Pretty Little Dutch Girl
I am a pretty little Dutch girl,
As pretty as I can be, be, be,
And all the boys in the baseball team
Go crazy over me, me, me.
My boy friend’s name is Fatty,
He comes from the Senoratti,
With turned-up toes
and a pimple on his nose,
And this is how the story goes:
My boyfriend gave me peaches,
My boyfriend gave me pears,
My boyfriend gave me fifty cents
And kissed me on the stairs.
I gave him back his peaches,
I gave him back his pears,
I gave him back his fifty cents
And kicked him down the stairs!
This classic American playground rhyme emerged in the early to mid-20th century. The song has little to do with Dutch culture itself—instead, the term “Dutch” was commonly used in American slang to connote quaintness, simplicity, or charm, often in stereotyped ways.
The verses often continued with rhyming lines about imaginary suitors, name-dropping fictional boyfriends, or boasting about appearance. These songs gave children a script to perform identity, belonging, and desirability—often without fully understanding the adult themes being mirrored.
Pretty Little Foster Youth
I’m an aged-out Foster youth,
Just as pretty as can be, be, be,
All the Johns around the block,
Go crazy over me, me, me,
My pimp’s name is Billy,
I work the streets of Philly.
With heroine up my nose,
I stomach ten good blows.
That’s just how the night goes.
My pimp gave me a warning.
My pimp gave me a glare.
My pimp gave me a blackeye.
Then he raped me on the stairs.
I gave him back his warning.
I gave him back his glare.
I gave him back his blackeye.
Then he kicked me down the stairs.
Each year, more than 20,000 young people age out of the U.S. foster care system. Studies show that within 18 months, up to 40–50% of them will be homeless. That instability makes them prime targets for sex traffickers, who often wait outside Social Services offices, shelters, and transitional housing facilities, knowing these youth are desperate for food, shelter, and connection. A national study conducted by Covenant House found that 1 in 5 homeless youth had been victims of trafficking—and nearly 70% of those trafficked youth had previously been in foster care.
