When you’re a kid, picking the person to be “It” for a game is serious business. I grew up with this elimination rhyme:
Eeney meeney miney moe,
Catch a tiger by its toe,
If he hollers let him go,
Eeney meeney miney moe.
My mother says to pick
The very best one
And you are not it!
Meanwhile in France, children were up to the same serious business with an equally silly rhyme:
Am, stram, gram,
Pique et pique et colégram
Bourre et bourre et ratatam
Am, stram, gram
No, it doesn’t mean anything. (Though it’s great practice for pronouncing the French “r”!)
Here’s another one, about apples, peaches, pears, and apricots:
Pomme, pêche, poire, abricot
Y’en a une, y’en a une
Pomme, pêche, poire, abricot
Y’en a une de trop.
Know some other rhymes? Other versions? Other languages? Feel free to comment!
How my french teacher taught me those were different. This is how we read Am Stram Gram:
Am stram gram,
Pic et pic et colegram
Bour et bour et ratatam
Am stram gram, pic!
And this is how we said Peche, Pomme, Poire, Abricot:
Peche, pomme, poire, abricot
Y’en a une, y’en a une
Peche, pomme, poire, abricot
Y’en a une qui est en trop
C’est l’abricot qui est en trop.