I've been a parent for a couple of years now, and I keep hearing interesting kid's songs that my older kid picks up in school, or that I learn to sing to my baby. Heard any good ones lately? Long ago? Make up any that you wouldn't mind sharing?143 responses total.
This item came to be because I heard "Little Bunny Foo-foo" for the first time last night: Little Bunny Foo-foo Hopping through the forest catches the field mice and bops them on the head <bop one hand with the other> nuts, can't remember the rest of it... I'll post it when I get the rest of it from my kid.
along came the good fairy and said Little bunny foo-foo I don't want to see you Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head... <g>
.... So he bopped her? Is that how it ends?
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From the site http://www.zelo.com/family/nursery/foofoo.htm
(Sorry about the weird formatting, it's just the way Windows NT pasted it
into this file.)
Little Bunny Foo Foo
hoppin' through the forest,
scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. And down came the Blue
Fairy, and she said: Little Bunny FooFoo
I don't want to see you
scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. And now I'll give you
three chances, and if you keep it up, I'll turn you
into a goon. Little Bunny Foo Foo
kept hoppin' through the forest,
kept scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. And down came the Blue
Fairy, and she said: Little Bunny FooFoo
I don't want to see you
scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. And now I'll give you two
more chances, and if you do that again, I'll turn
you into a goon. Little Bunny Foo Foo
kept hoppin' through the forest,
kept scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. And down came the Blue
Fairy, and she said: Little Bunny FooFoo
I don't want to see you
scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. And now I'll give you one
more chance, and if you keep it up, I'll turn you
into a goon. Little Bunny Foo Foo
kept hoppin' through the forest,
kept scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. And down came the Blue
Fairy, and she said: Little Bunny FooFoo
I don't want to see you
scoopin' up the field mice
and boppin' em on the head. You disobeyed me three
times, so now I'm gonna turn you into a GOON!
Violent, Valerie? I didn't see it as violent.
Valerie you forgot the punchline: And the moral of this story is "Hare today, goon tomorrow".
That's the tune mziemba had to sing to get out of prison at RenFest.
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Well there's always "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns 'n Roses... :)
I love that song :)
Don't set the cat on fire; you only will annoy it. The heat will make the beast perspire; she surely won't enjoy it. Likewise do not ignite the dog, the snake, the gerbil, or the frog; and never set the cat on fire. <refrain> Don't open up the cabin hatch; the air is sure to leave it. And air is very hard to catch; you never will retrieve it. And though you think that life's a bore, don't open the reactor door; Don't open up the cabin hatch. <refrain> Don't change the navigator's data; someone's sure to see you. You know the captain's view of that: a very bad idea. He doesn't want his ship to race forever lost in endless space; Don't change the navigator's data. <refrain> Don't start an interstellar war; it has no helpful uses. When people ask you what it's for, you'll only make excuses. If 30 trillion folks get hurt, you'll goto bed with no dessert; Don't start an interstellar war. <Refrain:> So mind your manners, as circumstances may require; and never set the cat on fire.
When I was a kid, I loved "Puff the Magic Dragon" (Peter, P:aul and Mary) "Puff the magic Dragon lived by the sea, frollicking in the autumnland, in a place called Tripolea..."
Puff the magic dragon
lived by the sea
and frollicked in the autumn mist
in a land called Honalee
Little jackie draper
Loved that rascal puff
and brought him strings, and sealing wax
and other fancy stuff
----
GLory, glory, Halelujia
Teacher hit me with a ruler
hid behind the door, with a loaded .44
and the teacher ain't no more
sung to the tune of Battle hymn of the Republic
----
It's "Little Jackie Paper" I've heard that song way too many times to be wrong. ;)
When other and I were at the cider mill in Dexter yesterday, we were standing in line behind a woman who was singing (in a rather sweet voice I was greatly enjoying... ) a song with lyrics like "My little baby loves shortenin', shortenin'...." and others I cannot recall... I liked it.. <smile> I do not, however, like Little Buffy Foo-Foo. I heard it for the first time not too long ago -- maybe a couple months... I just don't like the whole chasing, bopping on the head kind of a thing.... ick.
(To the tune of John Philip Sousa's "Stars And Striped Forever") Be kind to your web footed friends, For a duck may be somebody's mother. Be kind to your friends in the swamp, Where the weather is very, very dark. Now you might think that this is the end. WELL IT IS!
You can also sing The Rolling Stones 'Satisfaction' to The Battle Hymn of the Republic
My favorite songs were "This Old Man" because I love saying "nick-knack-paddy-whack" and "Bingo" because it's tricky when you have to remember to clap x amount of times. =)
#17: "Be Kind To Your Friends In The Swamp" was sung by Carol Burnette in her variety show from the 1970's. #19: I've been singing to my (now 16 month old son) since his birth. "This Old Man" is a staple. It's a great song for a baby because it's repetitious. "The Ants go marching" is another good one. I've sung a number of strange songs to the little guy. Half of the songs I can sing are pornographic, and we've avoided those... however, I know some of the marching songs I learned in Army basic training. They're repetitious, too, and also easy to sing, and he likes them. I also know a song about Dungeons and Dragons (a game I used to play to excess). Use the music from "Ballad of the Green Berets": Put a sword into his hand He did join a lawful band Killing stirges two by two He was done in by an M-U Fireballs are hard to fight They give off heat, and lots of light He didn't make his saving throw He was crisped from head to toe The moral's plain for all to see When you're playing D&D And you meet an evil MU Kill him first, or he'll kill you Cause fireballs are hard to fight They give off heat and lots of light He didn't make his saving throw He was crisped from head to toe I know, I know, violent as can be... but I didn't grow up in Ann Arbor, and don't have the horror of violence that some of you have picked up.
Go back a little bit further for the origins of "Be Kind to your web Footed Freinds" Back to the 50's. Back to damn... What is his name? The show that did the sing alongs. Mitch Miller Show. He ended every show with that song.
RE #20 The aforementioned "Stars and Stripes Forever" parody was also the closing theme for "Sing Along With Mitch," which was a popular show in the early 1960's based on Mitch Miller's "Sing Along" LP's.
Well, John, it can't be any worse than the time I was nursing Rhiannon and singing to her and suddenly realized that I was singing "Long Lankin" (a song by one of my very favoritest groups of all time, Steeleye Span, which deals with murder, infanticide, and other lovely things like that!). I stopped mid-word and went, oh my, I wonder if that's going to warp her little brain forever. I'm glad to say that it did and she *adores* folk music. :-) Most of the songs I know that are suitable for singing to children are the ones I learned at school -- found a peanut, this old man, the ants go marching, greensleeves, she'll be comin' round the mountain, the battle hymn of the republic, and a whole bunch of stuff from the "sing out" songbook (which I recommend, since it has lyrics for all sorts of old songs).
I don't know the lyrics to "Greensleeves". I didn't know it had lyrics. That's the very sort of thing I'm looking for, in fact. It's surprising to me how interested I've become in such things as songs for children. Kids can have an impact on your life if you aren't careful. (And I've been undiligent about limiting their influence on mine.)
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This is from the Jefferson Starship's * Blows Against The Empire * The Baby Tree Words and Music by Rosalie Sorrels There's an island way out in the sea Where the babys they all grow on trees And it's jolly good fun To swing in the sun But you gotta watch out if you sneeze-sneeze You gotta watch out if you sneeze Yeah you gotta watch out if you sneeze For swingin' up there in the breeze You're liable to cough You might very well fall off And tumble down flop on your knees-knees Tumble down flop on your knees And when the stormy winds wail And the breezes blow high in a gale There's a curious dropping and flopping and plopping And fat little babies just hail-hail Fat little babies just hail And the babies lie there in a pile And the adults they come after awhile And they always pass by All the babies that cry And take only babies that smile-smile They take only babies thay smile... Even triplets and twins if they'll smile I can't guess how many times Pat fell asleap or at least quieted down while I was singing this to him.
According to the WWW page at: http://tnj.phys.tue.nl/users/jos/cits/lm/lorecd45.html The song was written by King Henry VIII (though she had a caveat that not everyone believes it). Here are the lyrics: Alas my love you do me wrong To cast me off discourteously; And I have loved you oh so long Delighting in your company. Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves my heart of gold Greensleeves was my heart of joy And who but my Lady Greensleeves. I have been ready at your hand To grant whatever thou would'st crave; I have waged both life and land Your love and goodwill for to have. Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves was my heart of gold Greensleeves was my heart of joy And who but my Lady Greensleeves. Thy petticoat of sendle white With gold embroidered gorgeously; Thy petticoat of silk and white And these I bought thee gladly. Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves my heart of gold Greensleeves was my heart of joy And who but my Lady Greensleeves.
Same tune, different song. Away, away, come away with me. Where the grass grows wild and the wind blows free. Away, away, come away with me. And I'll build you a home in the meadow.
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alas my dear you've done me dirt to sew green sleeves on my yellow shirt... And then there's -- Morning has broken, Somebody fi-ix it... And in the category of "pagan filk", The earth is our mother She makes us wear our shoes...
Actually, I'd herad "She makes us clean our room" on that last one. Isn't there also a Christmas song of some sort to the tune of Greensleeves?
Sally Rogers does this counting song / lullaby on her "Quite O'Clock" album.
I never heard it as a kid, but I like it as an adult, and it's been running
through my head for a few days now. I just took the opportunity to relisten
to it and get it right. As counting songs go, its a bit complex.
One man shall mow my meadow.
Two men shall gather it together.
Two men,
and one more shall sheer my lambs and ewes and rams
And shall gather it all together.
Three men shall mow my meadow.
Four men shall gather it together.
Four men, Three men, Two men,
and one more shall sheer my lambs and ewes and rams
And shall gather it all together.
Five men shall mow my meadow.
Six men shall gather it together.
Six men, Five men, Four men, Three men, Two men,
and one more shall sheer my lambs and ewes and rams
And shall gather it all together.
Seven men shall mow my meadow.
Eight men shall gather it together.
Eight men, Seven men, Six men, Five men, Four men, Three men, Two men,
and one more shall sheer my lambs and ewes and rams
And shall gather it all together.
Nine men shall mow my meadow.
Ten men shall gather it together.
Ten men, Nine men, Eight men, Seven men, Six men, Five men, Four men,
Three men, Two men,
and one more shall sheer my lambs and ewes and rams
And shall gather it all together.
Shel Shilverstein wrote that Boa Constrictor song. He has done
a good number of children's projects. Also done some very adult things
to.
I can also recommend seeking out a "Rise up Singing" songbook.
Many song you'll rcognize in the Kids & Fun segments. Others you just
might want to seek out.
32: s/sheer/shear
One hen, Two Ducks, Three squwaking geese, Four lymeric oysters, Five porpoling porpoises, Six pairs of Don Alfonzos tweezers. Seven Thousand Macedonians in full battle array. (I can't remember eight and nine...) Ten lyrical, spherical, diabolical denizens of the deep who pull up to the que on the quay and get queezy for the very first time!
And nobody has mentioned "99 Bottles Of Beer" yet!
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There's always the "Green Grass" song that seems to go on forever. So does "Twelve Days of Christmas" and variations.
re: #31- infinite variations... re: 32- Just heard this the other day. Love it! Not exactly for kids...<g> re: 38- counting down songs are a common type. They're a lot of fun. Once.
I've given the three Chenille Sisters childrens' tape to Leslie's sisters' kids; they are big hits, but I don't know how many of the songs the kids sing along with. One of the Seeger family -- I think it was Mike -- has a collection of American children's folk songs on the Smithsonian Folkways label. RISE UP SINGING, which tpryan (I think) mentioned above, where it scrolled out of my buffer... anyway, RISE UP SINGING is the canonical collection of American folk songs. It's published by SING OUT! magazine, PO Box 5253, Bethlehem PA, 18015; (610) 865-5366. Or you should be able to get a copy through Elderly Instruments in Lansing, and probably Herb David in Ann Arbor.
((( how did I overlook linking this to the Music conference for so
long? Fall '97 Agora #33 <---> Music #91 )))
Haven't heard this one in several generations of kids....
"On top of spaghetti / All covered with cheese
I lost my poor meatball / When somebody sneezed..."
There were probably more verses which I no longer recall.
Mom used to sing to me:
"You are my sunshine, my (lost-word) sunshine
You make me happy, when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't taaaaake my sunshine away."
And when I was older, and at summer camp, there was a great song
about the Titanic, which I don't have all of any more.
"Oh, they built the ship Titanic, to sail the ocean blue
And they thought they had a ship that the water could not go through...
(lost-lines)
It was sad [So sad]
It was sad [So sad]
It was sad when the great ship went down, to the bottom of the --
Husbands and their wives, little children lost their lives,
It was sad when the great ship went down."
Probably not a good song for preschoolers.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy, when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.
The other night dear, while I lay sleeping.
I dreamt I held you in my arms.
When I awoke dear, I was mistaken.
So I hung my head and cried.
Actually, there is a recording of elvis singing this song out there.
Oh they built the ship Gardenia, to sail the ocean pink.
And they thought they had a ship, that the enemy couldn't sink.
But the good lord raised his hand adn said the ship would never sail,
It was sad when the great ship went down.
Oh it was sad, so sad.
Oh it was sad, so sad.
It was sad when teh great ship went down
To the bottom of the...
Uncles and aunts, little children lost there pants
It was sad when the great ship went down.
Don't ask me. I only sang it as a kid.
Suffocation, musty suffocation.
Suffocation, th game we love to play!
First you take a plastic bag,
Then you put it on your head.
Go to bed, wake up dead...
Suffocation, musty suffocation.
Suffocation, the game we love to play!
My mother swears we three kids made this song up on a trip to
Indianapolis. The tune is from a game advertisement that came out at the same
time, but I can't remember what the game was or making the song up. It was
from around 1965 or so.
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.... re #42
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine"
Parents of very small children *love* songs such as "100 bottles of beer" and "Found a peanut". You can sing such songs forever. This gives your spouse the chance to regain his/her sanity, as the infant is more or less quiet while being sung to. It's only relative, but you'd be amazed, at 2:30 a.m. and up for the 3rd time (so far) what a difference it can make. Also, you find, with a little practice, you can 'program' yourself to keep singing. You may get some much-needed sleep in this way, or watch TV*, or even read. (If you can read with no hands. One infant requires 3 or 4 hands constantly.) *Please don't sneer at TV-watching. It is very intellectually stimulating, compared, say, to being screamed at at 2:30 a.m.
listen children to a story that was written long ago 'bout a kingdom on a mountain, and the vfalley far below. on the mountain was a treasure, buried deep beneath a stone and the valley people swore they'd have it for their very own. Chorus: go ahead and hate your neighbor go ahead and cheat a friend do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end but there won't be any trumpets blowing, come the judgement day. on the bloody morning after, one tin soldier rides away. so the people of the valley sent a message up the hill asking for the buried treasure, tons of gold for which they'd kill. came an answer from the mountain: with all people we will share all the secrets of our kingdom, all the treasure buried there. <chorus now the valley cried with anger, "mount your horses, draw your swords" and they killed the mountain people, so they won their just rewards. now they stood beside the treasure on the mountain dark and red, turned the stone and looked beneath it: "peace on earth" was all it said. <chorus> (i first heard this on tv, in the movie "Billy Jack") it is still one of my alltime favorite songs.
I heard a different version of the "Good Ship Gardenia" song... Oh they built the Titanic to sail the ocean blue, And they said it was a ship that the water wouldn't go through But they christened it with beer And it sank right off the pier: It was sad when the great ship went down.
Come to think of it, no one sang to me much when I was a kid. I was told stories, but I'm told I didn't like to be sung to. I liked to lie and listen to the heart beat, to be spoken to, etc... I'm wondering if I was just aware that no one in my family can sing well. <smile> I like visual stimulation (colour especially), my father's voice, and being cuddled.... hmm... I would suppose those facts help describe why I don't know many children's songs.
Ivy Nymph, do you have unusually good relative pitch, or some such >>affliction? >> >>Other, we used to sing that in Sunday School. Also "Dona Dona": >>On a wagon >>Bound for market >>There's a calf with a mournful eye. >>High above him >>There's a swallow >>Winging swiftly through the sky >>Ch: Dona dona, dona dona dona dona, dona dona dona don... >> >>Stop complaining >>Said the farmer >>Who told you a calf to be? Why don't you have wings to fly with, Like the swallow so brave and free? Ch. Calves are easily bound and slaughtered Never knowing the reason why. Those who treasure freedom Like the swallow must learn to fly. Ch. (there, took me three tries to remember it...) Then there's always: Mine eyes have seen the glory of the burning of the school We have tortured all the teachers we have broken all the rules We have marched into the office and have hung the principal And now we're marching on! (I've forgotten what we did to the chorus...)
Glory Glory, Hallelujia. Teacher hit me with a ruler. Hid behind the door with a loaded .44 now the teacher ain't no more!
I don't know any "childrens' songs" but I know hundreds of ballads, and I sang those to my daughter at bath time -= until she started to bathe herself. Among her favorites were "The Nut Tree", "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (not any parody), "The Ship John B", "The Drunken Sailor", "Home on the Range", "I Ain't Gonna Sin No Mo'", etc.
re #50: Actually, I'm partialy tone deaf...
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Useful? I'm having fun with it, if that matters! But no, I haven't sung any new songs to my 16 month old that came to my attention because of this item. Not yet, anyway. I may print out "Greensleeves" and try him on that one.
I don't know about jep, but all the songs are nicely cought in my head.
I also remember hearing Garrison Keillor sing variations on "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" on a broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion," one of which was about sleeping attire (or lack of it). Wish I had those lyrics available, but I'd be reluctant to post them here. It's a copyright thing.
Keillor often does selections of classic camp songs. I'd be amazed if this one is copyrighted. I wear my pink pajamas in the summer when it's hot I wear my flannel nightie in the winter when it's not And sometimes when it's in the spring and sometimes in the fall I slip between the covers with nothing on at all.
For some reason, Hail to the Victors was endeared to me in my early childhood and has stuck ever since. I'm not sure whether my dad actively sang it or I just picked it up over years of watching football (or if I was born with the knowledge. My mother went into labor the day of the 1979 Michigan-Ohio State game). My mom used to sing a couple songs from Music Man occasionally.
I have sung a dozen or so verses of the Michigan Tech "Engineer's Fight Song" to my kid: We are, we are, we are, we are, we are the engineers, We can, we can, we can, we can, drink all of 40 beers, drink up, drink up, drink up, drink up, and come along with us, for we don't give a darn for any man who don't give a darn for us! There are many verses to this song. Maybe I'll enter some of them sometime.
Now I remember: Glory, glory hallelujah, Teacher hit me with a ruler, I hit her on the butt With a rotten coconut And truth goes marching on. (I grew up in Florida) Gareth used to ask me to sing "the lady ate a fly" a lot: I know an old lady who swallowed a fly I don't know why, she swallowed a fly Perhaps she'll die... I know an old lady who swallowed a spider That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, But I don't know why she swallowed a fly Perhaps she'll die. I know an old lady who swallowed a bird How absurd, to swallow a bird. She swallowed the bird to catch the spider That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly... etc. I know an old lady to swallowed a cat Imagine that- she swallowed a cat. She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, She swallowed the bird to catch the spider That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her...etc. I know an old lady who swallowed a dog What a hog- to swallow a dog. She swallowed the dog to catch the cat...etc. I know an old lady who swallowed a goat, Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat. She swallowed the goat to catch the dog...etc. ...swallowed a cow. I don't know how she swallowed a cow. She swallowed the cow to catch the goat...etc. ...swallowed a horse. She's dead of courrs. She swallowed the horse to catch the cow...etc.
My Mother and Grandmother sang this song to me each morning when I woke up,
and every night when I was put to bed (when I was little.)
Please tell me why the stars to shine
Please tell me why the ivy does twine
Please tell me why the sky's so blue
And I'll tell you why I love you.
Because G-d made the stars to shine
Because G-d made the ivy to twine
Because G-d made the sky so blue
Because G-d made you, that's why I love you.
I remember that one. Awwww. If I try to sing the boys a lulaby these days, especially Gareth (the younger), I get "not THAT one". <g> But one of my favorites is; Sleep baby sleep, father guards the sheep. Mother shakes the dreamland tree So down will come sweet dreams for thee, Sleep baby sleep. Sleep baby sleep, our cottage vale lies deep. The lambs are on the hill at night, Their coats all soft and fleecy-white, Sleep baby sleep. Sleep baby sleep, the greater stars are sheep The smaller stars are lambs I guess The moon's their gentle shepherdess Sleep baby sleep. (I've forgotten the last verse- something moralistic. I know the first verse is rather sexist, but it's still a rather sweet set of images.)
re #44: The last two verses are as follows (but I don't have them perfect, either): And then my poor meatball As tasty could be in early next summer grew into a tree. The tree was all covered with beautiful moss. It grew lovely meatballs, and tomato sauce! One of my favorite lullabies as a child I know no one will know the music for, for it is a poem that my father set to an acoustical guitar accompaniment. The lyrics are as follows: Have you ever heard of the Sugarplum Tree? 'Tis a marvel of great renown; It blooms on the shore of the Lollipop Sea In the garden of Shuteye town. The fruit that it bears is so wonderfully sweet As those who have tasted it say, and good little children have only to eat of the fruit to be happy next day. When you get to the tree, you will have a hard time to reach the fruit of which I sing, For the tree is so tall that no person can climb To the boughs where the sugarplums swing. Now up in that tree sits a chocolate cat, and a gingerbread dog prowls below. And this is the way you contrive to get at the sugarplums tempting you so. You say but a word to the gingerbread dog, and he barks with such terrible zest! The chocolate cat is at once all agog, her swelling proportions attest. The chocolate cat goes cavorting around, from this leafy limb onto that. The sugarplums tumble of course to the ground, Hooray for that chocolate cat! There are gumdrops, marshmallows, and peppermint canes, and stripings of scarlet and gold, and other good things for children to eat-- as much as your apron can hold. Now come little child, cuddle closer to me, in your dainty white night cap and gown, and I'll rock you away to the Sugarplum Tree, in the garden of Shuteye town. [repeat first stanza]
A favorite my grandmother used to sing... It's called Ragtime Cowboy Jones, and I'm not sure I'll be able to remember all of it: He always sings Ragged music to teh cattle as he swings Back and forward in the saddle on his horse, Pretty good horse, Who's a syncopated gator <?> And it's such a funny meter At the roar of his repeater how they run When they hear the fellow's gun because the folks out West all know He's a highfalutin' rootin' rootin' Son-of-a-gun from Arizona Ragtime Cowboy Jones. I think it would have made more sense if I wasn't remembering it from ages and ages ago.
I remember a version of "Ragtime Cowboy Jones" by (the original) David Seville and the Chipmunks. Around 1961 or 1962, I do believe.
correct bruin
What is deeper than the sea?
What is higher than a tree?
What is louder than a horn?
What is sharper than a thorn?
What is lighter than the light?
What is darker than the night?
What is colder than the clay?
What is broader than the Way?
Tell me why
So many questions
tell me why
the devil lies
tell me why
Who will live and Who will die
Tell me why
Tell me why
Hell is deeper than the sea
Heaven is higher than a tree
Thunder is louder than a horn
Hunger is sharper than a thorn
Truth is whiter than the light
The devil is darker than the night
Death is colder than the clay
Love is broader than the way.
Steeleye Span "Tell me Why" from Sails of Silver
Lemon icecream
Cinnamon Tea
There I wanna be
Where the livin' is free
Won't you come along with me...
To the big rock candy mountain
Thats where I'd like to be
By the soda water fountain
and beneath the yum-yum tree
It's a land of milk and honey
where there ain't no work to do
We'll sleep all day in the new mown hay
The train is a-leavin' and I'm on my way...
to the big rock candy mountain.
That big rock candy mountain
Where the hens lay soft boiled eggs
the bulll dogs all have rubber teeth
and the cops have wooden legs
can't remember any more at the moment
Gonna tie my hopes to freedoms star
Gonna spread the word both near and far
stand tall young man hold your head up high
the gift of freedom you cannot buy.
Hold tight, my brother, to freedoms star
In a world so full of doubt and fear
every man must guard his rights so dear
Listen to what's said
and know what it means
To hold these words so pure, and so clean.
Freedoms Star
....
When I was a kid, my favorite records were one titled
Peter, Please, it's pancakes!
About a little boy who wouln't get up in time for breakfast on Sunday Morning
and
Casey Jones
Come all you rounders if you want to hear
The story 'bout, a great engineer
Casey Jones was the rounders name
on a six-eight wheeler's how hw won his fame.
The caller called Casey at a half past four
He kissed his wife at the station door
Mounted to the cabin with his orders in his hand
and took his travel trip to the promised land
Put your hand on the throttle and shovel your coal
Put your head out the window, watch the drivers rool
I'll run her till she leaves the rails
cause we're eight hours late with the western mail.
He looked at his watch and his watch was slow
He looked at the water, and the water was low
he looked at the fireman and then he said
"We're gonna reach frisco but we'll all be dead
Now casey pulled up that mean old hill
hetooted to the crossing with an awful shrill
The switchman knew by the engines moan
That the man at the throttle was Casey Jones
He pulled up within two miles of the place
Number Four stared him right in the face
He turned to the fireman said"Boy, you better jump!"
"Cause there's two locomotives thats a going to bump."
The Big Rock Candy Mountain isn't PC anymore. The refrain is The buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees, The soda water fountains The lemonade springs, where the blue birds sing In the big Rock Candy mountains.
Glory, Glory Halleluia! Teacher hit me with a ruler, I bopped her on the bean With a rotten tangerine, and her teeth came marching out... My family used to sing "Ragtime Cowboy JOE" (not Jones) and my mom would play the accompaniment on the guitar... I'll call her and see if she remembers all the words.
RE #35: I know a different version. ;->
one fat hen
a couple of ducks
three brown bears
four running hares
five fat, fickled, females, sitting, sipping scotch
six simple simons sitting on a stump
seven sinbad sailors, sailing, sailing the seven seas in a sloop
eight egotistical egotists, echoing, echoing egotistical ecstasies
nine nude nublions, nibbling, nibbling on knats, nuts, and nicotine
ten: I'll never be a fig nor a fig pluckers son, but I'll pluck them figs
'till the fig pluckers come.
Here's a song my grandmother used to sing to me on the way to kindergarden,
whenever I was afraid to go:
Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them o'er your shoulder
Like a Continental Soldier?
Do your ears hang low?
Do your ears hang high?
Do they reach up to the sky?
Do they wrinkle when they're wet?
Do they straighten when they're dry?
Can you wave 'em at your neighbor
With an element of flavor?
Do your ears hang high?
Do your ears hang wide?
Do they flap from side to side?
Do they wave in the breeze
From the slightest little sneeze?
Can you soar above the nation
With a feeling of elevation?
Do your ears hang wide?
Do your ears fall off
When you give a great big cough?
Do they lie there on the ground
Or bounce up at every sound?
Can you stick them in your pocket
Just like Davy Crockett?
Do your ears fall off?
She also sang _Found a Peanut_, _There Was An Old Woman Who Swalloed A Fly_,
_I've Been Working On The Railroad_, _There's A Hole In The Bucket_, and
_Frere Jacques_.
If it wasn't for her, I would have been a wreck during kindergarden. I lived
five blocks away from the school. I don't really remember this too well, but
they tell me that the first time I heard a fire alarm, I ran home.
My Grandmother used to sing this song to us whenever she saw us when we were
little and especially when we were about to leave to go home.
I love you,
A bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck
And a hug around the neck.
A hug around the neck
And a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap
And I lose a lot of sleep
Over you.
then she would kiss and hug us and tell us how much she loved us. Gee, I
really miss her. *sigh*
I really miss my grandmother too, Marla. She was a wonderful woman. I think shw had an agreement with my parents. They would expose us to jazz and classical and folk music, and she would teach us the nursery rhymes/children's songs.
Wow, I never heard most of these songs, and a lot of them sound really neat. I especially liked lumen's Sugarplum Tree song in #64.
Oh! Another of my favorite songs was called "The White Buffalo" There's an old indian legend I was told long ago. It's about a special valley, and the white buffalo. There are few who have seen him though they look high and low. For the trail is long and winding, to the white buffalo. The legend says you'll find him if your heart is brave and true. And you treet all men as brothers, no matter what they do. I have searched for that valley since I started to grow. I won't stop until I find it, and the white buffalo.
"Bushel and a Peck" is from _Guys and Dolls_ I think.
I grew up singing musicals along with the records, or just at bedtime; Hello Dolly, Music Man, Man of Lamancha, My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, etc.
re #73: I could see about taping the song for you if you like, aruba. it is really cool. My father doesn't have much musical ability other than his singing and guitar playing, and I think that was his only composition, so I was impressed when I learned he came up with it.
That would be neat. I don't have kids, so I don't need it urgently, but I would enjoy hearing it.
Ok-- anytime you would like it. I don't have ready access to decent recording equipment..
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Yep, my grandmother alternated between versions she would sing to me, depending on her mood.
Katie told me that the tune that goes with "Do Your Ears Hang Low" is called "Turkey and the Straw".
Re#80: Could be, but the "Tie 'em in a knot" bit would be _painful_ ;) And I'd heard the final line of that Casey Jones chorus as "And he took a farewell trip to the promised land"
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Casey Jones was written soon after the event. However, Mr. Jones
was not amused by the often little used/heard last verse:
Casey said just before he died
"There're two more road I would like to ride"
The fireman said "Whic once can they be?"
"O the Northern Pacific & the Santa Fe"
Mrs. Jones sat a her bed a-sighing
Just to hear the news that her Casey was dying
"Hush up children, and quit your cryin'
For you've got another ppoppa on the Salt Lake Line"
(with proper insertion into the chorus)
...got another poppa/...on the Salt Lake Line
...got another poppa/ For you've got ... Line
(page 230 of my Rise Up Singing,
hey I paid my $15, and I don't do that much performing from it).
Like I said before, 1,200 songs, words chords & sources
Herb David sould have this Sing Out Publication.
<now I'm gonna have to get out my Tech Graffiti tape and listen to
all those Michigan Tech filks>.
Re:85 Yeah. I know that one. There's also another version. It's the same style and tune, just different lyrics: The littlest worm I ever saw Was stuck inside My soda straw He said to me Don't take a sip For if you do I'll surely slip I took a sip And he went down Right through my pipes He must have drowned I coughed him up And he was dead I buried him In my mother's bed The moral of This little tale If you meet a worm Then don't inhale
Whoa. Never heard that one before...
I'm kind of puzzled by the Casey Jones songs. John Luther Jones was an engineer on the Illinois Central Railroad. His train was in a head-on crash with another. Instead of leaping from the locomotive, he stayed at the brake, presumably trying to slow the train as much as possible, and save the lives of as many of his passengers as possible. He died in the wreck (on April 30, 1900). Since he was dead, Tim is probably right that he wasn't amused by the song. But as a tribute to a fairly heroic fellow, the song seems rather strange.
Oops, make that Mrs. Jones. Swear I saw that s on my screen.
Also check out "Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts" from August House,
put out in 1995. subtitle is "the subversive folkore of childhood"
so any of those words should help you find it. It gives many
lyrics to childhood songs, with many variants.
well, maybe we need a Casey Jones item... "Casey said just before he died, There's two more roads that I'd like to ride. The fireman said, "What could they be?" The Southern Pacific adn the Santa Fe. Mrs. Jones sat on her bed and sigh. Just recieved the message, that Casey had died. "Go to bed children and stop your cryin', Cause your daddy's now ridin' on the Heavenly line." Casey jones, Mounted to the Cabin. Casey Jones, With his orders in his hand. Casey Jones, Mounted to the cabin and he took his travel trip to the promised land. (I hate when they change words to make them politically expedient.)
The song "Do your ears hang low?" has many forms. Katie Geddes told me once she heard it as "Do your boobs hang low?" I've never heard the original lyrics, "Turkey in the straw". I know lyrics to the song posted in #85 and #87, which came to me from the Army, where it is used as a marching song: The prettiest girl, I ever saw Was sipping bourbon, through a straw <repeat> I walked right up, and said hello, her big blue eyes, were all aglow I placed my hand, upon her knee She said "Young man, you're teasing me" I placed my hand, upon her thigh, she said "Young man, you're much too high" Her daddy had, a white shotgun <I've forgotten the 2nd half of this lyric> And now I've got, a mother in law and 14 kids, who call me 'Pa'
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I don't know, the tune I've always known as "Turkey in the Straw" is different from "Casey Jones", but there's so much variation that I guess that's not much of an indication.
Turkey in the straw is not the tune to Casey Jones, never heard of turkey in th pan...
"...drivin' that train, high on cocaine, Casey Jones you better watch your speed..."
Someow I don't think that's quite the same :)
While looking thru the knot-hole in granpa's wooden leg, Why do they build the beach so near the shore? Fetch me the axe there's a tick on jinny's ear, A boy's best freind is his mother! I dare anyone to tell me where that song is from.
Do you remember this variation of the "Casey Jones" song? Once upon a time there was an engineer. Choo-Choo Charley was his name, we hear. He had a locomotive and he sure had fun. He used Good & Plenty Candy to make his train run. "Charley says," "Love my Good & Plenty!" "Charley says," "Really rings the bell!" (ding) "Charley says," "Love my Good & Plenty! Don't know any kind of candy that I love so well!"
does anyone have the lyrics for "monster's lullabye" and/or "you bash the balrog?"
bruin, there is another version of the Good & Plenty tune called _The Monkey and the Engineer_. The Grateful Dead used to play it in concert once in a blue moon (completely different song from the Casey Jones tune I quoted above). I wish I could remember all the words to _The Monkey and the Engineer_. It *does* have the same first line as your Good & Plenty tune.
re#98: I seem to recall hearing someone blame it on the Marx brothers.
Void, I think I *may* have The Monster's Lullaby on "Look What Followed Me HOme", if I can find it, and I may have "You Bash the Balrog in the Westerfilk II songbook.
thanks, kami.
So, come by when you've got a break and we'll look for this stuff.
hmmm...i'll e-mail you. my next break may not be for a while.
Me either...:(
I wonder if I'll be using any of this in my future elementary music classes. Some of the songs are a bit of the "Dr. Demento" flavor and wouldn't sit well with a lot of parents (;
Gee, now I'm trying to recall the *decidedly* ribald (to adults) nonsense song I heard the other day sung for kids... It's partly a matter of frame of reference, I guess.
Does antone know if Shel Silverstien has written any songs, or has he just done poems?
RE #110 Among Shel Silverstein's best known musical composition are "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash and "The Cover Of The 'Rolling Stone'" by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. BTW, I do remember one of Silverstein's poems dedicated to a children's radio personality of 50 or so years ago who was famous for a major league blooper by saying within the range of a live mike "That'll quiet the little bastards." Shel signed his poem "By Shel Silverstein--One of the 'little bastards.'"
Hehehehe.. sometimes the kiddies do get their revenge :>
<grin>
Wow! I wasn't aware that Shel wrote that song...I always assumed that Dr. Hook's band wrote it. You don't remember the radio personality, do you?
Shel Silverstein wrote many tunes for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Wasn't he in the band at some point also?
RE #114 I believe it was "Uncle Don" who had the children's radio show and spoke the infamous words "That'll quiet the little bastards" with the mike still on.
Re #65 <sorry to go back so far, this is the first time I've read this
conference!>:
In the "Cowboy Jones" song, the line referring to the horse
("syncopated gator") should be "syncopated gaiter" - which means a horse
like a pacer or Tennessee Walking Horse with a certain type of movment
(or gait). Of course it works in context, too! :-)
Re: this item in general: I've really enjoyed all these songs, and
copied several for singing to the kids! So far, jep hasn't tried *any*
of them out!
Geez, this item has only been here for a month. I didn't want to rush into anything! (But I've enjoyed the songs, too, and I really appreciate people posting them all.) #117 is Andrea's first response that mentions me, and it is the first time she has referred to me as "jep". In fact, she may be the first person ever who knew me as "John" first, and later called me "jep".
When I was a wee bairn, my parents used to sing me a couple of tunes while we were showering, both to the same tune; _I wish I were a little bar of soap_ Oh, I wish I were a little bar of soap, oh, I wish I were a little bar of soap, I'd go slippy, slappy, slimy, Over everybodies hiney, Oh I wish I were a little bar of soap. And the other one _I wish I were a little can of root-beer_ (originally just 'beer' but my parent's took some liberties while singing it to me) Oh, I wish I were a little can of root-beer. Oh, I wish I were a little can of root-beer. I'd go down with a SLURP! And come up with a BURP! Oh, I wish I were a little can of root beer. Another one I loved was set to the tune of some famous bit from a grand Italian opera: "Oh, Theadora, Don't spit on the floora, Use the custadoora, wha'da'ya' think its fora!"
shouldn't that be "cuspidora"? /
Yeah, a custadoora would be an implement for spitting pudding into.
and a custardora?.....wait, I can probably guess. ;->
RE #119 I believe the lyrics you mentioned was a parody of "The Toreador Song" from the opera "Carmen."
re:119 There were more verses then that, dear! We used to sing that song at camp! Oh, I wish I was a little slice of orange Slice of orange Oh, I wish I was a little slice of orange Slice of orange I'd go squirty, squirty, squirty Over everybodies' shirtey, Oh I wish I was a little slice of orange. Oh, I wish I was a little foriegn car Foriegn car Oh, I wish I was a lttle foriegn car Foriegn car I'd go speedy, speedy, speedy over everybodies' feety, Oh I wish I was a little foriegn car. (And the last verse...) Oh, I wish I was a little radio, Radio Oh, I wish I was a little radio, Radio I'd go off with a click...
jep might recognize this take on the Toredors' song:
The Pizzarea is Houghton's feeding post,
I dig it the most, I dig it the most
Pizzas with that fine Italian touch,
It's all to much, all to much
The Pizzarea's food is oh so great
dial 482-5228.
Does anyone know the words to the Kermit/Muppet song "Rubber Ducky"? It's something like this: Rubber ducky, you're the one Who makes bathtime lots of fun, Rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you! Rubber ducky, you're so fine I'm so lucky that you're mine, <rest of song lost to distant memory; I heard it when I was about 10, and not since.> I was thinking that teflon's verses were a little crude for a baby... but I believe (and hope) he doesn't distinguish such things yet. I've sung him songs with elements of crudity before. So, teflon, thanks for another song, and for the idea of bath songs. Now I realize I need more bath songs.
I found the lyrics to "Rubber Duckie" on the WWW. I sure forgot a lot
of it...
Rubber Duckie
Rubber Duckie, you're the one!
You make bathtime lots of fun.
Rubber Duckie, I'm awfully fond of you;
(woh woh, bee doh!)
Rubber Duckie, joy of joys,
When I squeeze you, you make noise!
Rubber Duckie, you're my very best friend, it's true!
(doo doo doo doooo, doo doo)
CHORUS
Every day when I
Make my to the tubby
I find a little fella who's
Cute and yellow and chubby
(rub-a-dub-a-dubby!)
Rubber Duckie, you're so fine,
And I'm lucky that you're mine.
Rubber duckie, I'm awfully fond of you.
(repeat chorus)
Rubber Duckie, you're so fine
And I'm lucky that you're mine
Rubber duckie, I'm awfully fond of -
Rubber duckie, I'd like a whole pond of -
Rubber duckie, I'm awfully fond of you!
(doo doo, be doo.)
Muppet songs! Why didn't I think of that! I could go one for weeks! (I probably shouldn't though. Somebody let me know if they want any, tho'. Name a muppet song, and I'll know the lyrics. Another one of my useless tallents!)
how 'bout that "halfway down the stairs" song that robin (kermit's nephew) sings? all i can remember is: halfway down the stairs is a stair where i sit. there isn't any other stair quite like it. it's not at the bottom, it's not at the top so this is the stair where i always stop.
Please go ahead and post them, snowth! I'd like to see them.
I seem to recall 'halfway down the stairs' being originally from someplace other than the muppets...or maybe I'm delusional.
Get on your search engine.
Searth for 'dr. demento' including quotes.
Choose Jeff Morris's unofficial Dr. Demento Webpages
Within his collection, is a sub-page of a list of lyrics
collected over the years by dementoids & dementites. Some should
be fun to download.
Shoot. You'll have to give me a couple minutes on the stairs one. I know I have it, somewhere. It's just not one of the ones I have memorized off the top of my head. (Shoot. Why do people always start with hard ones?) I know I can find it though. My room looks like a Muppet Museum that was hit by a tornado, tho', so it might take a bit. I'll get back to you at some point. <snowth goes off to search the black hole for yet another piece of Muppet trivia...>
with 132: like the one below "We Are the Worms" by Johnson and Tofte (parody of "We Are The World" by USA For Africa) --Unreleased-- There comes a time When the rain begins to fall And the worms come out of the ground. There are people walking Oh, it's time to watch your step Or your feet will make a squishy sound. We are the worms Out on the sidewalk. We are the ones who make a squishy mess So watch where you walk. It's a chance we're taking Leaving out homes underground Though it's true we'll get a better tan, Just you and me. When we're laying 'round Keep your eye out on the street. If you don't look out, You'll have worms under your feet. We realize Oh, that the sun is gonna come And we'll shrivel up like beef jerky from the heat. We are the worms Out on the pavement. And when we hear a squish, we look around To see where cousin Dave went. It's a stance we're taking 'Cause worms are people too And we sure don't want a better look At your big shoe. We are the worms Out on the sidewalk. We are the ones who make a squishy mess So watch where you walk. It's a chance we're taking Leaving out homes underground Though it's true we'll get a better tan, Just you and me. Oh, come on now, let me hear you. We are the worms Out on the pavement. And when we hear a squish, we look around To see where cousin Dave went. It's a stance we're taking 'Cause worms are people too And we sure don't want a better look At your big shoe.
<ROTFL> As a cousin Dave, myself, I can completely empathize with the worms, Tim. Wonderful song!! Who are Johnson and Tofte, and do they have any other tunes?
Not real sure, think they are a morning radio team.
And yes, Quincy Jones was a bit peeved at hearing the parody.
re: #129, 131-- I do believe it is a Shel Silverstein poem.
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I thought the ending was: It's not at the bottom, It's not at the top, So this is the place Where I always stop.
Valerie, you're right! Thanks! I can even remember the picture that went with it-- who was that famous illustrator who drew pictures of A.A. Milne's actual son with 'Edward Bear'? (Christopher Robin is based on Milne's son and the characters were his cuddly toys.)
BTW, wasn't there a Canadian soft rock group named "Edward Bear?"
Yes, what was their last song?
RE #141 I believe that the group Edward Bear's biggest hit was "The Last Song," released in 1972.
You have several choices: