The story
Some goodbyes come with a built-in answer. Say “See you later, alligator,” and the expected reply is “After a while, crocodile.” It is a little rhyme game, and it has been making people grin for more than seventy years.
It started with teenagers. In May 1952, two teen columnists in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that many high school students used expressions such as “toodle-oo tofu,” “so long, dai-kong,” and “see you later, alligator.” Rhyming goodbyes were in fashion, and this was just one of the bunch.
Then came the song. In 1955, a young Louisiana songwriter named Bobby Charles wrote and recorded it, first titled “Later, Alligator.” Chess Records released it that November. Its tune was borrowed from the bluesman Guitar Slim’s “Later for You, Baby.”
A few weeks later, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded their own version, released in January 1956. It climbed to number six on the Billboard pop chart and became Haley’s third record to sell a million copies. Before long, even Britain’s Princess Margaret was quoted saying it.
The other rhymes, like “see you soon, goon” and “hit the road, toad,” mostly faded. The alligator, with a little help from rock and roll, stayed.