Around the world in 80 days x marks the spot

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My 6yo is super into me giving him the chills lately, but the only rhyme I can remember is the one that was more popular when I was older...which is rather gruesome. 

FYI, the one I can remember goes:

Treasure Island, Treasure Island [slowly drawing a large circle each time you say it]

X marks the spot. X marks the spot. [making a large X each time you say it]

Dot, dash, dot, dash, question mark. [self-explanatory]

Spider crawling up your back--gotcha! [fingers crawl up back and grab the back of the person's neck]

Spider crawling up your back--gotcha! [same as above]

Dagger in the back--blood rushes down! [pound your fist between shoulder blades as if stabbing, then run your fingers down from there as a river of blood]

Dagger in the back--blood rushes down! [same as above]

Cool breeze, tight squeeze, now you've got the chills!  [blow on the person's neck, squeeze both shoulders, and lightly tickle fingers all over back]

I've been skipping the "dagger in the back--blood rushes down" bit with him, but I'd love to remember the clean rhyme I learned when I was really little.  I know it started out "dot, dot, dash...dot, dot, dash..."  And I'm pretty sure you pretended to crack an egg and have the yolk run down.  I've searched online and found nothing like it, just odd versions of the one above.  Anyone?

* Rock-cut tombs in Myra, an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. It was located on the river Myros (Demre Çay), in the fertile alluvial plain between Alaca Dağ, the Massikytos range and the Aegean Sea.

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Around the world in 80 days x marks the spot

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Around the world in 80 days x marks the spot

level 1

Genuinely don't have a clue. More info needed. Is this a game? A way to choose a partner? A way to annoy someone?

level 2

It’s a rhyme that goes along with motions you do to someone’s back to give them chills. I’d describe it better but this sub dousing allow text

level 2

It's an elaborate prank you play on the person sitting in front of you in class by moving your fingers around in different ways on the back of their neck.

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Around the world in 80 days x marks the spot

Last night the love of my life was expressing her opinion about some knots in her shoulders and neck.  (Like that?  Yeah you do.  I completely sidestepped the “complaining” phrase.)  And what comes next, guys?  Yup.  The back rub.  During this amazingly relaxing back rub, my mind started to wander.  Blah, blah, blah.  Jack is doing something odd.  Blah, blah, blah.  Crack an egg on your head; let the yolk flow down!  Woh.  Where did that come from?  That was definitely a grade school thought.  Nice.  So as I entertained myself during the back rub, I started trying to think of the rest of the rhyme.  Unfortunately it has been so long, that my brain was struggling to piece it all together.  So we had a nice little brainstorming/debate over it.  That didn’t solve anything so we decided to call my sisters, Cayce and Reagan.  (Sorry Tate.  You didn’t make the list for top two people to call about grade school rhymes.)

After three phone calls between the two of them we decided that apparently I did the rhyme wrong.  I think it just got changed after my generation because the following generations would rather rhyme than deal with reality.  So instead of what I knew as “10 knives in your back” they knew as “20 pokes” or something equally dumb.  Instead of the chills they said the shiveries.  I don’t know how you played this game when you were little, but prior to our conversation on the 5th of August, 2009 I had never heard that before.  And it wasn’t the first time I had heard the rhyme.  (What boy doesn’t line up for his turn with the girls playing this game on his back?)  So after even more googling and very little discovery (other than apparently there isn’t just one way to say this rhyme) I decided that I needed a blog to hear your versions.  So here is mine (after lots of racking my brain).  Enjoy!  For those of you that have someone nearby, feel free to practice on their backs.  They might return the favor!

————————————————————-

Going on a treasure hunt, X marks the spot.
Dash, dot. Dash, dot. Big question mark.
Spiders crawling up your back, now they’re crawling down.
10 knives in your back. Let the blood flow down.
Crack an egg on your head. Let the yolk flow down.
Feel a cool breeze, tight squeeze…
Now you got the chills!

————————————————————-

That’s my version.  That’s what I will say to my kids one day.  What about you?  What lines do you remember?  Is mine right?  Is it wrong?  How did yours go?

How do you give Shiveries?

Give your friend or partner a back, foot, or head massage to induce chills. Alternatively, writing letters, numbers, and/or messages on someone's back can give them the chills as well. Lightly running your fingers over someone's arms or other body parts can also induce chills.