Song
cupboard U-W
Uncle
Noah’s Ark
Up in
a balloon
Wade
in the water
Walk
into the parlor
Walking
through the jungle
Waltzing
with bears
Way
down yonder in the cornfield
We
are all noddin’
We
are little sunbeams
Wee
Mr. Wagtail
We’re
going to dig, dig, dig
What
care we?
What
shall I do when a button pops?
What
shall we do with the old sow’s hide?
Last updated: 5/15/2023
9:50 AM
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
following conditions:
·
you must give the original author credit
·
you may not use this work for commercial purposes
·
for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the
licence terms of this work
·
any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
holder
Your
fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.
|
Uncle Noah’s Ark 🔊
Written by Smiley Burnette in 1935 and recorded by the wonderful Gene
Autry this humorous song “Uncle Noah’s Ark” featured in the 1937 film
“Round-Up Time in Texas.” It has been sung more recently by the Wiggles. |
|
Well, a long long time ago, as all you
folks should know, Uncle Noah built himself an Ark. For forty days and nights. the rain was
such a sight; The animals nearly tore that Ark apart. CHORUS Well the ducks went quack! The cows went
moo! The rooster went cocky-doodle-doo! The old tom cat sure raised an awful row. (Meow!) The little pigs squealed, (Oink!)
and the billy goat blaahed The bull frog said (Biggest rain we ever
had!) Uncle Noah's ark is a mad house now! The horses and the cattle, and fowl of the
air, Even the long eared donkey was there. (Hee-haw!)
The ducks went quack! The cows went moo! The rooster went cocky-doodle-doo! They all were there on Uncle Noah's ark. Well, at last the sun did shine, Through the windows bright and fine, Uncle Noah thought it was time to land. Well, he couldn't get open the door, All the animals they got sore, The old lion let out a roar to
beat-the-band. CHORUS |
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Up in a balloon 🔊
A
music hall song written in 1868 by George W. Hunt. Below you will just find the chorus for the verses visit: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=6100.
Recorded by the wonderful Alan Mill. |
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Up in a balloon, boys, Up in a balloon, All among the little stars And sailing ‘round the moon. Up in a balloon, boys, Up in a balloon. Won’t we have a jolly time, Up in a balloon! |
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Wade in the water 🔊
A song
adapted from a spiritual with a colour theme and one to revel in; clap and
move to the rhythm. Percussion instruments would add to the fun. |
|
Chorus: Wade in the water, Wade in the water, children, Wade in the water, We’re gonna wade in the water. Who’s that yonder dressed in red? We’re gonna wade in the water. Isaac is a child that’s dressed in red. We’re gonna wade in the water. Chorus Who’s that yonder dressed in blue? We’re gonna wade in the water. Emilia is a child that’s dressed in blue. We’re gonna wade in the water. Chorus |
Who’s that yonder dressed in green?
We’re gonna wade in the water.
Ethan is a child that’s dressed in green.
We’re gonna wade in the water.
Chorus
|
Walk into the parlor 🔊
A
comic song from North Carolina. Adapted from the one found in ‘The Frank C. Brown Collection of North
Carolina folklore’, Vol 5. Music arranged by Dany Rosevear. |
The creek’s all muddy, the pond’s all dry,
If it wasn’t for the tadpoles we’d all cry.
Walk in, walk in, walk in, I say;
Walk into the parlor and hear the banjo play
Walk into the parlor and hear the banjo ring;
Watch old Willie’s fingers as he picks upon
the string.
As I was playing on a great big log.
Out of the pond there jumped a frog,
The frog he laughed to hear me sing,
Then began a-kickin’ at an ol’ pigeon wing.
Walk into the parlor and hear the banjo ring;
Watch old Willie’s fingers as he picks upon
the string.
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Walking
through the jungle 🔊
I first came across this rhyme in the classic nursery volume ‘This
Little Puffin’ in the late 60s. The primary source of the song, however, can be found in Game-Songs
with Prof Dogg’s Troupe published by A&C Black in 1984 and was written by
Harriet Powell. There have been many wonderful adaptations from both sources for
picture books, Schools TV, online and indeed in the classroom. Stella
Blackstone’s big book (Barefoot books) with its delightful illustrations by
Debbie Harter was a favourite in the classroom, it had a different tune. My version below has worked well with classes of infants, especially for
a rainforest theme. Move individually in and out of
each other miming the actions of each animal.
|
|
Waltzing with bears 🔊
A
song that has entered the folk tradition but was inspired by Theodore Geisel’s
(Dr. Seuss) ‘Uncle Terwilliger’; you can see the discussion at Mudcat for
more info on this: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=14422 There
are many versions out there but this one was mostly inspired by the those
recorded by both Tommy Makem and Priscilla Herdman. |
I went upstairs in the middle of the night;
I tiptoed inside and I turned on the light.
But to my dismay there was no-one in sight:
For my Uncle Walter goes waltzing at night.
He goes wa-wa-wa wa-wa-wa waltzing with
bears;
Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears too.
And there's nothing on earth Uncle Walter
won't do
So he can go waltzing, wa-wa-wa waltzing,
So he can go waltzing, waltzing with bears.
I bought Uncle Walter a new coat to wear,
But when he came home it was covered with
hair,
And lately I've noticed there’s several new
tears.
I'm sure Uncle Walter's been waltzing with
bears!
I told Uncle Walter that he should be good,
And do all the things that I said he should,
But I know that he'd rather be out in the
woods.
I’m afraid that I'll lose Uncle Walter for
good.
I begged and I pleaded, "Oh, please
won't you stay?"
And managed to keep him inside for a day.
But the bears all barged in and they took him
away!
Now he's dancing with pandas, and I can't
understand it,
But the bears all demand at least one dance a
day.
That night, when the moon rose, we crept down
the stairs
He took me to dance where the bears have
their lair.
We danced in a bear hug with nary a care.
It all feels like flying, there is no
denying,
And now my pajamas are covered with hair.
|
Way down yonder in the cornfields 🔊
A traditional
camp song for solo and choral singing. You can find a more familiar version
of this ‘Down by the bay’ here: Down
by the bay - think of more crazy ideas to make new rhyming phrases - YouTube And
more info about its origins here: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=108942 including
a reference to ‘More Tommy's Tunes’, 2nd series, Nettleinghame, 1918 file:///C:/Users/daros/Downloads/39087012501500score.pdf Chords
added by Dany Rosevear. Apologies for the notation, my meagre talents cannot
cope with more than one singing voice at a time! |
Solo: Old Mother Riley's got a farm,
Chorus: Way down yonder in the cornfields.
Solo: And on that farm she's got a cow,
Chorus: Way down yonder in the cornfields.
Solo: Down by the sea,
Chorus: Down by the sea,
Solo: Where the watermelons grow,
Chorus: Where the watermelons grow,
Solo: Back to my home
Chorus: Back to my home
Solo: I dare not go.
Chorus: I dare not go.
Solo: For if I do
Chorus: For if I do
Solo: My ma will say:
Chorus: My ma will say:
All: Have you ever seen a cow with a green
eyebrow?
Have you ever seen a cow with a green
eyebrow?
Down by the E. I. O!
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We are all noddin’ 🔊
A
time to go home song. This
American glee song appears in the ‘Boston Glee Book’ published in
1838. It started life as a Scottish song by Robert Burns see: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9049 You can find a Christmas version here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19826/19826-h/19826-h.htm. |
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We are all noddin’, nid, nid, noddin’, We are all noddin’ and dropping off to
sleep. To keep us awake we have all done our best, But we're weary and sleepy, So home to our rest, For we're all noddin’, nid, nid, noddin’, We are all noddin’, and dropping off to
sleep. We are all noddin’, nid, nid noddin’, We are all noddin’, and dropping off to
sleep; The hour it is late, we'll no longer delay, But we'll take our hats and bonnets and
quickly away, Singing all noddin’, nid, nid noddin’, Singing all noddin’, and dropping off to
sleep. |
|
We are little sunbeams 🔊
This
song was found in ‘The
charm: a gift of Sunday school music’ published 1871. You can see from
the link that the Victorian words with talk of ‘woe, sorrow and shame’ are
not well suited to the children of today. I hope my adapted version still
gives children food for thought; at harvest time the words ‘our gifts’ might
provoke a worthwhile discussion. I have also slightly adapted the tune. |
|
We are little sunbeams, Warm bright and free, We are little sunbeams, So happy are we; Sometimes showers fall, As the clouds go by, But up above a rainbow, Shines so merry in the sky. Chorus We are little sunbeams, Warm bright and free, We are little sunbeams, So happy are we. We are little sunbeams, Like those above, We are little sunbeams, Warming with love; For mother, father, family And friends in every way, For our our world, the gifts we have, We give our thanks each day. Chorus We are little sunbeams, With work to do, We are little sunbeams, May we be true. Where others lead the way, With footsteps sure, There we may rest and stay, Safe and secure. Chorus |
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Wee Mr. Wagtail 🔊 O
A
traditional Irish rhyme, the melody is by S Ó’Laoire; Dany Rosevear has added chords. |
|
Wee Mister Wagtail, hopping on a rock, Daddy says your pretty tail is like a
goblin's clock. Wee Willie Wagtail, how I love to see, Wee Willie Wagtail, wag his tail at me. Wee Mister Wagtail, running by a pond, Daddy says your pretty tail is like a
goblin's wand. Wee Willie Wagtail, how I love to see, Wee Willie Wagtail, wag his tail at me. |
|
We're going to dig, dig, dig 🔊
A
song from BBC’s Playschool. Get
outside and active in the garden. |
|
We're going to dig,
dig, dig, Dig up all the ground, We're digging up the ground, We're digging all a-round, We're going to dig,
dig, dig, Dig the whole day long, Then we’ll dig,
dig, dig, And sing our digging song. We're going to rake, rake, rake, Rake up all the leaves, Rake up all the leaves, That fall from all the trees, We're going to rake, rake, rake, Rake the whole day long, Then we’ll rake, rake, rake, And sing a raking song. We're going to plant, plant, plant, Plant some little seeds, Plant some little seeds, That’s what the garden needs. We're going to plant, plant, plant, Plant the whole day long, Then they’ll grow, grow, grow, Until they’re big and strong. |
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What care we? 🔊
Money
to serve our basic needs, yes but riches count for little when we have people
we love to sustain us. From ‘Favorite Songs and Hymns
for School and Home’ edited by J. P. McCaskey published in 1899. |
|
What care we for gold
or silver? What care we for house or land? What care we for ships on the ocean? Onward going hand in hand. |
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What shall I do when a button pops? 🔊
There
is always an answer for every question. Make up your own problems and
answers. This
song was broadcast on BBC’s School’s Music Time in 1970. You can see a video
of The Spinners singing it at: http://www.broadcastforschools.co.uk/site/Music_Time/Peter_and_the_Wolf From
‘Songs for the Elementary Classroom’ by Paul Brodsky, Follett Educational
Corporation. Mime
these tasks. |
|
What shall I do when a button pops? What shall I do when a button pops? Sew it on again sew it on, Sew it on again sew it on. What shall I do when my pencil breaks? X2 Grind it sharp again, grind it sharp… What shall I do when an apple falls? X2 Eat it up quite quick, eat it up… What shall I do at the close of day? What shall I do at the close of day? Go to bed and sleep, go to bed, Go to bed and sleep, go to bed. |
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What shall we do with the old sow’s hide? 🔊 O
A folk song from the U.S.A.
What shall we
do with the old sow's hide? Make a good
cushion as ever did ride. Coarse
cushion, fine cushion, any such a thing, What shall
we do with the old sow's feet? Make a good
pickles as ever was eat. Coarse pickles,
fine pickles, any such a thing, The old sow
died of the measles in the spring! What shall
we do with the old sow's meat? Make a good
bacon as ever was eat. Coarse
bacon, fine bacon, any such a thing, The old sow
died of the measles in the spring! What shall
we do with the old sow's tail? Make a good
whip as ever did sail. Coarse whip,
fine whip, any such a thing, The old sow
died of the measles in the spring! |
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