"Skip a Rope' is a 1967 single by Henson Cargill

Henson Cargill

Henson Cargill was an American country music singer best known for the 1968 No. 1 hit, "Skip a Rope". His music career began in Oklahoma in clubs around Oklahoma City and Tulsa...

. The single was Cargill's debut release on the country charts and also his most successful single. "Skip a Rope" was Cargill's sole No. 1 on the country charts, spending five weeks at the top and a total of 16 weeks on the chart.

The song asked listeners to pay attention to what children would say as they played. It touched on, among other things, verbal spousal abuse, tax evasion

Tax evasion

Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...

 and racism

Racism

Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...

, and at the end, laid blame for what the children said directly at the feet of their parents.

Chart performance

Chart (1967–1968)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	25