Miss Susie

"Miss Susie had a steamboat", also known as "Hello Operator",^[1] "Miss Suzy", and many other names,^[2] is the name of an American schoolyard rhyme in which each verse leads up to a rude word or profanity which is revealed in the next verse as part of an innocuous word or phrase. Originally used as a jump-rope rhyme, it is now more often sung alone or as part of a clapping game.^[9] Hand signs sometimes accompany the song, such as pulling on the bell in the first verse or making a phone gesture in the second.

This song is sometimes combined or confused with "Miss Lucy had a baby", which is sung to the same tune and also served as a jump-rope song. That song developed from verses of much older (and cruder) songs which were most commonly known as "Bang Bang Rosie" in Britain, "Bang Away Lulu" in Appalachia,^[10] and "My Lula Gal" in the West.^[11] The variants including a woman with an alligator purse urging the baby's mother to vote have been seen as a reference to Susan B. Anthony, an American suffragette,^[12] and may be responsible for the steamboat owner's most common name today.

Structure

The rhyme is arranged in quatrains, with an A-B-C-B rhyme scheme. The rhyme is organized by its meter, a sprung rhythm in trimeter.^[13] Accentual verse (including sprung rhythm) is a common form in English folk verse, including nursery rhymes and jump-rope rhymes. The rhyme approaches taboo words, only to cut them off and modify them with an enjambment. It shares much of the same melody as the 1937 "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" used by Warner Bros. as the theme to their Looney Tunes cartoons.^[14]

History

A photograph of the Sultana a day or two before the explosion of three of its four boilers in 1865. The approximately 1,800 fatalities—many Union prisoners of war returning home—remains the largest maritime disaster in US history.

The song has developed many variations over an extended period, as is common for such rhymes.^[15] Even 21st-century versions, however, typically preserve long-outdated references to the dangerousness of 19th-century steamers and to the need for a switchboard operator to manually connect a telephone call.

The earliest recorded version—about a girl named Mary—appears among the vaudeville jokes collected by Ed Lowry during his career in the 1910s, '20s, and '30s,^[3] although versions about Fulton (popularly credited with the invention of the steamboat^[16]) and Lulu (the star of "Bang Bang Lulu") may record older traditions. The Lulu tradition—including "Miss Lucy had a baby"—already record enjambed double entendres during the World Wars, but the first version of this song known to have done so—versions about Fulton and a girl named Helen—date to the 1950s.^[17]

Later versions developed by embellishment: adding, removing, and adjusting stanzas involving kissing, boys in bathrooms, a little black boy, bras, King Arthur, questions and lies,^[18] German spies,^[6] raving aunts,^[6] &c. While the initial stanzas were fairly stable by the late 20th century, the folklorist Josepha Sherman noted that two unrelated children in 1990s New York took the change from "Miss Lucy" to "Ms. Lucy" for granted.^[19] An adaptation—"Miss Lucy had some leeches"—has been recorded by Emilie Autumn^[20] and another—"Mrs. Landers was a health nut"—featured in the South Park episode "Something You Can Do with Your Finger".^[21][22] The children's version has also appeared in The Simpsons^[23] and xkcd.^[24] The 1970s California version was sung in the Hey Arnold! episode called "Fishing Trip".

Lyrics

Numerous versions exist, varying across time and regionally:^[17]

Vaudeville (early 1900s)[3][4] Mary had a steamboat The steamboat had a bell Mary went to heaven And the steamboat went Toot Toot.	Michigan (1950s)[17] Helen had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell. Helen took some dynamite and blew the bell to Hell– O operator, Give me number nine. If it doesn’t answer, give me back my dime.	West Virginia (1950s)[25][26] Fulton had a steamboat ’Steamboat had a bell Fulton pulled the wrong cord Steamboat went to Hello operator Fulton’s on the line! If nobody answers, Give me back my dime!	California (1970s)[17] Miss Susie had a tugboat, her tugboat had a bell, And when she went to heaven, her tugboat went to Hell– O operator, Give me number nine and if you disconnect me I’ll kick you right be– ’hind the ’frigerator, There is a piece of glass And if you sit upon it You’ll cut your little Ask me no more questions, tell me no more lies. The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their flies.
Virginia (1970s)[17] Miss Susie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell. Miss Susie went to heaven and the steamboat went to Hell– O, operator, please give me number nine and if you disconnect me I’ll chop off your be– ’hind the ’frigerator, there was a piece of glass, Miss Susie sat upon it and it went right up her Ask me no more questions, Tell me no more lies. The boys are in the girls’ room, pulling down their Flies are in the kitchen, bees are in the park. 14 boys and 14 girls are kissing in the D-A-R-K D-A-R-K D-A-R-K dark, dark, dark.	Alabama (1980s)[27] Miss Lucy had a steamboat The steamboat had a bell Miss Lucy went to heaven and The steamboat went to Hello operator, Give me number 9 And if you disconnect me I will kick you from Behind the refrigerator, There laid a piece of glass Miss Lucy slipped and fell on it And hurt her big fat Ask me no more questions, I'll tell you no more lies This is what Miss Lucy said Right before she died, died, died.	Pennsylvania (1980s)[17] Miss Susie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell. Miss Susie went to heaven and the steamboat went to Hell– O, operator, Please give me number nine And if you disconnect me I’ll kick your be– ’hind the ’frigerator, there was a piece of glass Miss Susie sat upon it and broke her little Ask-a me no questions, I’ll tell-a you no lies, The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their Flies are in the meadow The bees are in the park Miss Susie and her boyfriend are kissing in the D-A-R-K D-A-R-K D-A-R-K Dark, dark, dark, Darker than the ocean, darker than the sea, Darker than the black boy who’s chasing after me!	Vancouver (1990s)[6] Miss Mary had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell. Miss Mary went to heaven, the steamboat went to Hello operator, please give me number nine and if you disconnect me I’ll kick you from Behind the yellow curtain there was a piece of glass. Miss Mary sat upon it. It went right up her Ask me no more questions, please tell me no more lies. The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their Flies are in the city, the bees are in the park. Boys and girls are kissing in the D-A-R-K Dark is like a movie, a movie’s like a show. A show is like a TV screen and that is all I know, I know my mother, I know I know my pa, I know I know my sister with the alligator Brother’s like a sister, a sister’s like an aunt. An aunt is like a relative who likes to rave and rant.	Arizona (1980s)[28] Miss Suzy had a steamboat The steamboat had a bell Miss Suzy went to heaven and The steamboat went to Hello operator, Give me number 9 And if you disconnect me I will kick you from Behind the refrigerator, There laid a piece of glass Miss Suzy fell upon it And broke her little Ask me no more questions, Tell you no more lies The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their Flies are in the meadow The bees are in their hives

See also

• "Miss Lucy had a baby"
• "Bang Bang Lulu"
• "K-I-S-S-I-N-G"

References

1. Mayfield, Josh. " Hello Operator" at Inky's Linkies. 3 Apr 2004. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
2. Including Mary,^[3] "Oh, it ain't—",^[4] "When Lucy had a steamboat",^[5] "Lulu had a steamboat",^[6] Miss Sophie,^[7] and Miss Molly.^[8]
3. Levitt, Paul. Vaudeville Humor: The Collected Jokes, Routines, and Skits of Ed Lowry, p. 125. SIU Press (Carbondale), 2002. Accessed 12 Jan 2014.
4. "Tuyere Blasts". Iowa Transit. October 1924.
5. Yannucci, Lisa. "When Lucy Had a Steam Boat" at Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World. 2014. Accessed 12 Jan 2014. Ms Yannucci credited her version as from Long Island in the 1970s.
6. Bohren, Django. "Lulu had a steamboat" at Milk Milk Lemonade. 27 Sept 2010. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
7. Crowley, John. Endless Things: A Part of Ægypt, pp. 428 ff. Small Beer Press (Northampton), 2007. Accessed 14 Jan 2014.
8. Schultz, Emily. Joyland, [books.google.com.hk/books?id=A_d0uAikdR4C&pg=PA82 p. 82]. ECW Press (Toronto), 2006. Accessed 14 Jan 2014.
9. Powell, Azizi. "Similarities & Differences between 'Bang Bang Lulu' & 'Miss Lucy Had a Steamboat'" at Pancocojams. 16 Oct 2013. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
10. Cray, Ed. The Erotic Muse: American Bawdy Songs 2nd ed., p. 173 ff. UIP (Champaign), 1999. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
11. Logsdon, Guy. The Whorehouse Bells Are Ringing and Other Songs Cowboys Sing, pp. 154 ff. 1995 reprint of UIP (Champaign), 1989. Accessed 13 Jan 2014. (NB: Logsdon's versions are set to the separate tune of the bluegrass traditional "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms".)
12. Hollihan, Kerrie. Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote, p. 78. Chicago Review Press (Chicago), 2012. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
13. Henninger, Jessie. "Miss Susie Had a Steamboat: I. Structure" at The Raveled Sleeve. 29 Nov 2008. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
14. Smith, Ronald. Comedy on Record: the Complete Critical Discography, p. 634. Garland Publishing, 1988.
15. Henninger, Jessie. "Miss Susie Had a Steamboat: II. Evolution" at The Raveled Sleeve. 29 Nov 2008. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
16. Swede, George. The Steam Tug, p. 17. Xlibris, 2010. Accessed 14 Jan 2014.
17. Henninger, Jessie. "Miss Susie Had a Steamboat: V. Versions of the Rhyme Used in This Essay" at The Raveled Sleeve. 29 Nov 2008. Accessed 12 Jan 2014.
18. The Mudcat Cafe. "Origins: Ask Me No Questions rhymes". Apr 2006. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
19. Sherman, Josepha. "Gopher Guts and Army Trucks: The Modern Evolution of Children's Folk Rhymes" in Children's Folklore Review, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Spring 1999). Accessed 12 Jan 2014.
20. Emilie Autumn. "Miss Lucy had some leeches" hosted at MetroLyrics. 2007.
21. South Park. "Something You Can Do with Your Finger" at South Park Studios. 2010. Accessed 14 Jan 2014.
22. South Park. "Something You Can Do with Your Finger" at Wikiquote. 2010. Accessed 14 Jan 2014.
23. The Simpsons. "Fat Man and Little Boy". 2004.
24. XKCD. "Questions for God." 2013. Accessed 15 Jan 2014.
25. Hill, Sherry. "Some Funny Poems I Remember" in From the Hill. 19 April 2011. Accessed 12 Jan 2014.
26. A similar version—but with the steamboat going to heaven and Fulton going "to hellllll-o..."—is recorded in Payne, Johnny. Kentuckiana, p. 91. Northwestern University Press (Evanston), 1997.
27. Straight Dope. "Lulu had a steamboat". 25 Mar 2009. Accessed 14 Jan 2014.
28. Straight Dope. "Lulu had a steamboat". 25 Mar 2009. Accessed 14 Jan 2014.

External links

• "Miss Susie" at TV Tropes