeny, meeny, miny, moe'. We change the songs and scrub them clean. The word has origins in Sanskrit and Hindi, referring to swindling and deceiving. This post doesn't include speculation about the origin/s of "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhymes. Theyre on the warpath has been adapted to mean that someone is intent on a confrontation or fight. Une, fine, fane, fo The term itself became racist and changed to "nigger.". Thus began the rise of the Jim Crow era, solidified by the Supreme Courts ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson which stated, separate but equal is constitutional. White authority in the South gained control over newly freed Black people when Northern troops were pulled out as a result of the Compromise of 1877.