Lavender Lane A-H
Vintage favourites
A windmill in old Amsterdam
Aiken Drum
Babes in the woods
Catch a falling star
Daisy, Daisy /She was one of the early worms
Dashing away with the smoothing iron
Donkey riding
Down in Demerara
Edelweiss
English country garden
Hey! Little hen!
How much is that doggie in the window?
Last updated: 8/28/2018
3:16 PM
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Words
and music by Ted Dicks and Myles. Rudge. A very familiar song from my childhood as sung by Ronnie Hilton on Uncle Mac’s BBC radio ‘Children’s
favourites’. |
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A mouse lived in a
windmill in old Amsterdam. A windmill with a
mouse in and he wasn't grousing. He sang every morning,
"How lucky I am, Living in a windmill
in old Amsterdam!" Chorus: I saw a mouse! Where? There on a stair!
Where on a stair? Right there! A little mouse with
clogs on, Well I declare! Going
clip-clippety-clop on the stair. Oh yeah. Going
clip-clippety-clop on the stair. This mouse he got
lonesome, he took him a wife; A windmill with mice
in, it's hardly surprising She sang every
morning, "How lucky I am, Living in a windmill
in old Amsterdam!" Chorus First they had
triplets and then they had quins, A windmill with quins in,
and triplets and twins in. They sang every
morning, "How lucky we are Living in a windmill
in Amsterdam, ya!" Chorus
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I remember the chorus of this
nonsense song being sung with great enthusiasm. in my Junior school class in
the 1950s. With its simple rousing refrain it will appeal to those who are less
confident singers. Try playing on other ‘instruments’
paper bag, elastic band, frying pan, leg of a chair – anything to
hand! |
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There was a man lived in the moon, Lived in the moon, lived in the moon. There was a man lived in the moon, And his name was Aiken Drum. And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a
ladle, And he played upon a ladle, And his name was Aiken Drum. His hat was made of good cream cheese, Good cream cheese, good cream cheese, His hat was made of good cream cheese, And his name was Aiken Drum. His coat was made of good roast beef, Good roast beef, good roast beef, His coat was made of good roast beef, And his name was Aiken Drum. His buttons were made of penny loaves, Penny loaves, penny loaves, His buttons were made of penny loaves, And his name was Aiken Drum. His waistcoat was made of crusts of pies, Crusts of pies, crusts of pies, His waistcoat was made of crusts of pies, And his name was Aiken Drum.
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Babes in the wood O
There are many versions of this song ; one of the most well known
is by the Copper family. It is also well known in the U.S.A. Find out more at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babes_in_the_Wood This version is a bit of a hotchpotch. |
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My dears, don’t you
know, ‘twas a long time ago, Two little children
whose names I don't know, Were stolen away on a
bright summer's day, And left in the woods
so I've heard people say. Chorus Poor babes in the woods,
poor babes in the woods! Oh don't you remember
those babes in the woods? And when it was night,
so sad was their plight, The sun it went down
and the moon gave no light, They sobbed and they
sighed and they bitterly cried, Those poor little children,
they laid down and died. Chorus And when they were
dead, the robins so red, Brought strawberry
leaves and over them spread, And all the day long
on the branches they thronged, They mournfully
whistled and sang this sweet song: Chorus
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Catch a
falling star 🔊
Loved this as a child, it was written by Paul Vance and
Lee Pockriss and made famous by Perry
Como in the 1950s; we sang it everywhere. Reach up and grab star , put
in an imaginary pocket. Shake finger. Repeat first movement. Fingers make the
movement of rain. Hands to the heart, tap shoulder. Put hands to cheek. Hold
arms. Throw out arms. |
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Catch
a falling star and put it in your pocket, Never
let it fade away! Catch
a falling star and put it in your pocket, Save
it for a rainy day! For
love may come and tap you on the shoulder, Some
starless night. Just
in case you feel you want to hold her, You'll
have a pocketful of starlight, Catch
a falling star and put it in your pocket, Never
let it fade away! Catch
a falling star and put it in your pocket, Save
it for a rainy day! For
when your troubles start a-multiplying, And
they just might. It’s
easy to forget them without trying, With
just pocket full of starlight. |
Daisy BellO + She was a sweet little dicky bird
Both of these songs were
popular in the Victorian Music Hall. ‘Daisy Bell’ was written by Harry Dacre
in 1892, ‘She was a sweet little dicky bird’ was
by T.W. Conner and popularized by George Beauchamp. These are two separate songs but as a child I always heard them sung
one following the other. The verses of both songs would have been tricky for
children. Move gently from side to side in time to the music. |
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Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer do!
All for the love of you. It won’t be a stylish marriage, I can’t afford a carriage, But you’ll look sweet, upon a seat, Of a bicycle made for two. She was a sweet little dicky bird, ‘Tweet, tweet, tweet!’ she went. Softly she sang to me, ‘Til all my money was spent. Then she went off song, We parted on fighting terms. She was one of the early birds, And I was one of the worms.
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Learn the days of the week while dramatising cleaning activities. I sang this song at school in
the 1950s. This is the order of laundry tasks as I remember them but you can
find different sequences on the internet. I certainly remember my grandmother
starching my grandfather’s collars but think she subsequently hung them on the line. This song was collected in Somerset by Cecil Sharp. Dramatise the actions vigorously ! |
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'Twas on a Monday morning, When I beheld my darling, She looked so neat and charming, In every high degree; She looked so neat and nimble, O, A-washing of her of her linen, O, Dashing away with the smoothing iron, Dashing away with the smoothing iron, Dashing away with the smoothing iron, She stole my heart away. Tuesday / A-hanging out her linen, O… Wednesday / A-starching of her linen, O… Thursday / A-ironing of her linen, O… Friday / A-folding of her linen, O… Saturday / A-airing of her linen, O… Sunday / A-wearing of her linen, O… |
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Donkey riding O
A classic in singing sessions in the 1950s classroom where the chorus
was always sung with great gusto. |
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Were you ever in Quebec, Stowing timber on the deck, Where there’s a king with a golden crown, Riding on a donkey? Chorus Hey, ho! Away we go, Donkey riding, donkey riding, Hey, ho! Away we go, Riding on a donkey. Were you ever off Cape Horn, Where it’s always nice and warm, Seen the lion and the unicorn, Riding on a donkey? Were you ever in Cardiff Bay, Where the folks all shout ‘Hooray! Here comes John with his three month’s pay, Riding on a donkey.’
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Down in Demerara O
This version
comes from a BBC radio’s Singing Together Autumn
1963 booklet. But I remember well singing it at Junior school in the
1950s. |
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There was a man who had a horselum, Had a horselum, had a horselum, There was a man who had a horselum, Down in Demerara. Chorus And here we sit like birds in the wilderness, Birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness Here we sit like birds in the wilderness, Down in Demerara. Now that poor horse it fell a sickelum... And that poor man he sent for a doctorum... But that poor horse, it went and diedalum... And here we sit and flap our wingsalum... |
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Edelweiss 🔊
My mother had an old record player
and a fine collection of LPs from the musicals of her era which was the
backdrop of our family singing. This song from the 1959 musical ‘The Sound of
Music’ from the partnership of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein was a big
favourite. None of us were great singers but we sang with such enthusiasm and
enjoyment! You can find out more about this
song at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edelweiss_(song) |
Edelweiss, Edelweiss,
Every morning you greet me.
Small and white,
Clean and bright,
You look happy to meet me.
Blossom of snow
May you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Edelweiss, Edelweiss,
Bless my homeland forever.
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English country
garden O
Originally this was a Morris dancing tune collected by Cecil Sharp in
1907 as the ‘Hankerchief dance’. The version below is a half remembered version from those I have heard
over the years – I did however add the blackbird whose song I have always
loved. I would also have loved to have added a verse about the foxes, badgers
and slow worms that visit our Devon garden regularly and in Oxfordshire the
muntjack deer. My sister in Perth Australia has seen kangaroos and other Antipodian
creatures in her garden – maybe there is another song there! |
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How many kinds of sweet
flowers grow in an English country garden? I'll tell you now of
some that I know, and those I miss you'll surely pardon, Daffodils, hearts-ease
and flocks, meadow sweet and lilies, stocks, Gentian, lupins and
tall hollyhocks, Roses, fox-gloves,
snowdrops, blue forget-me-nots, in an English country garden. How many insects here
come and go in an English country garden? I'll tell you now of
some that I know, and those I miss you'll surely pardon, Dragonflies, moths,
bumble bees, spiders falling from the trees, Butterflies that sway
in the mild gentle breeze, There are hedgehogs
that roam and little garden gnomes, in an English country garden. How many songbirds fly
to and fro in an English country garden? I'll tell you now of
some that I know, and those I miss you'll surely pardon, Blackbirds, coo-cooing
doves, robins and the warbling thrush, Blue birds, lark, finch
and nightingale, There is joy in the
spring when the birds begin to sing, in an English country garden.
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Hey! Little
hen! 🔊
A very familiar one from my childhood, however, I always sang ‘Tell me
when, when, when’ rather than ‘When, when, when’ so I presume someone sang it
like that in the past: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=1593439
. I
have been told though that chickens can’t talk! |
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I
had a lot of chickens, a large chicken run, But
owing to conditions, I'm now down to one I
give her all the tit-bits, the dear little thing, And
just to keep her up to scratch, I go to her and sing: Hey!
Little hen! Tell
me when, when, when will you lay me an egg for my tea? Hey!
Little hen! Tell
me when, when, when will you try to supply one for me? Get
into your nest, do your little best. Get
it off your chest. I can do the rest. Hey!
Little hen! Tell
me when, when, when, will you lay me an egg for my tea? |
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How much is
that doggie in the window? O
We all sang along with this song in the 1950s but not with this
simpler version for young children. |
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Chorus How much is that doggie in the window? The one with the waggley tail. How much is that doggie in the window? I do hope that doggie's for sale. I don't want a bunny or a kitty, I don't want a parrot that talks. I don't want a bowl of little fishes, You can't take a fish for a walk. Chorus I’ve saved up to buy that little doggie, I’ll make sure he has a good home. For I’ll wash, groom and give him lots of
walkies, And feed him a big juicy bone. Chorus
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