Hokey cokey
The hokey cokey (United Kingdom), New Zealand, or hokey pokey (United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, the Caribbean, ((Mexico))) is a participation dance with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well known in English-speaking countries. It originates in a British folk dance, with variants attested as early as 1826. The song and accompanying dance peaked in popularity as a music hall song and novelty dance in the mid-1940s in Britain and Ireland. Then song was a chart hit twice in the 1980s - first by Snowmen which peaked at UK #18 in 1981, and then Black Lace who reached #31 in 1985.
Origins and meaning
Despite several claims of a recent invention, numerous variants of the song exist going back centuries. Some scholars found similar dances and lyrics dating back to the 17th century. One of the earlier variants, with a very similar dance to the modern one, is found in Robert Chambers' Popular Rhymes of Scotland from 1826; the words there are given as:
Podcasts:
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by Black Lace
Hokey Cokey
by: Black LaceYou put your left arm in
your left arm out
In, out, in, out,
You shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That's what it's all about...
[Chorus]
Woah, the hokey cokey,
Woah, the hokey cokey,
Woah, the hokey cokey,
Knees bent, arms stretched, ra ra ra!
You put your right arm in
your right arm out
In, out, in, out,
You shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That's what it's all about...
[Chorus]
You put your left leg in
your left leg out
In, out, in, out,
You shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That's what it's all about...
[Chorus]
You put your right leg in
your right leg out
In, out, in, out,
You shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That's what it's all about...
All together now
[Chorus]
You put your whole self in
your whole self out
In, out, in, ooh, out, ooh
You shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That's what it's all about...
Wait for it
[Chorus]
[Chorus]