When Susie was a...

[Specialneedsnightmare]

Does anyone else remember chanting this as kids? It was like a song that always started with 'when susie was a baby' and continue to when she was dead, and when she was a skeleton , a ghost etc.

Not sure why but it came into my head the other day. Do children still sing it?

I haven’t heard it for years (and I work in primary schools) but as soon as I read the title I started singing it.

I remember it. I don't think kids now sing it. 'When Susie was a teenager, a teenager Susie was... she said-a 'Ooh ah, I lost my bra. I left my knickers in my boyfriend's car'.

That's the bit that has obviously stuck with me!

That’s the exact line I sang to myself too

I remember thinking ‘why on earth would you take your knickers off in someone’s car?’ When I was about six.

Ohhhh I do remember it! I’d totally forgotten about this!!!

oh, the 90s ❤️

Yep I remember that too!

A bit earlier than that! 😉

• 👶 The Baby: "When Susie was a baby, a baby Susie was, and she went: Cry, baby, cry baby, wah, wah, wah!"
• 🎒 The Schoolgirl: "When Susie was a schoolgirl... she went: Miss, Miss, I cannot do this, I lost my pencil in the twist!"
• 💋 The Teenager: "When Susie was a teenager... she went: Ooh, aah, I lost my bra, I left my knickers in my boyfriend's car!" (or "Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!")
• 🤱 The Mother: "When Susie was a mother... she went: Wash the dishes, do the chores, brush your teeth, and lock the doors!"
• 👵 The Granny: "When Susie was a granny... she went: Ouch, my back, my aching bones, ooh, aah, ooh!"
• 🪦 The Corpse / Dead: "When Susie was a dead girl... she went: Deep in the grave, deep in the grave, shh, shh, shh."
• 💀 The Skeleton: "When Susie was a skeleton... she went: Clickety-clack, clickety-clack, clickety-clickety-clickety-clack!"
• 👻 The Ghost: "When Susie was a ghost... she went: Boo, boo, boo, boo, boo!"

I remember a different version of the song, with actions. “When molly was a baby a baby a baby, when molly was a baby a baby was she. She went this way and that way and this way and that way, when molly was a baby a baby was she” whilst you’d do rocking motions for holding a baby. I don’t remember all the rest but it did go to her death

It was a skipping rhyme and we sang it in the 50s, complete with the verse about missing knickers and bra. At the time I hardly knew anyone with a car, so that was as confusing as the lost underwear

We sang it in the 70s, and yes, that's the line I remember! 😆 👙 🚗 😳

Born in 1990 and I’ve never heard of it 😂

90s!

I was singing the bit about knickers and bra in the 70s!

For 'schoolgirl', we sang 'Miss, miss, I wanna do a piss' (late 70s/early 80s)

I remember it 😆 it was a clapping song if memory serves 🥰

This brings back memories!!

Born mid 1960s.

I remember it and also getting a telling off from my mother for this line in the 70s (I was about 8 and had zero understanding of the implications!)

‘When Susie was a bank robber… bang bang bang’
My school was a bit rough! 70s

I was born in the late 70s and we sang it at primary school in the 80s.

I don't recognise most of those lyrics. A baby I think was 'Goo ga, goo goo ga'. And I'm pretty sure Granny went 'Knit, knit, knit knit knit'.

I can't remember the rest but I think we ended with when she was dead and just all shut up and stopped immediately.

It was a clapping rhyme. You stood opposite another girl and clapped hands with them. (Early 1970s)

We sang when Suzie had a baby she. Called him Sony Jim etc

We did it as a clapping rhyme in the 80s/90s. The bit about the bra and knickers was the only bit I can remember.

Must have been going slightly longer than that because I remember a child trying to teach it to me as an adult.

Yes, I remember this as a clapping rhyme in the 70s!

I also remember Val Doonican talking about his daughter singing it and asking her what she thought Susie was doing in the car. She said she thought Susie was changing for ballet 😆

Aaaaaah, that might be the origins of a thing DD came home singing in year 1 - "Miss, Miss, I can't do this, I've got my knickers in a right old twist"!

60s/70s in my case!