How the game works
Ellis told Melody Maker magazine that the song was based on a game she played as a child.
Using the name Micah as an example, the song follows this pattern:
Micah, Micah, bo-bicah,
Banana-fana fo-ficah
Fee-fi-mo-icah
Micah!
A verse can be created for any name, with X as the name and X−1 as the name without the first consonant sound (if it begins with a consonant), as follows:
(X), (X), bo-b(X−1)
Banana-fana fo-f(X−1)
Fee-fi-mo-m(X−1)
X!
If the name starts with a vowel or vowel sound, the "b" "f" or "m" is inserted in front of the name.
And if the name starts with a b, f, or m, that sound simply is not repeated. (For example: Billy becomes "Billy Billy bo-illy"; Fred becomes "banana fana fo-red"; Marsha becomes "fee fi mo-arsha".)
Playing the game with names such as Alice, Dallas, Tucker, Chuck, Buck, Huck, Bart, Art, Mitch, Rich, Richie, Maggie, or, in British English, Danny, results in profanity or crude language.
FYI...Mom never let us sing "chuck"...but she allowed "bart"....
How the game works
Ellis told Melody Maker magazine that the song was based on a game she played as a child.
Using the name Micah as an example, the song follows this pattern:
Micah, Micah, bo-bicah,
Banana-fana fo-ficah
Fee-fi-mo-icah
Micah!
A verse can be created for any name, with X as the name and X−1 as the name without the first consonant sound (if it begins with a consonant), as follows:
(X), (X), bo-b(X−1)
Banana-fana fo-f(X−1)
Fee-fi-mo-m(X−1)
X!
If the name starts with a vowel or vowel sound, the "b" "f" or "m" is inserted in front of the name.
....
Can igpay atinlay be far behind ?
(That is Pig Latin for those of you lacking in culture )