"I should worry, I should care, I should marry a…

“I should worry” became a famous slang phrase in the United States in 1912 and 1913. “I should worry. I should fret. I should marry a suffragette…” and “I should worry, I should care, I should marry a millionaire…” are rhymes from 1913 that later began jump rope chants in the mid-twentieth century.

“I should worry, I should care, I should marry a millionaire…” was cited in the Kansas City (MO) Star on May 7, 1913, and was credited to the New York (NY) Post:

“I should worry,
I should care,
I should marry a millionaire.
If he should die,
I should cry;
I should marry another guy.”

“I should worry. I should fret. I should marry a suffragette…” was printed in the Evening Dispatch (Birmingham, UK) on May 14, 1913, and this version in the The Times (Bellevue, Alberta) on June 6, 1913:

“I should worry,
I should fret,
I should marry a suffragette.
She should wail,
Go to jail,
I should worry about her bail.”

The Mudcat Cafe
JUMP ROPE CHANTS
(and other chants to accompany other kid’s activities)

I should worry, I should care
I should marry a millionaire.
He should die. I should cry
I should marry another guy.

I should worry, I should fret
I should marry a suffragette.

Newspapers.com
7 May 1913, Kansas City (MO) Star, pg. 6B, col. 4:
Another Saga.
From the New York Post:.
As for folk songs, the following was brought home from school by the 8-year-old daughter of a suburbanite:

I should worry,
I should care,
I should marry a millionaire.
If he should die,
I should cry;
I should marry another guy.

Newspapers.com
14 May 1913, Evening Dispatch (Birmingham, UK), pg. 4, col. 6:
ON THE ANXIOUS SEAT.
I should worry,
I should fret,
I should marry a suffragette.
She should rail,
Go to gaol,
And I should worry about her bail.

Newspapers.com
15 May 1913, St. Louis (MO) Star, pg. 8, col. 2:
Another Saga.
As for folk songs, the following was brought home from school by the 8-year-old daughter of a suburbanite:

I should worry,
I should care,
I should marry a millionaire.
If he should die,
I should cry;
I should marry another guy.
—New York Post.

Newspapers.com
15 May 1913, Milwaukee (WI) Journal, pg. 13, col. 3:
MODERN FOLK SONG.
I should worry,
I should care,
I should marry a millionaire.
If he should die,
I should cry;
I should marry another guy.

Newspapers.com
6 June 1913, The Times (Bellevue, Alberta), pg. 6, col. 3:
On the Anxious Seat
I should worry,
I should fret,
I should marry a suffragette.
She should wail,
Go to jail,
I should worry about her bail.

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Amaris Faith
@Amaris_Faith
I ran across this when I was in college. Once in awhile it’s triggered to rise to the surface. 😂
I should worry I should care, I should marry a millionaire. He should worry, he should die, I should marry a regular guy.
1:09 AM · Aug 8, 2025