Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincoln, / I been thinking…
Lincoln, Lincoln,
I been thinking.
What in the world have you been drinking?
Smells like liquor,
Tastes like wine,
Oh my gosh, it’s Turpentine.
How many bottles did you drink?
One, Two, Three.
How to play
Keep counting until the skipper misses.
Where this rhyme comes from
- Sung in
- US
The opening echoes the comic song 'Reuben and Rachel' ('Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking'), published in 1871. Its 'turpentine' rhyme also turns up in the British counting-out rhyme 'Queen, Queen Caroline' (dipped her hair in turpentine), which Ford printed in 1904. Abraham Lincoln (US President 1861–65) was probably swapped in later, and no dated record of the Lincoln version was found.
Sources: 'Reuben and Rachel' song (1871), as cited in online discussion; Robert Ford, Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories (1904), p.49 (Queen Caroline).
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Older and newer versions
The same rhyme, changed by children over the years.
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