In recent times various other claims about the origins of the song have arisen, though they are all contradicted by the publication history. The tune is not the same as the later popular version of the Hokey cokey but the verse is more similar as it states to "turn your body around." No author or composer was credited. It has 9 verses, which run thus: "Turn the right hand in, turn the right hand out, give your hands a very good shake, and turn your body around." Additional verses include v2. In the book Charming Talks about People and Places, published circa 1900, there is a song with music on page 163 entitled "Turn The Right Hand In". Some early versions of this song thus show a marked resemblance to the modern song Looby Loo, and the songs have been described as having a common origin. In the book English Folk-Rhymes, published 1892, a version of the song originating from Sheffield is given:Ĭan you dance looby, looby, Can you dance looby, looby,Īll on a Friday night? You put your right foot in Īnd then you take it out, And wag it, and wag it, and wag it, Put all your left feet in, Turn them a little, a little,
Hilli ballu ballight! Hilli ballu ballai! 1891 from the town of Golspie in Scotland was published by Edward W. Newell gave it the title, "Right Elbow In", and said that it was danced " deliberately and decorously.with slow rhythmical motion."Ī version known as "Ugly Mug" is described in 1872: I put my right hand in I put my right hand out I give my right hand, shake, shake, shake, and turn myself aboutĪ version from c. As the song continues, the "left hand" is put in, then the "right foot," then the "left foot," then "my whole head.". I put my right hand in, I put my right hand out, In out, in out. in 1857 start an "English/Scottish ditty" thus:
Ī song rendered ("with appropriate gestures") by two sisters from Canterbury, England while on a visit to Bridgewater, N.H. Ī later variant of this song is the Shaker song "Hinkum-Booby", which had more similar lyrics to the modern song and was published in Edward Deming Andrews' A gift to be simple in 1940: (p. 42).
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:įal de ral la, fal de ral la: Hinkumbooby, round about Right hands in, and left hands out, Hinkumbooby, round about Fal de ral la, fal de ral la.