Flip Flop
Chanted and spoken by Ewan MacColl.
Spoken: And when the boys were choosing sides for any game, they would — uh, all swing their arms to a kind of rhythmic chant. And those who finished with their palms upwards would be counted out, until finally, uh the numbers were reduced to one person whose palms were facing down.* And this is how they did it (chants):
Flip, flap, flow bang.
Flip, flap, flow bang.
Flip, flap, flow bang.
*For a related activity, see The Lore and Language of
Schoolchildren, p. 195.
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