Song
cupboard M-N
Magic
penny
Make
new friends
May
Day in the morning
May
there always be sunshine
Me
grandfather died
Mi
caballo blanco / My white horse
Mingulay
boat song
Mole
in the ground
Morningtown
ride
My
Aunt Jane
My
big black dog
My
bonnie lies over the ocean
My
father had a horse
My
shadow
Nellie
the Elephant
Nellie
Bly
Never
smile at a crocodile
Noah’s
ark shanty
Norwegian
milking song
Last updated: 6/19/2018
4:38 PM
The songs below are part of ‘Away we
go’
compiled,
adapted and illustrated by Dany Rosevear
Return to the ‘Singing games
for children’ home
To listen to music from these
songs click on 🔊
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved
You
are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the
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you must give the original author credit
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any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
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Your
fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.
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Magic penny O
A favourite in
school assemblies with words and music by the wonderful Malvina
Reynolds. |
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Chorus Love is something if you give it away, Give it away, give it away. Love is something if you give it away, You end up having more. It's just like a magic penny; Hold it tight and you won't have any; Lend it, spend it, and you'll have so many, They'll roll all over the floor.(for) Chorus So let's go dancing till the break of day. And if there's a piper, we can pay. For love is something if you give it away, You end up having more. (for) Chorus |
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Make new friends O
A popular song
in the world of scouting where new friendships are there for making everyday.
It can also be sung as a four part round. Watch a very young
graduation class sing this song with actions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeVBzbELoS4
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Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. A circle is round, it has no end. That's how long, I will be your friend. A fire burns bright, it warms the heart. We've been friends, from the very start. You have one hand, I have the other. Put them together, we have each other. Silver is precious, gold is too. I am precious, and so are you. You help me, and I'll help you And together we will see it through. The sky is blue, the Earth is green, I can help to keep it clean. Across the land, across the sea, Friends forever we will always be. |
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May Day in the morning O
Though this is
described as traditional and an American version of a Scottish rhyme in
Elizabeth Poston’s ‘The Children’s song book’ I have been unable to find
another version of this song on the internet. The words however pop up in
many folk songs. |
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There was a crane sat on a stone, He flew away and there was none; Another came and there was one, ‘Twas May Day in the morning. There was a cat skinned up a tree, To see whatever was to see, When he fell down, then down fell he, ‘Twas May Day in the morning. There was a rooster in a trough, Who got a touch of whooping cough, He sneezed his tail and feathers off, ‘Twas May Day in the morning. There was a farmer made a wish, That he could swim like any fish, They popped him in a chafing dish, ‘Twas May Day in the morning. |
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May there always be sunshine 🔊
A song
inspired by a young child and written in a 1962 Soviet Russia full of hope
for the future and a desire for peace. You can find many versions of this
song including those in Russian and other languages. Verses 3-4 adapted by
Dany Rosevear. Find out more
at: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=3885
. |
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May there always be sunshine, May there always be blue skies, May there always be Mama, May there always be me! May there always be sunshine, May there always be blue skies, May there always be Papa, May there always be me! May there always be laughter, May there always be kindness, May there always be good friends, May there always be you. As the Spring follows Winter, Winter follows the Fall, We look forward to Summer, And the wonder of it all! May there always be sharing, May there always be caring, May there always be singing, And dreams of peace across the world. |
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Mi caballo blanco / My white horse 🔊
This song from
Chile was popularised by
Fancisco Flores del Campo and is about friendship and freedom; it celebrates the relationship
between the cowboy and his horse. |
|
He is my faithful white
horse, Bright as the rising sun, Always we are together, Friends as we travel on. Mi caballo, mi caballo,
galopando va, Mi caballo, mi caballo, se
va y se va. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Ah, ah, ah, ah-ay! Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
Ah, ah, ah, ah-ay! On wings of joy we gallop, My horse steadfast and
kind, And in the arms of sorrow, Comfort we’ll surely find. |
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Mingulay boat song 🔊
The original
song was composed by Hugh Robertson using a traditional tune and appeared in
his ‘Songs of the Isles’ published in 1938. There are many, many versions of
this song where both words and tune of the verses differ, the chorus is
rarely altered. Find out more at: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9698
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Heel ya ho, boys, let her
go, boys; Bring her head round, now
all together, Heel ya ho, boys, let her
go boys; Sailing home, home to
Mingulay. What care we though, white
the Minch is? What care we for wind or
weather? Swing her head round,
ev'ry inch is Sailing homeward to
Mingulay. Bairns are laughing, wives
are waiting, Looking seawards from
hills of heather, Pull her round now, then
we’ll anchor, As the sun sets on Mingulay. Bairns are sleeping in the
cradle, Rocking gently by the
fireside; There's a candle in the
window, As we turn now to
Mingualay. |
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Mole in the ground 🔊
The version
below is for children, the classic song is by Bascom Lunsford. Find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=18014 Encourage children to make
up their own verses. |
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I wish I was a mole in the ground, Yes, I wish I was a mole in the ground, If I’s a mole in the ground, I'd root that mountain down, And I wish I was a mole in the ground. I wish I was a lizard in the spring. Yes, I wish I was a lizard in the spring, If I’s a lizard in the spring, I’d hear my darlin’ sing, And I wish I was a lizard in the spring. I wish I was a bird in the sky, Yes, I wish I was a bird in the sky, If I’s a bird in the sky, I’d spread my wings and fly, And I wish I was a bird in the sky. I wish I was a trout in the creek, Yes, I wish I was a trout in the creek, If I's a trout in the creek, Clear water I would seek, And I wish I was a trout in the creek. I wish I was a frog in the pond, Yes, I wish I was a frog in the pond, If I's a frog in the pond, I’d sing the whole night long, And I wish I was a frog in the pond. |
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A lullaby; words and music by Malvina Reynolds. This version was adapted by The Seekers. Add children’s names to
personalise this song in the second verse. |
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Train whistle blowin', Makes a sleepy noise; Underneath their blankets, Go all the girls and boys. Chorus Rockin', rollin', ridin', Out along the bay, All bound for Morningtown, Many miles away. Driver at the engine, Fireman rings the bell; Sandman swings the lantern To show that all is well. Chorus Maybe it is raining Where our train will ride; All the little travellers Are warm and snug inside. Chorus Somewhere there is sunshine, Somewhere there is day; Somewhere there is Morningtown Many miles away. x2 Chorus |
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I have been unable to find any information about this Irish song. I
originally got this adapted version from the BBC radio’s Music Box programme in
the 1980s.
|
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Mi caballo blanco / My white horse 🔊
This song from
Chile was popularised by
Fancisco Flores del Campo and is about friendship and freedom; it celebrates the close
relationship between the cowboy and his horse. |
|
He
is my faithful white horse, Bright as the rising sun, Always we are together, Friends as we travel on. Mi caballo, mi caballo, galopando va, Mi caballo, mi caballo, se va y se va. On wings of joy we gallop, My horse steadfast and kind, And in the arms of sorrow, Comfort we’ll surely find. |
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My Aunt Jane O
A skipping
song from streets of Belfast, many of the verses are not as ‘clean’ as these! |
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My Aunt Jane she took me in, She gave me tea out of her wee tin. Half a bap with sugar on the top, Three black lumps out of her wee shop. Half a bap with sugar on the top, Three black lumps out of her wee shop. My Aunt Jane she's awful smart, She bakes wee rings in an apple tart. And when Halloween comes round, For next that tart I'm always found. And when Halloween comes round, For next that tart I'm always found. My Aunt Jane has a bell on the door, A white stone step and a clean swept floor. Candy apples, hard green pears, Conversation lozenges. Candy apples, hard green pears, Conversation lozenges. My Aunt Jane she can dance a jig, Sing a song ‘round a sweetie pig. Wee red eyes and a cord for a tail, Hanging in a bunch from a crooked nail. Wee red eyes and a cord for a tail, Hanging in a bunch from a crooked nail. My Aunt Jane she never cross, She paid five shillings for an old wooden horse. She jumped on its back, the bones let a crack, You’ll play the fiddle till I get back. She jumped on its back the bones let a crack, You’ll play the fiddle till I get back. My Aunt Jane she took me in, She gave me tea out of her wee tin. Half a bap, a wee sugar top, Three black lumps out of her wee shop. Half a bap, a wee sugar top, Three black lumps out of her wee shop. |
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Described in ‘Just five’ pentatonic
songs by Dr. Robert E. Kersey as an English play song but I have been unable
to find a song associated with it. |
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Whoever took my big black dog, I wish they bring him back! He chased the big chicks over the fence And the little chicks through the crack! The big chicks over the fence And the little chicks through the crack! Whoever took my big black dog, I wish they'd bring him back! |
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You can find out more about this
popular Scottish folk song at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bonnie_Lies_over_the_Ocean. For a lively bit of fun stand up or sit down each time a word
beginning with ‘b’ is sung.
Thereafter sing faster. |
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My bonnie lies over the ocean, My bonnie lies over the sea, My bonnie lies over the ocean, Oh, bring back my bonnie to me. Chorus Bring back, bring back, Oh, bring back my bonnie to me, to me, Bring back, bring back, Bring back my bonnie to me. Last night as I lay on my pillow, Last night as I lay on my bed, Last night as I lay on my pillow, I dreamt that my bonnie was dead. Chorus Oh blow ye winds over the ocean, Oh blow ye winds over the sea, Oh blow ye winds over the ocean, And bring back my bonnie to me. Chorus The winds have blown over the ocean, The winds have blown over the sea, The winds have blown over the ocean, And brought back my bonnie to me. Chorus |
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My father had a horse O
This sporting song
came from ‘Cornish dialects and folk songs’ by Ralph Dunstan who recorded
this from the singing of Mr. Jim Thomas in Camborne: October 21st
1931. Chords added
by Dany Rosevear. ‘jole’ is the
Cornish dialect for ‘jolt’. |
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Oh, my father had a horse, And my mother had a mare, My brother had a dog, And my sister had a hare. So t’was a ride on the horse, And a jole from the mare; Sporting with the dog, When a-chasing of the hare. My father had an ox, And my mother had a cow, My brother had a pig, And my sister had a sow; We had beef from the ox, And milk from the cow, And bacon from the pig, And piglets from the sow. Refrain My father had a rooster, And my mother had a hen, My brother had a robin, And my sister had a wren; The rooster he did crow, And we had eggs from the hen, A song from the robin, And another from the wren. Refrain |
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My shadow O
Shadow play is
great fun outside when the sun is shining; this song makes a good
introduction. The tune is a
familiar one ‘My Hat it has three corners’. |
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My shadow’s always with me No matter where I go. My pace it’s always keeping; If I move fast or slow. It’s size it’s always changing, Sometimes it shoots up tall; And then again it dwindles Until it’s very small. But though it’s very friendly, And loves with me to stay, My funny little shadow Has not a word to say. |
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Nelly Bly 🔊
Stephen Foster wrote the
original version of this song in 1850. Nelly Bly also
became the adopted name of the famous globetrotter, journalist and feminist
Elizabeth Cochran. It became popular and adapted easily as
a playground ditty; it is possible that the second two nursery rhyme verses
below known as ‘Nellie Bligh’ were already familiar to Foster: http://www.rhymes.org.uk/a124-nelly-bligh.htm
, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=99147
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Nellie Bly, shuts her eye, When she goes to sleep; And in the morning, when she wakes, The frog begins to peep, Chorus: “Hi Nellie! Ho Nellie! Come along with me, I’ll sing for you, I’ll play for you, The sweetest melody.” Nelly Bly caught a fly, Tied it to a string. Let it go, to and fro, Poor little thing. Buzz wuzz was that little fly And how he loved to roam, Up and down the mantelpiece And that he called his home. |
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Nellie the Elephant O
Written in 1956 by Ralph
Butler and Peter Hart and made popular by Mandy Miller on Children’s
Favourites where it was played many, many times in that and the following
decade. Sing it in a steady unhurried manner. |
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To Bombay a travelling
circus came, They brought an
intelligent elephant and Nellie was her name. One dark night she
slipped her iron chain; And off she ran to
Hindustan and was never seen again. Nellie the elephant
packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus. Off she went with a
trumpety-trump. Trump! Trump! Trump! Nellie the Elephant
packed her trunk and trundled back to the jungle. Off she went with a
trumpety-trump. Trump! Trump! Trump! Night by night, she
danced to the circus band. When Nellie was leading
the big parade, she looked so proud and grand. No more tricks for
Nellie to perform. They taught her how to
take a bow and she took the crowd by storm. Nellie the elephant
packed her trunk… The head of the herd
was calling far, far away. They met one night in
the silver light on the road to Mandalay. So Nellie the elephant
packed her trunk… |
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Never smile at a crocodile 🔊
A Disney tune
by Frank Churchill from ‘Peter Pan’ released in 1953; the wonderful lyrics by
Jack Lawrence were never used in the film. Find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Smile_at_a_Crocodile
. |
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Never smile at a crocodile, No, you can't get friendly with a crocodile; Don't be taken in by his welcome grin, He's imagining how well you'd fit within his skin. Never smile at a crocodile, Never tip your hat and stop to talk awhile Never run, walk away, say “Good-night”, not
“Good-day” Clear the aisle and never smile at Mister
Crocodile. You may very well be well bred, Lots of etiquette in your head, But there's always some special case, time or
place to forget etiquette. F’r instance - Never smile at a crocodile, No, you can't get friendly with a crocodile; Don't be taken in by his welcome grin, He's imagining how well you'd fit within his skin. Never smile at a crocodile, Never tip your hat and stop to talk awhile Don't be rude, never mock, throw a kiss, not a
rock, Clear the aisle but never smile at Mister
Crocodile. |
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Noah’s ark shanty 🔊
A halyard shanty. How did the dog get a cold nose? This is the song
that will answer your question. Animal parts could be acted
out by children – though it could easily get out of hand! I originally found
this in The Revels book of ‘Chanteys and sea songs’ compiled by John
Langstaff. There are so many variants as in all good folk songs; verse two
and three here are from different sources but both took my fancy! You can
easily find the classic Cecil Sharp one on any decent search engine. |
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In ‘Frisco Bay there were
three ships, To me way-ay-ay-yuh! In ‘Frisco Bay there were
three ships, A long time ago-wuh! And one of them ships was
Noah's old ark… All covered all over with
hickory bark… He boarded some animals,
two of each kind… Birds, snakes and
jiggy-bugs, he didn't mind… The bull and the cow, they
started to row And the little black dog
went ‘rowdy-dow-dow!’ Then said old Noah with a
crack of his whip… “Come stop this row or I'll
scuttle the ship”… But the bull put his horn
through the side of the ark… And the little black dog
he started to bark… So Noah took the dog,
shoved its nose in the hole… And ever since then, dog’s
nose has been cold… It's a long, long time,
and a very long time… A long, long time, and a
very long time… |
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Norwegian milking song O
I was asked to
video and add this song to my website collection by a young mother from
Malta. I know nothing
about it apart from the words and music and would be very grateful for any
information about its Norwegian origin. It would be lovely to see
it in the Norwegian language and also to acknowledge the translator. Arrangement by Dany
Rosevear. |
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Come cows to the song of my calling, The day is done, the night draws near, Come cows for the shadows are falling, I call you one by one; Come Daisy, come Maisie, Come Marigold, Buttercup, Beautiful Sue, Come Milky and Silky and Flowering May, Come you, come you, come you. |
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