You’ve done it. I’ve done it. We’ve all stood in a circle, pointing a finger at a group of friends, chanting those nonsense syllables to decide who’s "it" or who has to go first in a game of tag. Eenie meenie miney moe feels like a universal constant, a playground law as old as time itself. It’s basically the coin flip of the under-ten demographic. But if you actually stop and look at where these words came from, the nostalgia starts to feel a little bit greasy.
Honestly, the history is a mess. It’s a mix of ancient counting systems, cultural migration, and a genuinely dark period of American history that most people—especially parents—would rather just forget. It’s not just a silly song. It's a linguistic fossil.
Where did the gibberish actually come from?
The most common theory isn't actually that dark, at least not initially. Etymologists and folklore experts like Iona and Peter Opie, who spent decades documenting the lore of schoolchildren, pointed toward "counting-out" rhymes that date back centuries. Some people think it’s a remnant of Old Welsh or even an ancient Shepherd’s counting system from the north of England, known as the "Anglo-Cymric Score."
In those old systems, you’d hear words like pimp, sethera, and lethera. It’s easy to see how a shepherd counting sheep in the 1700s using Hevera and Devera could slowly morph into the "eenie meenie" we know today. Language is fluid like that. It’s like a game of telephone played over four hundred years.
But there’s a massive "but" here.
While the "eenie meenie" part might have innocent Celtic roots, the middle of the rhyme—the "miney moe" and the part about catching something by its toe—is where things get incredibly ugly. By the 19th century, the rhyme had been co-opted. In the United States and parts of the UK, the "tiger" we catch today was almost exclusively a racial slur. It’s a fact that makes most modern listeners wince.
The 19th-century shift and the "Tiger" transition
If you look at versions of the rhyme from the 1880s, the lyrics weren't about animals. They were about people. Specifically, they were used to dehumanize Black people during the era of Jim Crow and slavery. The "n-word" was the standard lyric for decades. It wasn’t a "hidden" history; it was the version everyone knew.
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It wasn’t until the mid-20th century, specifically during the Civil Rights movement, that the lyrics began to shift toward "tiger." Why a tiger? It’s probably just because it fit the meter of the song. It’s one syllable, it's an animal you might "catch," and it doesn't require changing the rest of the rhyme.
- The 1880s: Versions appear in print with the racial slur as the primary noun.
- The 1920s: The rhyme is a staple of American folk life, still featuring the slur.
- The 1950s/60s: As social consciousness shifts, "tiger" or "nickel" begins to replace the slur in suburban households.
- The 1990s and beyond: The "tiger" version becomes the "official" version taught in schools, though the original baggage remains attached for anyone who knows the history.
It’s weird to think about how we sanitize things. We take something that was used as a tool of mockery and turn it into a harmless game, but the structure remains the same. The rhythm—that heavy, trochaic meter—is so catchy that the song survived even when the most offensive part of it was excised.
Global variations: It's not just an English thing
What’s truly fascinating is how this rhyme exists in almost every culture, but with different "flavors." In France, they have Une mine mane mo. In Germany, it’s Ene mene miste. Even in Denmark, children chant Ene meene ming mang.
These variations suggest that the "counting-out" urge is a fundamental human behavior. Kids need a fair way to decide who's "it." Since children aren't great at randomizing their choices on their own, they rely on a rhythmic ritual. The rhythm dictates the outcome, removing the "blame" from the person doing the counting. It’s a primitive form of a random number generator.
"Rhymes like these serve as a child's first introduction to the concept of chance and justice," notes folklorist Dr. Simon Bronner. "The rhyme is the judge."
Why the rhyme still sparks controversy today
You might think, "Okay, we use 'tiger' now, so who cares?" But the ghost of the original version still haunts public life.
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Back in 2004, Southwest Airlines ended up in a lawsuit because a flight attendant used the rhyme over the intercom. She was trying to be funny, telling passengers to sit down so the plane could take off: "Eenie meenie miney moe, please sit down it's time to go." Two Black passengers sued, stating the rhyme’s racist history made them feel humiliated. The court eventually ruled in favor of the airline, but the incident proved that the rhyme is far from "just a kids' song."
Then there was the Jeremy Clarkson incident in 2014. The Top Gear presenter was caught on camera mumbling the rhyme, and it sounded a lot like he used the original slur instead of "tiger." He apologized, but the backlash was massive. It highlighted a reality: even if the words change, the DNA of the rhyme is still tied to a very specific, very painful past for millions of people.
The "Toy" and "Nickel" variants
Interestingly, not everyone uses the "tiger" version. In some parts of the UK and Australia, you might catch a "baby" by its toe. In some vintage American versions, it was a "nickel" or even a "monkey."
- Catch a fish: Common in some coastal communities.
- Catch a tinker: An older British variant.
- Catch a rooster: Seen in rural American folk collections from the early 1900s.
The "tiger" won out because it’s a strong, evocative image. Plus, tigers have toes? Sorta. They have paws, but "catch a tiger by its paw" doesn't have the same percussive snap as "toe."
The psychology of the counting-out rhyme
Why do we keep using it? Why hasn't it died out?
Basically, kids love repetition. The trochaic tetrameter (DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da) is incredibly satisfying to the human ear. It's the same reason why Mother Goose rhymes stick in your brain for eighty years. It’s a mnemonic device.
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When you're seven years old and you need to pick a team captain, you don't want to be the one who makes the choice and gets yelled at. You want the rhyme to choose. It’s an easy way to offload social responsibility. If Eenie Meenie says Billy is "it," well, that’s just the universe speaking.
But there’s a trick to it.
If you’re the one counting, and you’re smart, you can actually manipulate the outcome. You know exactly where the rhyme will end based on who you start with. If there are three kids, and the rhyme has 16 beats (including the "and you are not it" or "O-U-T spells out" extensions), you can do the math in your head and make sure you never end up as "it." It’s the first lesson many kids learn about "rigging the system."
Practical takeaways: Should we still use it?
Honestly, that’s a personal call. Most people using it today have zero ill intent. They’re just repeating what their parents taught them. But knowing the history changes things.
If you’re looking for a way to pick someone without the historical baggage, there are plenty of other options.
- Rock Paper Scissors: It’s truly random and involves actual skill (or at least psychology).
- The "Bubble Gum" rhyme: "Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish?" This one is great because the number changes every time, making it harder to rig.
- Engine, Engine, Number Nine: Another rhythmic classic that doesn't have the same controversial roots.
Language evolves. We don't say "thee" and "thou" anymore, and we've largely stopped using the most offensive versions of playground songs. But some fossils remain. Eenie meenie miney moe is a reminder that even the most "innocent" parts of our culture often have roots in a world that was much less kind.
Next Steps for the Curious:
If you're interested in how language and playground culture intersect, check out the English Folk Dance and Song Society archives. They have an incredible collection of regional rhymes that show just how much these songs vary by town and decade. You can also look into the work of Dr. Kyra Gaunt, who has written extensively about the "blackness" of American playground games and how they've been appropriated or altered over time. If you’re a parent, maybe it’s time to teach the "Bubble Gum" rhyme instead—it’s just as catchy and doesn't require a history lesson to explain why it’s okay to sing.