As I recall I came across Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack Mack in one of the School Journals … oh, man, school journals! The author of this piece seems to be unknown but this is a suggested origin… “slave children were taught corn ditties (the original name for Negro spirituals) to take their young minds off harsh plantation life. They would work & clap their hands in rhythm while singing.  Miss Mary Mack was symbolic in that the Merrimack was an ironclad Union ship coming to fight the confederate army. It built with rivets (silver buttons) & ships have always been referred to as females. There is also symbolism behind asking her mother (the Confederate States of America) for fifty cents (a metaphor for change) to see the elephants (symbol of the Republican party who “freed the slaves”) jump the fence (Mason-Dixon line).”  

 

Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother
For 50 cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high
They reached the sky, sky, sky
And they didn’t come back, back, back
‘Til the 4th of July, ly, ly!

 

Here’s a cute Dad and Daughter video if you want to teach/learn the clapping routine…