Down by the river side
The green grass grows
There sits Nene
Washing her clothes
She sings, she sings
She sings so sweet
She calls to her playmate (echo playmate)
In the street
Playmate, Playmate
Won't you come for tea?
Come next Sunday
At half past three
Teacakes, pancakes
Eevrything you'll see
Won't we have a lovely time
At half past three?
Prism here and here is on a rampage. She has been making my head go in whirlwinds for a couple of days now with her nostalgic posts! Woman, what is wrong with you?! The poem above was one of our recitals when I was in either Primary 1 or 2. Why I still remember it now, I don't know!
In any case, perhaps, someone knows where Mr and Mrs Salami are now. Last I heard of them, one of their kids was getting married. Ralia is no longer a sugar girl, she is now a sugar mama of three. Mr Bako divorced his wife due to irreconcilable differences. Audu is in Sokoto and is a right hand man to the Sultan. Unfounded rumor has it that he is a BokoHaramite godfather. Omo is a big intrepreneur now. The lady is large. She is into soap-making and ish.
Ok, let's graduate a little. Ure Chokwe, though wasn't born with a silver spoon, now has 4 children whom he gave birth to with diamond bejeweled gold spoons....Never say never!
As for Amobi, I think he is still chasing a bottled animal. He was long done with the leopard so I guess he has gone exotic now and is after the bottled Tasmanian devil.
By the way, can any of you still recite the times table up to 12 without pausing to think about it?! *smirk* I can!
.......and my nose just grew a little longer!
UPDATES: I told you the bloggers here are fantastic, didn't I?
Prism remembers
"There is the key to the Kingdom,
In that kingdom, there is a city,
In that city, there is a street,
......" Do you remember too?
Emeh remembers
"Two little blackbirds sitting on the wall
One named Peter
One named Paul
Fly away Peter
......." Do you remember too? (Did the birds re-incarnate into P-Square? *Shudders*)
9jaGreat remembers (although with salt and sugar in his version, cos I dont know of any version of this poem that ended up with Jack and Jill with a daughter!)
"Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his arm
And Jill came tumbling after." Do you remember too?
Toinlicious remembers
" I know a funny little man as quiet as a mouse
Who does the mischief that is done in everybody's house.
There's no one that has ever seen his face and yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked by Mr Nobody." Do you remember too?
Again, I remember,
Old Roger is dead and gone to his grave (uhm ha then echo)
They planted an apple tree over his head
The apples grew ripe and ready to drop
There came an old woman to pick them all up
Old Roger got up and gave her a knock
........." Do you remember too?
LOL at never say never... I so remember "down by the riverside" where nene is washing her clothes. Do you remember this one:
ReplyDelete"This is the key to the kingdom. In that kingdom, there is a city. In that city, there is a street. On that street, there is a house. In that house, there is a yard. In that house, there is a room. In that room, there is a bed. On that bed, there is a basket. In that basket, there is a key. Key in the basket. Basket on the bed. Bed in the room. Room in the yard. Yard in the house. House on the street. Street in the city. City in the Kingdom.
I don't remember the end.
OMG PRism!!! I Remember!!!! U were very close to the end! It is just one line.
ReplyDelete"For that Kingdom, this is the key!!!"
And my classmates (especially the nonsense boys) would replace key with "kokoro" (Yoruba for key) in the last line!
the only one i remember is
ReplyDeletetwo lil blackbirds sitting on the wall
one named peter
one named paul
fly away peter
fly away paul
come back peter
come back paul
...hmmnn..hmmnn...
chai cant recall again..shame
Awww Nostalgia! I swear, those were good times *sigh*
ReplyDeleteAdiya
http://museorigins.com
Ahem... i never could oh SMH
@Emeh Achanga, the remaining line is *Oh! come back two little birds and sit on the wall* Lol
ReplyDeleteyeah right never say never. Macmillan sure gave us lovely childhood memories
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite books of all times, thanks for the memories
ReplyDeletelwkm....honeydame.........u no dey try atall
ReplyDeletemacmillan sure made it fun in primary school. i remember the "key to the kingdom" poem too. i used to cry when i read the ralia story.......
"ayawa yu cant kill us
yu cant drink our blood, it is bitter
yu cant eat our flesh....." cant remember the remaining now
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water,
ReplyDeleteOnly God knows what they did up there,
But they came up with a daughter.
Don't blame me people,i used to sleep in class.LOL
Lmao@9ja great.
ReplyDeleteOh Lawd!! those were fun times.
For some reason, we used NOEC in my pri school (command)& not Macmillan
Who remembers "Mr. Nobody" poem?
I know a funny little man as quiet as a mouse
Who does the mischief that is done in everybody's house. There's no one that has ever seen his face and yet we all agree, That every plate we break was cracked by Mr Nobody. My siblings used to call me miss nobody #covers face#
or "Ade Our Naughty Little Brother"
or my all time fav, Kofoworola Odu in "Time Changes Yesterday"
Lue, cry for Ralia?lol!
ReplyDelete9jaGreat, I rest my case!
Toinlicious...I still use that proverb all the time "Time Changes Yesterday"!!! even though I can't really remember the story line. Did it have to do with a bride?
Thanks for your responses guys.:D You are the best! I didnt know that I retained this much from nursery and primary school!..lol
Ha-ha! I know a lot of those songs. the first one is a fovourite. nice to know these songs are being passed on. I see them as part of our collection of 'great tales by moonlight'
ReplyDeletesongs and rhymes:)
ReplyDeleteUnforunately I can't add to this lovely post...I'm an akata...sigh
ReplyDeleteI remember all of them, kol.. wow, you guys are taking me down memory lane.
ReplyDelete@prism, you missed "in that basket, there are some flowers... flowers in the basket" ...
ReplyDeletegood remembering guys!
awwwww, you just brought back lovely memories of childhood. Who can remember "Passport of Mallam Illia". I can't remember the story line but i can picture the book cover in my mind. What of: Black, black, black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, 3 bags full. One for the master, one for the dame, and one for the little boy that sits in the hay. I hope i got the last part. lol. Also, Who sat and watched my infant head. When sleeping on my cradle bed. And ..... that i might....... My mother. I can't remember the middle line very well. I think the last line in that Old Roger poem is "Which made the old woman to go hippty hop. I'm not sure though. Lwkmd @ a9jaGreat.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ 9jA GREAT...I remember most of `em...
ReplyDeleteThere was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
ReplyDeleteshe had so many children she didnt know what to do,
so she...... blah blah blah blah and sent them to bed!
@Honey, Kofo was d teacher dt lost her finance weeks 2her wedding & she ws pregs. She had d baby (a boy) & 1 of d pupils in her class decided to hook her up with her dad bt d guy's teenage daughter hated her. I lurv dat book. Der was anoda 1 about twins who were seperated from birth..2nd Chance I think...
ReplyDelete@Che, I soo rembr passport of malam ilia & old roger poem too. Old roger & d mango tree.lol
& d last line is "& 1 for d little boy who lives down the lane"
The my mother poem: who sat & watched my infant head while sleeping on my cradle bed & tears of sweet affection shed, my mother.
When pain & sickness made me cry, who stared upon my heavy eyes & stared for fear that I should die, my mother. Can't bliv I still rembr all dat.
Hw abt twinkle twinkle lil star, how I wonder wat u r, up above d world so high, like a diamond in d sky lol. Oh lawd. Memories o. Tales by moonlight, super ted, voltron, danger mouse...
umh ha gave her a knock! lmho! i miss growing up mehn. i feel like kids these days will never have the connection we have because there were so few books, movies and poems that everyone knew the same things but these days there are just too many options.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you for sharing, this was hilarious
Solomon grundy, born on monday, christained on Tuesday....
ReplyDeleteRemember dat? Though I knew days of the week before I knew the song I loved singing or chanting it for fun.
And talking of books...did anyone read 'Village Boy', 'Ehanna and friends', 'Akpan and the smugglers', 'An African Nights Entertainment'?
@ Toinlicious: Your brain is still very sharp o. ;-). Thanks for the lyrics of "My Mother". Let's not even get started on the cartoons of those days. I can remember lots of them.
ReplyDelete@ Afronuts: I remember those books too. Chai, they were sooooo interesting then. Growing up was so much fun.
Awww. Sigh. I feel so nostalgic now. I really liked the 'keys to the kingdom'. Good times :-)
ReplyDeleteWho rembrs d Naughtiest girl series by Enid Blyton? Naughtiest girl in school, naughtiest girl again & naugthiest girl is a monitor?
ReplyDeleteBydway, I can't do d times table thing. Not even if my life depended on it. I hate numbers
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@ Toinlicious: After I've finished hailing you as par your sharp brain, you now want to fall my hands by saying that you can't recite the times table. :-(. I also can't recite it without mumbling :-0. i loooovvvvvveeeeedddd the Enid Blyton books. I remember the Naughiest girl series, The Wishing Chair and other stories, Malory Towers series, something about the O'Sullivan Twins(can't remember if that is the name of the book or the characters in the book). Will be back when i remember the names of the other books she wrote...;-D
ReplyDeleteWow this is real trip down memory lane, i remember all those test books
ReplyDelete@ che, i remember the passport of mallam ilia..the story still gives me the creeps..yes o so many enid blyton books, do you remember the far away tree...i love books!
Brings back so many memories. I remember reading 'Without a silver spoon" in Jss2. "Potters wheel" " A basket of flowers" "ifeanyi and Obi", "The lion and the Jewel and "Time changes yesterday". Waoh all thise many books....
ReplyDelete@ Jemima: Yeah, I remember "The Faraway Tree". I still remember some of the characters that lived in the tree. "Damewashalot", "Saucepanman( or something like that)", "Moonface". As a kid, i would look under growing mushrooms to know if i would find a hidden doorway. I also looked for trees with doors and fairies living in them. Don't blame me ooo. Enid Blyton wrote the books so well, that I wanted to relive them. lol.
ReplyDeleteAfronuts comments got me verrry nostalgic.
ReplyDeleteWhat are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all that's nice, that's what little girls are made off.
What are little boys made of? Snips and snails and puppy dog's tales..
I still believe that ... sue me
@Che, anything but numbers mehn. I just tune out wen i c em #coversface
ReplyDeleteOMG you just took me back to the good old days :'( *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI've missed this blog and its owner!!
i know i came late but i will add to all these WONDERFUL MEMORIES!!! (books) Chike and the river, samankwe and the highway robbers, drummer boy, the famous five, pacesetters series
ReplyDeleteYou guys had the poems angle pretty much covered, well, except for humpty dumpty who sat on the wall.
Mehn! Those were the days!
LAMo...You guys are waaaaay too amazing!!!! How did I get this lucky?!
ReplyDeleteseriously this took me down memory lane, its always good being able to revisit ones childhood especially in this present day madness!
ReplyDelete*in childish voice* aunty i, aunty i
ReplyDeletei want to add my own
*clears throat and sings in shrill voice while marching*
Wherever you go (gogogongo)
Whatever you see (sisi eko)
Do not say yes, when u mean to say no (baba ibadan)
Now who can beat that!!!????
(and yes, boys are made up of puppy dog tails!!!)