Taunting chant - ner versus neener

Posted by Brian from Shawnee on October 13, 2004

In Reply to: Taunting chant - ner versus neener posted by TheFallen on October 12, 2004

: : : : : : : Anyone know this generation-crossing sing-song phrase of children and have any idea of where it comes from? I don't even know the spelling for sure...
: : : : : : : thoughts? It came up at a dinner party and got me wondering...

: : : : : : When my kids started saying it, it sounded like "na-na na-na poo-poo". That was in the late 1990's in Northeastern Pennsylvania. When I said it as a kid, it was always "na-na na-na naa-naa" with the same singsong rhythm. That was in the mid 60's in Northeastern New Jersey. So at some point the final "naa-naa" was changed to "poo-poo". Don't know why. Don't know how it started, either.

: : : : : In California in the 1950s, all syllables were "naa." Nary a "poo."

: : : : I think this must be a US thing. I have never heard it - I am interested to see how widespread it is in fact. Has anyone not in the US come across it?

: : : I haven't heard it here in Ireland.

: : The tune might be more widespread than the lyrics. Do children outside the US use a six-syllable chant with the highest pitches on syllables 1 and 5?

: UK children tend to taunt with a 5 syllabic chant, best represented by "ner ner ni-neer ner", with stresses on syllables 1 and 4. I believe the closest US equivalent may be the 6 syllabic "neener neener neener".

We know that one in the U.S., too. And I'm sure the tune of "na-na na-na naa-naa" is widely known because it's the same as "Ring around the rosie". Come to think of it, they seem very closely related. I wouldn't know how to go about finding the origins of either version.