Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky is a simple and fun song that is generally sung as part of a circle game.
As with most rhymes the origins of Hanky Panky are unclear but it most likely originated in the United States somewhere around the 19th century. In 1895, a similar rhyme was published in Virginia:
He came to the banks
Of the Pasquotank,
Where the bull-frogs jump
From bank to bank….
Currently there are more versions of the rhyme in circulation and more playground games are performed while singing it, most notably a circle game and a counting game.
How to Play Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
The right hand of each player sits under the palm of the person on the right while the left hand of each player rests on top of the hand of the player to the left. When the song starts a designated player will tap with their left hand the hand of the person sitting on the left and that person will tap as well another person’s hand at the next beat and the clap is passed along the circle until the song ends when someone’s hand is being clapped when saying “Kerplop”. Then, the person whose hand was touched during that beat is out and the song starts again until only one player remains.
Down by the Banks Counting Game
To play a counting game, replace the first two words of the second line (Where the) with a random number (for example 10) and count backwards. An example:
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky,
10 bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop,
Leap off a lily pad and go KERPLOP!
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky,
9 bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop,
Leap off a lily pad and go KERPLOP!
And so on. You can either choose to stop counting at “One” or when no bullfrogs jump anymore.
“Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky” Lyrics
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop,
Leap off a lily pad and go KERPLOP!