I woke up Sunday morning and looked upon the wall.
The Bedbugs and the Skeeters were playing a game of ball.
The score was 6 to nothing. The Bedbugs were ahead.
The Skeeters hit a homerun and knocked me out of bed.
I'm singing eenie-meenie and a - mynee-mo.
Catch a Wiffer-Waffer - by his toe.
if he hollar hollars - let him go.
I'm singing eenie-meenie and a - mynee-mo.
My brothers and I used to sing that version of the little rhyme when we were kids (in PA in the late 70's). I can still hear it in my head, as if I were 8 years old and singing it. Although, there is a plethora of variations to it.
Searching this online proved hysterical. I'm not alone in recalling the song. People have blogged up a storm of what they recalled, and the differences, ranging from slight to extreme, are funny indeed. I found some summer camp programs calling it a campfire song. I've seen versions that are quite lengthy, with whole new sections of unrelated rhymes. I've seen the Wiffer-Waffer I recall replaced with a Whipper Whopper or even a Wipple Waffle! I've seen some that have the Bedbugs and Skeeters in reverse order. I've seen Roaches used in place of the Bedbugs, and from one of the earliest versions I can find, they used Cooties instead of Skeeters. The most chronic difference in the versions is the score of the ball game. I've seen the scores range from 2 to nothing, 6 to nothing, 8 to nothing, 9 to nothing, 10 to nothing, and even several who recall it as 19 20. What WAS the score?? It's killing me! Who really won that game? :) In my version, the Bedbugs were ahead, but the ones you'll find below all show the bedbugs were massive losers.
Earliest Versions I Can Find
I did find some World War II and Depression Era songs and rhymes that employ similar wording from this site. It should be noted that these appear as nothing more than just a further series of morphed versions. I have yet to find the real origin of the song. If you know any more detailed history of either the wiffer waffer, waffle, whopper, whatever, OR the bedbugs, roaches, cooties and the skeeters, please let me know.
CATCH A WIFFER WOFFER
(Score: 6 to nothing, Roaches ahead of the Bedbugs, catching a wiffer woffer)
I don't know the origin of this version.
Oh, I'm walkin' round the corner
Doing little harm
Along comes a policeman
And grabs me by the arm
Oh, he walks me round the corner
Rings a little bell
Along comes a wagon
And knocks me in a cell
I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miney moh
Catch a wiffer woffer by the toe
And if it hollers, hollers, hollers,
Let it go, I'm singin' Eenie meenie and a miney moh
Oh, five o'clock in the morning
I looked up on the wall --
The roaches and the bedbugs
Were having a game of ball
Oh, the score was six to nothing
The roaches were ahead --
The bedbugs hit a home run
And knocked me out of bed
I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miney moh,
Catch a wiffer woffer by the toe
And if it hollers, hollers, hollers,
Let it go, I'm singin' Eenie meenie and a miney moh
Oh, six o'clock in the morning
The jailer comes around
A piece of bread and coffee
That weighs a half a pound
Oh, the coffee tastes like tobacco juice
The bread is hard and stale
But that's the way they treat the bums
In New York County Jail
I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miney moh,
Catch a wiffer woffer by the toe
And if it hollers, hollers, hollers,
Let it go, I'm singin' Eenie meenie and a miney moh
I went downtown for breakfast
I ordered ham and eggs
I ate so many pickles
The juice ran down my legs
I fell into a sewer
And that is where I died
They did not call it murder --
They called it sewer-cide
I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miney moh,
Catch a wiffer woffer by the toe
And if it hollers, hollers, hollers,
Let it go, I'm singin' Eenie meenie and a miney moh
OKLAHOMA DEPRESSION SONG
(Score: 9 to nothing, Cooties ahead of the Bedbugs, not catching anything)
recorded by Elmer Jennings
I woke up one morning and looked upon the wall
The cooties and the bed bugs were having a game of ball
The score was nine to nothing and the cooties were ahead
A bed bug knocked a home run and knocked me out of bead
Ooohh... ham bone, ham bone, disconnected cheese
A weenie turned a flip flop and lit right on his knees
I went down stairs to breakfast, the toast was hard and stale
The coffee tasted like tobacco juice fresh from the county jail
Ooohh... Ella had a baby, She named it Sammy Jim
She took it to the bathroom to learn it how to swim
It drank two tubs of water and it ate two bars of soap
And now poor Ella's baby is learning how to float
It floated up the river and it floated down the lane
And now poor Ella's baby is never home again
BED BUGS
(Score: 4 to nothin, Skeeters ahead of BedBugs, catching wimper wompers!)
recorded by Cara Drew
I woke up Saturday morning
I looked up on the wall
The skeeter's and the bed bugs
were havin' a game of ball
The score was four to nothin'
The skeeter's were ahead
The bed bugs hit a home run
that knocked me out of bed
I'm singing eenie meenie and a miny moe
catch those whimper whompers by the toe
And if they holler oller oller, don't let 'em go
I'm singing eenie meenie and a miny moe
I went downstairs for breakfast
I ordered ham and eggs
I ate so many pickles
the juice ran down my legs
The eggs were really runny
The ham was really tough
But I'll tell you one thing
I couldn't get enough
I'm singing eenie meenie and a miny moe
catch those whimper whompers by the toe
And if they holler oller oller, don't let 'em go
I'm singing eenie meenie and a miny moe
The skeeter's came downstairs
They wanted breakfast too
I gave them some bologna
they knew just what to do
And when those bugs were finished
they flew way on ahead
Then I ran up the stairs
to go and make my bed
I'm singing eenie meenie and a miny moe
catch those whimper whompers by the toe
And if they holler oller oller, don't let 'em go
I'm singing eenie meenie and a miny moe