Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is a children's counting rhyme, used to select "it" in games and similar purposes.

Today we say:

Eeny, meeny, miny moe

Catch a tiger by the toe

If he hollers let him go,

Eeny, meeny miny moe

With the optional second verse:

My mother told me

To pick the very best one

And you are (not) it.

or:

Out goes one

Out goes two

Out goes another one

And that is you.

Unfortunately, the original verse said "catch a nigger ..." which taints this much more innocent version.

Jocular use of a form of the rhyme by a Southwest Airlines stewardess to encourage passengers to sit down led to a lawsuit in 2003 charging the airline with racism:

Eeny meeny miny mo

Please sit down it's time to go

The passengers in question were African American and stated they were humiliated. Southwest is noted for a lighthearted approach to passenger control.