ID: 22
Date: 1980s - 2005
Title: Hey little motor car
Gender: Female 
Classification: Skipping 
Rhyme: 

Hey, little motor car 1964 
It went around the cor-or-or-or-ner,
Slammed on the brakes. 
The brakes didn't work,
So I took it away to the garage 
And I slammed on the brakes.
STOP.

(Auckland, 1980s; Whakatane, 1990s; Tauranga, 2000; Rotorua, 2002; Wairoa, 2005)

--

Bumper, car, bumper car number 84,
Went round the cor..
ner, bumped into a lamp post,
Had to go to the gar.
Age. How many children did you hit?
1,2,3..

(Springston, 1990s)

--

I'm a  little motor car, number 48,
Went around the cor-or-or-or-ner,
Slammed on the brakes. 
The brakes didn't work,
How many years was I in jail?
1, 2, 3..

(Blenheim, 1984)

--

I had a little bubble car, 1964
And I slammed on my brakes, like this.

(Hokitika, 1980s)

--

I'm a little bumper car, number 38,
Spinning round the corner, 
Slam on your brakes.

(Ashburton, 2005)

--

I'm a little motor car,
Number forty eight,
I went round the corner,
And put on my brakes.

(Christchurch, 1990)

--

Hey little motor car, 1964,
And she went around the cor..ner,
And she stopped for a break,
And she pulled up at the sign,
And found she couldn't go,
So she went to the ga...as station.

(Whakatane, 2002)

--

I had a little motor car 1964,
I drove it round the coooooorner,
Beep beep,
Slam on the brakes.
But the brakes didn't work,
So I drove it round the coooooorner.

(Titahi Bay, 1990s; Lower Hutt, 2005)

--

Motor car motor car 1964
Turn around the cor..ner,
When you get to six,
You can do the splits,
2,4,6.

(Christchurch, 2005)

--

Motor car, motor car, 1964
I went around the corner,
I forgot to step on the brakes. (children try to catch the rope between their feet.)

(Hastings, 1960s; Titahi Bay, 2003)

--

Driving in my motorcar,
Number 48.
Going round the cor-ner,
Slammed on the brakes,
But the brakes didn't work,
So I took it to a garage,
How many miles can I go?
5,10, 15, 20..

(Hawarden, 2000)

--

There was a little racing car,
Number 64.
He went around the co-o-rner,
And slammed on the brakes just like this,
Then he went to get some petrol,
1, 2, 3..

(Ashburton, 1990)

--
 
Background Info: Rules for skipping to this rhyme: 
On "cor" the skipper jumps out and runs around the person holding the rope, jumping back in and carrying on with "ner."

On "stop" the jumper should stop with the rope between her legs.

Many different versions of this rhyme going back to 1964 with "Had a little bobby car.. ". (Turner, 1978:16)

==

Opie, 1997:217-218 discusses the actions involved in this skipping rhyme. Popular in Britain in early 1960s, with the rhyme beginning: "I'm a little bubble car". Game noted by Canadian folklorist, Edith Fowke, in 1959-1960:

Had a little Austin in 1948,
Turned around the corner 
And slammed on the brake.
Policeman caught me, put me in jail.
All I had was ginger-ale.
How many gallons did I drink? 2, 4, 6, 8..

(Vancouver, 1959)

==
 
Location: Various NZ 
Group size: 10 
Incidence: 18