“Eeny, meeny, miny, mo” (sometimes written as “moe”) has been chanted and beloved by children on playgrounds for centuries. Seemingly innocent, the rhyme is not what it seems.

In the 1800s, the nursery rhyme could be found in both the US and Europe (via An Injustice). Each country had their own lyrics, but the structure and melody remained the same. That being said, it’s almost impossible to track down the true origin of “Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.” What is known is that countless variations of the nursery rhyme exist. This can be due to what The Paris Review refers to as Hobson-Jobson, when words that have the same sound are translated to fit the linguistics of the native speaker’s language.

Likewise, some believe the nursery rhyme is based on an ancient British counting system. Nonetheless, it’s clear that “Eeny, meeny, miny, mo” was adapted through the years and revised to fit the era and place it was sung in. The classic American version most are familiar with goes like this:

“Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, catch a tiger by the toe, If he hollers, let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, mo.” This, however, is a recent revision. The version before this one was much more grim and ghastly.

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