Updated this post with some new info:
I didn’t know this one, but it seems to have been fairly popular in the US, the UK and Australia over the last thirty or forty years, at least:
My boyfriend gave me an apple
my boyfriend gave me a pear
my boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips
and threw me down the stairs
I gave him back his apple
I gave him back his pear
I gave him back his kiss on the lips
and threw HIM down the stairs
There are several third verses, mostly involving going to the movies (since all this stair-throwing didn’t end the relationship):
He took me to the movies
to buy some bubble gum
and when he wasn’t looking
I stuck it up his bum
Then there are (almost inevitably) underwear variations:
I threw him over London
I threw him over France
I threw him over Harbour bride
he lost his underpants
(This is often followed by a verse where he flies all over London, France, and Harbour Bridge (or the USA or any number of other “third” places) to find his underpants.
Folks, this is one messed-up relationship. Some folklorists say this is about girl empowerment, but I’m not really buying it. This is a couple that throws each other down the stairs then goes to the movies to engage in all kinds of deviant acts – it’s either a real BDSM power couple or a seriously dysfunctional couple with no one I can really sympathize with (something tells me that that initial stair-throwing wasn’t the first act of violence in the relationship).
But all analysis aside, how old is this? It’s been appearing in print since the 1980s, but almost certainly goes back further than that – a variation was published in Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang in 1921:
First I gave her peaches
then I gave her pears
then I gave her fifty cents
and kissed her on the stairs
This sort of suggests that it may have come from ribald rhymes about prostitutes – by the 1970s or 80s, though, violent rhymes were probably less likely to get you in trouble than sex rhymes (at least in the states, where violent media tends to be much more likely to be considered “family friendly” than sexual media).
By way of trying to put in a centuries-old tradition, maybe we can also connect it to a couple of old, old folk songs:
The first of these is “I gave my love a cherry, it had no stone.” “My boyfriend gave me an apple” sort of follows the pattern of that one (and is considerably less boring).
But a more obvious, and far more likely, thing would be to connect it to the old Irish standard “Do You Love An Apple”
Do you love an apple?
Do you love a pear?
Do you love a laddie
with curly brown hair?
Yes, I love him
and can’t deny him
I will follow
wherever he goes
This is essentially the same song without the violence – the playground version sort of follows the song to a natural conclusion of what might happen if you promise to follow a laddie wherever he goes (ie, he could turn out to be a real jerk).
i man man man man man
I remember this! We did it as one of those hand clapping rhymes, and it was a little different. It was the second hand rhyme I learned. I grew up in Indianapolis and it was around 1983. I was four years old.
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear,
My boyfriend gave me 50 cents
And took me to the fair, fair, fair.
After the fair was over,
I asked him to take me home,
He said he had another date,
And left me all alone, lone, lone.
I gave him back his apple,
I gave him back his pear,
I gave him back his 50 cents
And tore his underwear, wear, wear.
this is the one that i've heard:
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear,
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips and threw me down the stairs
I gave him back his apple
I gave him back his pear
I gave him back his kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs
I threw him over London
I threw him over France
I threw him over Disney Land without his under pants
I took him to the movies
I bought him Bubble Gum
When he wasn't looking
I shuved it up his bum
this is the one i know
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear,
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips and threw me down the stairs
i gave hime back his apple,
i gave him back his pear,
i gave him back an kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs,
i threw him over london,
i threw him over france,
i threw him over a football pitch
and made him lose his underpants
i made him lick the dishes,
i made him lick the floor,
i made him lick the baby bum
in 1994
at my school the chant goes like this –
my boyfriend gave me an apple
my boyfriend gave me a pear
my boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips and threw me down th stairs.
i threw him over londen
i threw him over france
i threw him over disney without his underpants
i went around the corner to buy some bubble gum
and when he wasn't looking i shuved it up his bum
i gave him back his apple
i gave him back his pear
i gave him back the kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs
the one i know goes:
my boyfriend gave me an apple
my boyfriend gave me a pear
my boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips
and threw me down the stairs
i gave him back his apple
i gave him back his pear
i gave him back his kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs
he took me too the movies
to watch a scary film
and when i wasnt looking he kissed another girl
so i took him to the sweet shop
to buy some bubblegum
and when he wasnt looking i stuck it up his bum!
I grew up in the 90s and we played skipping or clapping games to these. We had all the versions really…
My boyfriend gave me an apple
My boyfriend gave me a pear
My boyfriend gave me a kick up the bum
And threw me down the stairs
I gave him back his apple
I gave him back his pear
I gave him back his kick up the bum
And threw him down the stairs
I threw him over London
I threw him over France
I threw him over the football pitch
And he lost his underpants,
His underpants were yellow
His underpants were green
His underpants were multicolored
And the worst you've ever seen
He took me to the movies
To see a scary film,
And when I wasn't looking
He kissed another girl
So I took him to he corner shop
To go and buy some coke
And when he wasn't looking
I kissed another bloke
I made him lick the dishes
I made him lick the floor
I made him lick the babies bum in 1994
My version is much longer. We'd spend hours in my school just making up new verses.
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear,
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips and threw me down the stairs
I gave him back his apple
I gave him back his pear
I gave him back his kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs
I threw him over London
I threw him over France
I threw him over Disney Land without his under pants
He took me to the beach,
To see a pretty pearl,
But when I wasn't looking,
He kissed another girl.
I took him to the movies
I bought him bubble gum
When he wasn't looking
I shoved it up his bum
I made him lick the dishes,
I made him lick the floor,
I made him lick that piece of gum,
From the movies in '84
I went to my room,
To find some magazines,
And found him with a girl,
Who was barely in her teens.
I called my boyfriend's mom,
I even called his dad,
To tell them what he'd done,
And that I'm really mad.
My boyfriend say he's sorry,
I told him not to worry.
Because I told him he should run,
And shot him with a gun.
When my boyfriend died,
I got another one,
And this one was better,
Because we had a lot of fun.
Until one sunny day,
I found out he had lied,
He had a lot on secrets,
And this is why he died…
(Repeat song until the line "When my boyfriend died…")
My boyfriend then proposed,
And I said "Ok then, Sure!"
But later in the year,
I found out he wanted more.
My fiancé asked for children,
My fiancé asked for love,
But when we stood on a skyscraper,
I threw him from above.
My fiancé and i got married,
We had a little girl,
And when my child grew up,
She met a guy named Earl.
Her boyfriend gave her an apple,
Her boyfriend gave her a pear,
Her boyfriend gave her a kiss on the lips and threw her down the stairs
She gave him back his apple
She gave him back his pear
She gave him back his kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs
She threw him over London
She threw him over France
She threw him over Disney Land without his under pants
He took her to the beach,
To see a pretty pearl,
But when she wasn't looking,
He kissed another girl.
She took him to the movies
She bought him bubble gum
When he wasn't looking
She shoved it up his bum
She made him lick the dishes,
She made him lick the floor,
She made him lick that piece of gum,
From the movies in '94
She went to her room,
To find some magazines,
And found him with a girl,
Who was barely in her teens.
She called her boyfriend's mom,
She even called his dad,
To tell them what he'd done,
And that she's really mad.
Her boyfriend say he's sorry,
She told him not to worry.
Because she told him he should run,
And shot him with a gun.
When her boyfriend died,
She got another one,
And this one was better,
Because they had a lot of fun.
When my daughter came home pregnant,
I shot her boyfriend dead.
She started to cry,
So this is what i said:
"No boyfriends till your 20,
No fiancés till you've read,
All the perks of pregnancy,
And marry when i'm dead."
Something about your first example makes my brain sing the "Miss Lucy" song:
Miss Lucy had a baby,
she named him tiny Tim.
She put him im the bathtub,
to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
he ate up all the soap,
he tried to eat the bathtub,
but it wouldn't go down his throat!
Miss Lucy called the doctor.
Miss Lucy called the nurse.
She even called the lady
with the alligator purse!
(There's another verse with the reactions of the doctor, the nurse, and the lady, but I can't recall. I bet my brother knows it; he's the one who taught it to me).
(P.S. If you'd like an audio file of the tune, I can record it and send it to you!)
(From Anonymous, who sent the "Miss Lucy" bit):
Sorry, I forgot to say that I heard it in Philadelphia, around 1975.
Los Angeles 50's – 60's
My boyfriends name is Tony
He comes from Macaroni
With Pickles on his toes
And a cherry on his nose
That's my boyfriend Tony!
Once he gave me peaches
Once he gave me pears
Once he gave me 50 cents
And kicked me down the stairs, stairs, stairs!
I gave him back his peaches
I gave him back his pears
I gave him back his 50 cents
And kicked him down the stairs, stairs, stairs!
There's another verse I don't remember, which has Tony take "me" to the Fair, and then:
When the fair was over
He asked if he could take me home
unk line
I'd rather walk alone!
i remember this i was in primary school and i used to play it wiv my friends and the crunchy ice one lollllll
I threw him over London i threw him over France i threw him over Disney lan and saw his underpants his underpants were yellow his underpants were molti-coloured so he showed them t the queen the took us to a sweetie shop to buy some bubble gum and when he was not looking we stuffed it up her bum
When I was in primary school it was like
my boyfriend gave me an apple
my boyfriend gave me a pear
my boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips
and threw me down the stairs
i gave him back his apple
i gave him back his pear
i gave him back his two black eyes
and threw him down the stairs
I threw him over London
I threw him over France
I threw him over the USA
and saw his underpants
His underpants were green and blue and multi coloured to
——————————-
But I forget the last line it's annoying me so much
if anyone knows can you tell me
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this is the one i do
milkman milkman
do your duty
have you seen miss mackarooni
she can do the kan kan
she can do the splits
just like this
(when you say just like this jump into the splits but get lower and lower by keep repeating it)
This comment has been removed by the author.
My boyfriend gave me an apple
My boyfriend gave me a pear
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips
And threw me down the stairs
I gave him back his apple
I gave him back his pear
I gave him back his kiss on the lips
And threw him down the stairs
I threw him over London
I threw him over France
I threw him over the harbour bridge
And he lost his underpants,
He took me to the movies
To see a scary film,
And when I wasn't looking
He kissed another girl
I took him to the shops
To buy some bubblegum
And when he wasn't looking
I shoved it up his bum
I made him clean the dishes
I made him clean the floor
I made him clean the babies bum in 1994
(Sydney, Australia. 2005)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
My boyfriend gave me an apple my boyfriend gave me a pear my boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips i chucked him down the stairs i chucked him over germany i chucked him over france i chucked him over the usa he lost his under pants i chucked him back over the usa i chucked him back over france i chucked him back over germany he got his underpants and thats how i say thanks
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does anyone remember this schoolyard rhyme/taunt, i dnt remember exactly but i think.it went to the tune of the song "he wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini" or a similar rhythm anyway, and we'd say something like "you r an idiotic brain affected disconnected
…… dumb head" somethin like that….. anyone else know this one? it couldnt just have been only my school surely?
This is the one I knew growing up.
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear,
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips and threw me down the stairs
i gave him back his apple,
i gave him back his pear,
i gave him back his kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs,
He took me to the movies to watch a dirty film
and when I wasn't looking
he kissed another girl,
I took him to the sweet shop
to buy some bubblegum
and when he wasn't looking
I stuck it up his bum ,
i made him lick the dishes,
i made him lick the floor,
i made him lick the baby bum in 1994
Your place is for definite couturier bookmarking.bubblegum casting
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
that is really good i like it
This comment has been removed by the author.
im 17 now but when i was 5-6 (2002-3) i used to play this at school (in new zealand) and on the bus along with slime yuck, under the bambi bushes and apple on a stick
this was our version of my boyfriend
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear,
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips and threw me down the stairs
i gave him back his apple,
i gave him back his pear,
i gave him back his kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs
i threw him over london
i threw him over france
i threw him over the harbour bridge and made him lose his trunks
i made him do the dishes
i made him sweep the floor
i made him kiss the ugly wich behinde the kitchen door
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With regards to how old this rhyme is, there is a version in this book (published in 1897) which was collected from a village in Scotland called Golspie.
Many children's rhymes have been around for hundreds of years if not longer, but they usually change somewhat as they are handed down from generation to generation. Here is the link:
https://archive.org/stream/golspiecontribu02nichgoog#page/n178/mode/2up
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear,
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips and threw me down the stairs!
I gave him back his apple,
I have him back his pear,
I gave him back his kiss on the lips and threw him down the stairs!
We went to the cinema to watch a #+@%& film,
And when I wasn't looking he kissed another girl!
We went to the sweet shop to buy some bubblegum,
And when he wasn't looking I shuved it up his bum!!!
I heard this one in the late 80s in the northeast of England. When I moved to Atlantic Canada in the 90s, nobody around here had ever heard of it, or anything similar, and I was starting to wonder if it was some weird little UK playground song! Only the one I remember had a third verse that went:
I kicked him to the left
I kicked him to the right
I kicked him to the garbage men
On a Saturday night.
Though to be fair, I wasn't even 5 when I first heard it, so I may well have just made that last bit up over time.
TOM gave me an apple
TOM gave me pears
TOM is so sexy, I fainted down the stairs!
(New Jersey, mid 2000’s)
My boyfriend gave me and apple
My boyfriend gave me a pear
My boyfriend gave me a kick up the bum and threw me down the stairs
I gave him back his apple
I gave him back his pear
I gave him back his kick up the bum and threw him down the stairs
I threw him over Scotland
I threw his over France
I threw him over the football pitch and he lost his underpants
His underpants were yellow
His underpants were green
His underpants were multicoloured so I sent him to the queen
She made him do the dishes
She made him do the floor
She made him do the baby’s bum til 1984