On: “Eeny, meeny, miny, mo” and the ambiguous history of counting-out rhymes (2015)

[ComputerGuru]

Just as a counterpoint to all the anecdotal rebuttals here in the comments with regional variants: growing up in California, the rhyme was as stated in the article, with the opening line reiterated at the end.

I'm in Illinois (and have been since later childhood) and think here in Chicago it is the same as I have never heard any of the variations mentioned here.

[tomjakubowski → ComputerGuru]

I grew up in the 90s in the Chicago suburbs and the rhyme was as you described. The first time I can recall hearing a variation was when I saw Pulp Fiction at 17.

edit: actually, I remember that "my mother said..." one as well, as an occasional ad-libbed variation.