Here's a longer version of this hand-clapping song:
"The spades go
Two lips together
Twilight forever
Bring back my love to me
I love you one and only
I love you personally
And that's the story
Of L-O-V-E love
My heart goes
Bum-ba-de-ump-bump
Bum-ba-de-ump-bump
Over the likes of you
I saw the ship sail away
It sailed a year and a day
My love is far far away
And I love him too
Oh yes I do
Cha cha cha
Cross cross cross
Applesauce
Pumpkin pie"
Post from rec.arts.sf.fandom newgroup
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=R9Qw6.1947%24iU.462658%40news1.rdc1.md.home.com&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain
Here are some variations:
"The spades go two lips together,
Blood in the gutter,
Bring back my love to me.
What is the meaning of all these flowers?
They tell the story,
The story of love from me to you, cha cha cha!"
Post from alt.culture.us.1970s newgroup
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=19961227054600.AAA09110%40ladder01.news.aol.com&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain
"A spade is
Two hearts in heaven
Working together
To bring back my true love to me
What is the meaning
Of all the flowers
That tell the story
The story of L-O-V-E
The story of love..."
The Phrase Finder: Clapping Rhyme
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/16/messages/614.html
"The spades go tulips together,
Twilight forever,
Bring back my love to me.
What is the meaning
Of all these flowers?
It is the meaning
The meaning of love from me to you."
Post from rec.gardens newgroup
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=19981121174002.19500.00001102%40ng81.aol.com&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain
Here's a description of the hand motions associated with this song,
from the last newsgroup post linked above:
"In Brooklyn, the elementary school girls would play hand games at the
same time that they chanted a rhyme. Two girls would face each other,
then pat each other's hands in a particular pattern, which had to be
learned. There were several patterns, which were taught from girl to
girl.
For example, the right hand would face up and the left hand down for
the first pat. Then the girl would clap, and reverse the orientation
of the hands. Then both hands would face upwards, then outwards, etc.
The facing girl had to do the reverse motion so they could pat each
other's hands. Each pat was in time to the chanted rhyme.
The rhymes were nonsense verses, chanted in a singsong voice."
Here's a variant that is quite different, but with some of the same
lines:
"I saw a ship sail away
For a year a month and a day
Now my love is far far away
And that's the story of love from me to you.
What is the meaning of all these flowers?
They tell the story,
And that's the story of love from me to you.
Who shall I marry, Tom, Dick, or Harry?
I'll marry Tom, but he's in Vietnam.
I'll marry Dick, but he's too sick.
I'll marry Harry, that's who I'll marry.
And that's the story of love, from me to you.
Where shall we live? In tiny Spain or in...
Par-ra-ra-ri-ri, Par-ra-ra-ri-ri, Par-ra-ra-ri-ri-ri"
Dreams Do Come True
http://www.geocities.com/ddct47/bc.html
(It seems likely to me that the "Par-ra-ra-ri-ri" at the end of those
lyrics is the beginning of the word "Paris," since there was a
previous mention in the song of "Where shall we live" and "Spain.")
My Google search strategy:
Google Groups Search: "lips together" + "bring back my love"
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22lips+together%22+%22bring+back+my+love%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en
I hope this brings back some memories! If anything is unclear, or if a
link doesn't work for you, please request clarification; I'll be glad
to offer further assistance before you rate my answer.
Best wishes,
pinkfreud |