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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is a children's counting rhyme, used to select "it" in games and similar purposes.

Today we say:

Eeny, meeny, miny moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If he hollers let him go,
Eeny, meeny miny moe

With the optional second verse:

My mother told me
To pick the very best one
And you are (not) it.

or:

Out goes one
Out goes two
Out goes another one
And that is you.

Unfortunately, the original verse said "catch a nigger ..." which taints this much more innocent version.

Jocular use of a form of the rhyme by a Southwest Airlines stewardess to encourage passengers to sit down led to a lawsuit in 2003 charging the airline with racism:

Eeny meeny miny mo
Please sit down it's time to go

The passengers in question were African American and stated they were humiliated. Southwest is noted for a lighthearted approach to passenger control.



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