Songs for a better world M-R

Magic and moonbeams***

May peace be in your heart***

My guitar plays for the moon***

My roots go down

Now is the cool of the day

One pair of hands

Only one planet

Open your eyes

Our beautiful Earth

Our planet is a garden ***

Our poor planet Earth***

Plant a seed ***

Please and thank you

Polly the pirate’s parrot likes fruit***

Praise bogs / Ecology Doxology

Reach, reach, reach for the stars ***

Reforest the planet***

River of song ****

Last updated: 9/4/2023 9:34 AM

The songs below are compiled and adapted by Dany Rosevear

*** Original songs by Dany Rosevear

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Magic and moonbeams 🔊

A Utopian lullaby.

Especially in these more troubling days when things aren’t going so well with our planet and Mother Nature’s welfare is in retreat; this is when we dive into our imaginations and wonder how things could and might be with a little care and thoughtfulness from our divisive politicians.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

In the lovely land of lullabies the nightingale gently sings,

The lion and lamb lay talking of wise and wondrous things,

The dragon sleeps in slumber deep and sheds a starlit tear.

Sweet magic and moonbeams weave through your dreams,

Kind thoughts and wishes grow here.

In the lovely land of lullabies it's never too hot or cold.

The little folk think it’s a joke to care for silver and gold;

For Nature’s store is worth so much more, such beauty they hold dear.

Sweet magic and moonbeams weave through your dreams,

Kind thoughts and wishes flow here.

In the lovely land of lullabies shadow rabbits tarry awhile,

The mice play round the old grey cat whose whiskers twitch beguiled

Wild creatures roam through green forest homes where air is pure and clear.

Sweet magic and moonbeams weave through your dreams,

Kind thoughts and wishes flow here.

In the lovely land of lullabies there’s a companion for every child,

Who tells them cosy tales of old and rhymes to make them smile;

Who listens when they’re worried and sweeps away scaredycat fears.

Sweet magic and moonbeams weave through your dreams,

Kind thoughts and wishes flow here.

Sweet magic and moonbeams weave through your dreams,

How I wish that land was here!

May peace be in your heart 🔊

Take inspiration from the natural world, it has so much to offer as balm for the soul and the ability to nurture the virtues and values that help us become happy contented human beings.

One of the rare pleasures of lockdown was the time and opportunity for long walks and a chance to commune with nature in awe and peace where many other rewards / words of nourishment come to mind: trust, faith, wisdom, comfort, grace, laughter, gladness and courage.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

Each of these verses would work with movements or as a handplay.

Let the wild, wild wind blow your worries away,

Worries away, worries away,

Let the wild, wild wind blow your worries away,

May peace be in your heart.

Let the golden sun bring its warmth to your day,

Warmth to your day, warmth to your day,

Let the golden sun bring its warmth to your day,

May joy be in your heart.

Let the trees stand tall as they reach for the sky,

Reach for the sky, reach for the sky,

Let the trees stand tall as they reach for the sky,

May strength be in your heart.

Let the birds of the air sing the sweetest of songs,

Sweetest of songs, sweetest of songs,

Let the birds of the air sing the sweetest of songs,

May hope be in your heart.

Let the Earth feel love in each footstep you take,

Footstep you take, each footstep you take,

Let the Earth feel love in each footstep you take,

May beauty be in your heart.

Let a million stars brightly twinkle and shine,

Twinkle and shine, twinkle and shine,

Let a million stars brightly twinkle and shine,

May wonder grow in your heart.

My guitar plays for the moon 🔊

An ode to a lovely companion.

The moon was still up on my early morning walk to swimming and my guitar was playing in my head….Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

My guitar plays for the moon,

It plays for the twinkling stars,

It plays for our wonderful, wonderful world;

Songs of hope, songs of joy,

Songs for our own Shangrila,

Chorus: Songs for our planet, our ark,

Songs for our planet, the Earth.

My guitar beams at the sun,

At the children singing their songs,

It’s six gentle strings play the songs that we sing;

Songs of hope, songs of joy,

With everyone singing along, Chorus

My guitar sighs with the wind,

It sings with the rain and the snow,

At the clouds that pass by in the darkening sky;

Songs of hope, songs of joy,

In places wherever we go, Chorus

My guitar plays shadow songs,

When children are tucked up in bed,

It keeps me in tune as I play to that moon;

Lullabies, soft night songs,

Songs for all sleepyheads, Chorus

My roots go down 🔊

Words and music by Sarah Pirtle, © 1979 and 1989. You will find many other delightful versions of this song on the internet as Sarah has encouraged others to make up verses meaningful to their own lives. You will also notice differing interpretations of the music.

Sarah has recently created a site where people can hear and download sixty of her two hundred songs for free: http://sarahpirtle.com/hope-sings/heart-of-the-world.htm

Move with imagination; the video will give you some ideas!

My roots go down, down to the earth,

My roots go down!

I am a wild flower reaching for the sun,

My roots go down…

I am a pine tree on the mountainside,

My roots go down!

I am a tiny stream trickling down,

My roots go down!

I am a willow in a raging storm,

My roots go down!

I am a waterfall skipping home…

I am the river rushing to the sea….

I am an ocean wild and free…

We are the voice of every living thing…

Now is the cool of the day 🔊

Words and music by the wonderful Jean Ritchie.

Care for the environment wasn’t one of the top of priorities when this was written in 1970, (though Rachel Carson's Silent Spring had been published in 1963) but the fine words of this song continue to resonated over the decades as a younger generation take up the challenge to ‘keep the grasses green’.

My Lord, he said unto me,

Do you like my garden so fair,

You may live in this garden if you keep the grasses green

And I'll return in the cool of the day.

Now is the cool of the day,

Oh this earth is a garden, the garden of my Lord,

And he walks in his garden,

In the cool of the day.

Then my Lord, he said unto me,

Do you like my garden so pure,

You may live in this garden, if you keep the waters clean,

And I'll return in the cool of the day.

Chorus

Then my Lord, he said unto me,

Do you like my pastures so green,

You may live in this garden if you will feed my lambs,

And I'll return in the cool of the day.

Chorus

Then my Lord, he said unto me,

Do you like my garden so free,

You may live in this garden if you keep the people free,

And I'll return in the cool of the day.

Now is the cool of the day,

Oh this earth is a garden, the garden of my Lord,

And he walks in his garden,

In the cool of the day.

This earth it is a garden, the garden of my Lord,

And he walks in his garden,

In the cool of the day.

One pair of hands 🔊

Together we can make a difference.

This song is based on Pete Seeger’s ‘One man’s hands’; other words of protest for good causes have been attached to this wonderful song over many years.

It was Marilyn and Paul Wilson’s version written with Wren choirs in Devon that caught my imagination. The words for young children here are written by Dany and Alan Rosevear and the music adapted and arranged by myself.

One pair of hands can’t stop the climate changing,

Two pairs of hands can’t stop the storms from raging;

Chorus:

But if two and two and many make a million,

Then we can change the world,

Then we can surely change the world.

One pair of hands can’t stop the ice caps melting,

Two pairs of hands can’t stop sea waters rising;

One pair of hands can’t stop the forests burning,

Two pairs of hands can’t stop wildlife from dying;

One pair of hands can’t stop the waste from growing,

Two pairs of hands can’t keep clean water flowing;

One pair of hands can’t stop the car’s pollution,

Two pairs of hands won’t find the best solution;

One pair of hands can’t keep the whales a-spouting;

Two pairs of hands can’t keep us all from shouting;

If two and two and many make a million,

Then we can change the world,

Then we can surely change the world.

Only one planet 🔊

Sing and wonder at the treasure that is our Earth.

Appreciate our wonderful home and how imperative it is to preserve such a beautiful place for the future well being of all those who live there.

An introduction to the importance of our diverse habitats and why planet Earth is a good home for all living beings. And an urgent plea to correct the many mistakes we have made in order to retain its magnificence.

Written by Dany Rosevear and set to an Irish folk tune ‘South Winds’.

Way up in the night sky oh, what do I see?

Many stars in great numbers all twinkling at me;

I see Jupiter, Saturn and Venus and Mars,

Each bright planet shining from a distance afar.

Chorus

But we know of a planet of promise and worth.

And that beautiful, blue and green planet is Earth,

Just so perfect for us in this vast universe,

Yes, that blue and green planet can only be our Earth.

There are mountains and rivers and oceans so wide,

Where once tall ships sailed with the wind and the tide;

Where the porpoises, dolphins, blue whales, manatees

And the gentle sea turtles swim happy and free.

You’ll see woodlands and deserts and rainforests homes,

With a place for each creature to thrive and to roam;

Where the chimpanzee, panda, polar bear, crocodile,

Can find food, water, shelter and rest for the while.

For they live on a planet...

But from all round our planet the warning bells toll,

For the world is in trouble as thunderclouds roll;

The oceans are rising as melting ice falls,

In your hands is our future! Wake up! Heed the call!

For we live on a planet…

Open your eyes 🔊

And really look. Everywhere!

Get outside at every opportunity and make the most of your natural environment. Exeter is a small city and a fairly hilly place where you can stop and see the countryside in many directions if you pause for a minute or two and look about you. Closer to home ‘Wilding’ has now surely become part of the urban culture in parks, on roundabouts, in nooks and crannies where plants are encouraged to live in profusion attracting wild creatures of many kind to its bountiful home.

When singing this encourage everyone to contribute something they have noticed, nearby or a distance away.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

Chorus:

Stop, stand and stare, look all around,

Up, up high, down on the ground;

Far away to the hills where the trees grow tall,

Out in the grass where the dewdrops fall.

Everywhere I look there’s a world for me,

When I open my eyes and see.

Open your eyes, what can you see?

Chorus

The world is very small when you dash about,

And there’s no time to think things out;

Stop and stand still, look and listen with care,

To find beauty everywhere.

Chorus

Our beautiful Earth 🔊

Written by Frances E. Jacobs and set to a German folk tune from the “Children’s hymnary” published 1968.

Can be used as a two or more part round.

How beautiful is the green earth,

Each star in the heaven above!

But what would the whole world be worth

If we did not fill it with love, with love,

If we did not fill it with love?

Our planet is a garden 🔊

Everyone making small changes can make a big difference.

Written by Dany Rosevear as a request from a preschool for a song about climate change. We are never too young to consider what we can do to make a difference to the future of our home called Earth.

Line 1. Sweep out hands, cross hands at wrists and flap. 2. One hand on top of the other with thumbs out, make hands dip and dive. Point to others and self. 3. Shape a ball, put hands to heart. 4. Throw out hands. Chorus: Wag finger. Stamp three times and hold nose. Beat fists three times.

Verse 2. Hold arms and shiver, prowl, forefingers to mouth, shake elbows, hands to head with fingers outstretched then as before.

Verse 3. Make hands and arms into trees, hand to ears, scratch armpits, wave arm for trunk then as before.

All across our lovely world the little birdies fly,

The fishes swim, the dolphins leap and so do you and I.

Our planet is a garden needing tender love and care,

And if we all make changes we can make it fit to share.

No more dirty air and water,

Our lovely world needs everyone,

To help and fix it quick!

All across our icy lands the polar bears can roam,

The walruses, the penguins and the reindeer have a home.

Our planet is a garden needing tender love and care,

And if we all make changes we can make it fit to share.

No more dirty air and water,

Our lovely world needs everyone,

To help and fix it quick!

All across our wooded lands the jungle creatures call,

Monkeys screech, and elephants, oh, how we love them all.

Our planet is a garden needing tender love and care,

And if we all make changes we can make it fit to share.

No more dirty air and water,

Our lovely world needs everyone,

To help and fix it quick!

Our poor planet Earth 🔊

Little things that we do can make a difference to the health of our precious world.

Another song written by Dany Rosevear as a request from a preschool for a song about climate change. The tune might be familiar to young children as ‘Miss Polly had a dolly’. Encourage children to add their own ideas for making our world a healthier place to live. NASA has a great site for kids to learn more about the environment and ways that they can help effect change.

Verse 1. Wipe tears. Throw out hands. Tap wrist put fist under chin. Knock three times on forehead.

2. Rock arms. Stretch arms above head. Hands to heart, twist tap. Clean teeth, turn tap.

3. Waggle then shake finger. Put up one finger at a time. Shake finger. Use thumb and forefinger to indicate little.

4. Throw out hands. Mime switching off light and cyling. Dig. Show one then two trees with arm and outstretched fingers. Throw out arms, point outwards then to self.

5. Hands to cheek. Rock arms, then as before.

Our poor planet Earth is getting sick, sick, sick,

How can we save her quick, quick, quick?

It’s time to put on our thinking caps,

And knock on our noddles with a rat-a-tat-tat!

Poor planet Earth says, “Please take care of me!

Wake up now to save my land and seas.

Show me your love each time you use a tap,

And when you clean your teeth turn it off like that!

Remember your toilet is not a bin,

Think three p’s: just paper, pee and poo go in;

Recycle waste and don’t buy tat,

Use far less plastic, little things like that.”

Tell us planet Earth, what else should we do?

“You could switch off the lights, walk or bike to school,

Grow your own fruit and veg, plant a tree (or two),

You’re doing it for ev’ryone, not just you and me.”

Poor planet Earth is very, very old,

She needs looking after so we are told,

It’s time to put on our thinking caps,

And knock on our noddles with a rat-a-tat-tat!

Plant a seed, plant a seed 🔊

And those precious thoughts, words and deeds to bring about change in our communities.

Freedom is being able to express yourself through thoughts, words and deeds without fear of danger and imprisonment.

There have been so many places in the world throughout time and sadly in the present where these precious freedoms are banned through suppression of the press and other media, in our literature: books, poetry and political speech and of course songs of protest.

‘Our individual well-being is intimately connected both with that of all others and with the environment within which we live.... Our every action, our every deed, word, and thought, no matter how slight or inconsequential it may seem, has an implication not only for ourselves, but for all others, too.’ Dalai Lama

This song could equally apply to freedom from waste, noxious air and other problems that have allowed our planet to descend into a dangerous state.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

Plant a seed, plant a seed,

Let it blossom, let it grow;

That seed of hope and joy

One day will bless this Earth we know.

For that seed, for that seed,

Will quickly grow so tall and strong

And set our hearts a-singing

Freedom’s dear and precious song!

Plant a thought, plant a thought,

Let it blossom, let it grow;

That thought of peace and love

One day will bless this Earth we know.

Hold that thought, hold that thought,

In an ever flowing stream,

To set our hearts a-singing

As each thought becomes a dream.

Plant a word, plant a word,

Let it blossom, let it grow;

That word of truth and light

One day will bless this Earth we know.

For that word, for that word,

Will soon be very clear to see

And set our hearts a-singing

When a thousand join with me.

Plant a deed, plant a deed,

Let it blossom, let it grow;

That deed of grace and faith

One day will bless this Earth we know.

For that deed, for that deed,

Will spread so far and so wide

And set our hearts a-singing

When change comes to turn the tide.

And those thoughts, words and deeds

Well, whatever could they be?

That will bless this Earth with beauty,

Giving hope to you and me?

Search for wisdom, be courageous,

Be independent of mind

Seek the right path to travel

Then all such answers you will find.

Please and thank you 🔊

How to be polite and show you appreciate the kindness of others.

The words we use make a big difference to how others see us; if we use kindly, thoughtful words like these two it helps to make the world go round.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

1. Raise two fingers and point to self. 2.Place palms in frount of face and open.

3. Raise one finger, put up thumb. 4. Raise other finger, make a hands together bow.

There are two little words I know,

That will open any door you see,

One little word is “Thank you!”

And the other little word is “Please!”

Polly the pirate’s parrot 🔊

Encourage children to eat healthily and make the world a happier place.

Initial sounds, animals, adjectives, healthy eating and a bit of fun all mixed together.

Identify some of the more exotic fruits that begin with a particular letter sound.

Similar verses could be made up to include other creatures, adjectives and vegetables.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

P, p, p, p,….

Polly the pirate’s parrot likes fruit;

What sort of fruit does she like?

She likes fruit beginning with: ‘P’…

Pineapples, pears, papaya, pomegranate…

B, b, b, b. …..

Bertie the big, brown bear likes fruit;

What sort of fruit does he like?

He likes fruit beginning with: ‘B’…

Blackberries, blueberries, bananas…

M, m, m, m, …..

Melvin the mischievous monkey likes fruit;

What sort of fruit does he like?

He likes fruit beginning with: ‘B’…

Melon, mango, mandarins…

Praise bogs / Ecology doxology 🔊

This short song by Paul Tinkerhess is a parody of the traditional 16^th C hymn ‘Old Hundreth’ or ‘The Doxology’. Bogs today play an important role in the fight against climate change as they are reservoirs for carbon from our atmosphere. Find out more at: http://www.ancarn.org/en/community-projects/ENVISION/Biodiversity/Habitats/PRESS-RELEASE-In-Praise-of-Bogs

Praise bogs from whom all waters flow.

Praise bugs above and frogs below.

Praise lily pads and all by luck

Who thrive while seated in the muck.

Reach, reach, reach for the stars 🔊

If you must… But it is our planet Earth that needs attention for future generations to enjoy as we have done.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

We can reach, reach, reach for the stars,

Reach for Jupiter, Venus and Mars;

But down on this Earth we must reach hand in hand,

To do, to do, to do, whatever we can!

Some will go, go, go to the moon,

Zoom up in a rocket then back again soon;

But Earth needs us now with the gentlest of hands,

To do, to do, to do, whatever we can!

Our footprints are large but our planet is small,

Tread lightly, so lightly, think well where they fall,

Take care, great care to hear the loud call

To do, to do, to do, whatever we can!

Reforest the planet 🔊

Count and plant for a greener Earth. Once upon a time the world was covered with trees, in fact twice as many as there are now. We are losing 10 billion trees each year. Give back to nature.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

One tree! One tree! I plant in the ground,

One tree to watch as the seasons go round.

Keep digging, keep planting, we need them,

Our beautiful, life giving trees.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Ten trees! Ten trees! Plant ten trees with me.

To shelter the robin, the squirrel and bee.

Keep digging…

10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

One hundred! Two hundred! Plant three hundred trees,

For walks in the woodlands, come walking with me.

Keep digging…

400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1,000.

One thousand! Two thousand! Three thousand grow high,

In leaf, branch and root, creatures creep, crawl and cry.

Keep digging…

4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, big jump!!

One million! Two million! Three million trees sing,

“Make the world fit for humans and all living things.”

Keep digging…

4,000,000, 5,000,000, 6,000,000 7,000,000 ,8,000,000, 9,000,000, 10,000,000, big jump!!

One billion! Two billion! Three billion and more,

Reforest our planet, replace and restore.

The oak, the walnut, horse chestnut and pine,

Will make good our future, both yours and mine.

…and they’re great fun to climb!

Keep digging…

River of song 🔊

Walk the Earth in harmony. An appreciation of what we have been bequeathed and how we all have a duty of care.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

A river of song will carry us along,

Run river, run river, gentle river of song.

Chorus

Sun shines, rain falls, cherish life, treasure all,

As we walk, walk the earth in harmony,

Walk, walk the earth in harmony,

Join together and sing as one! X2

A mountain of song will carry us afar,

Up twisting pathways, to reach for the stars.

A forest of song will carry us on through,

Dark ancient places so shady and cool.

An ocean of song will carry us away,

Roar, as we soar, o'er your wild restless waves.

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