(Version in Hokkien)
Fatty Fatty Bom Bom
Orang Churi Jia Gong!
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(Version in English)
Hey Fatty!
There are people stealing corns!
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About this ditty:~
This is a school time teaser that pokes fun at fat people. It mixes Hokkien with English.
The author/owner has compiled for record, a collection of early Hokkien sayings, proverbs, rhymes and ditties to capture the essence and spirit of his hoi polloi, a community originating from the southern province of Fujian, China where individuals climbed aboard bum boats, crossing the South China Sea to settle in faraway lands to escape the brewing civil unrest and a way out from hardship carrying along with them in their journey, nothing except their trademark ponytails and their beliefs, very much rooted in Confucianism. These ditties retell their story and their lifestyle way back then so that the younger generation can gain an insight and foothold to their origin..
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The 2nd line is actually Malay. Orang means person, churi means steal and jagong means corn.
Original may have been Hokkien, and there were cerainly Hokkien immigrants into Malaya (late 19th and early 20th C). But the version above is Malay. Of course the word fatty is English.
Another version of the 2nd line is “malam, malam churi jagong.” Malam means night. So the ditty means, that the Fatty is steallng corn every night, which might explain why he’s fat.