Mary Mack
Encyclopedia
Mary Mack is a clapping game
played by child
ren in English-speaking
countries. It is known in various parts of the United States
and in New Zealand
and has been called "the most common hand-clapping game in the English-speaking world".
In the game, two children stand or sit opposite to each other, and clap hands in tune to a rhyming
song
.
The same song is also used as a jumprope rhyme
, although rarely so according to one source.
In some variations, Mary Mack asks her mother for fifteen cents rather than fifty. These variations may represent an earlier version of the song. It changed because of the speed of the rhyme and the similarity of the spoken words "fifteen" and "fifty", and because there were few things one could buy with 15 cents in the later part of the 20th century.
Early mentions of the part about the elephant do not include the part about Mary Mack.
(an early ironclad that would have been black, with silver rivets) suggesting that the first verse refers to the Battle of Hampton Roads
during the American Civil War
.
Clapping game
A clapping game is a type of usually cooperative game which is generally played by two players and involves clapping as accompaniment to a singing game or reciting of a rhyme...
played by child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren in English-speaking
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
countries. It is known in various parts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and has been called "the most common hand-clapping game in the English-speaking world".
In the game, two children stand or sit opposite to each other, and clap hands in tune to a rhyming
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
.
The same song is also used as a jumprope rhyme
Jump-rope rhyme
A skipping rhyme , is a rhyme chanted by children while skipping. Such rhymes have been recorded in all cultures where skipping is played. Examples of English-language rhymes have been found going back to at least the 17th century...
, although rarely so according to one source.
Rhyme
Various versions of the song exist; a common version goes:- Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
- All dressed in black, black, black
- With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
- All down her back, back, back.
- She asked her mother, mother, mother
- For fifty cents, cents, cents
- To see the elephant, elephant, elephant
- Jump over the fence, fence, fence.
- He jumped so high, high, high
- He reached the sky, sky, sky
- He never came back, back, back
- 'Til the 4th of JulyIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, ly, ly!
In some variations, Mary Mack asks her mother for fifteen cents rather than fifty. These variations may represent an earlier version of the song. It changed because of the speed of the rhyme and the similarity of the spoken words "fifteen" and "fifty", and because there were few things one could buy with 15 cents in the later part of the 20th century.
Possible origins
The first verse, without the repetition, is also a riddle with the answer "coffin".Early mentions of the part about the elephant do not include the part about Mary Mack.
Merrimack
The origin of the name Mary Mack is obscure, and various theories have been proposed. According to one theory Mary Mack originally was MerrimackUSS Merrimack (1855)
USS Merrimack was a frigate and sailing vessel of the United States Navy, best known as the hull upon which the ironclad warship, CSS Virginia was constructed during the American Civil War...
(an early ironclad that would have been black, with silver rivets) suggesting that the first verse refers to the Battle of Hampton Roads
Battle of Hampton Roads
The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.