Momma had a baby....

Posted by ESC on December 13, 2001

In Reply to: Momma had a baby.... posted by J. Dahling on December 12, 2001

: I have tried to find an origin on a lyric I learned as a child. When picking dandelions, we would flick the head of the dandelion off the stem and say "momma had a baby and it's head popped off!".

: Anyone know where this came from?

Sounds like a jump-rope rhyme. There are several with a similar line. Here's one (that doesn't make much sense) from "American Children's Folklore: A Book of Rhymes, Games, Jokes, Stories, Secret Languages, Beliefs and Camp Legends for Parents, Grandparents, Teachers, Counselors and All Adults Who Were Once Children" by Simon J. Bronner (August House Inc., Little Rock, Ark., 1988):
Fudge, fudge
Call the judge
Mother's had a newborn baby
It isn't a girl, it isn't a boy
It's just a newborn baby
First floor miss
Second floor miss
Third floor miss.