Seasonal
songs
Spring
T-Z
The
best eggs
The
birds’ roundelay
The
butterfly song
The
daisy rhyme
The
donkey and the cuckoo
The
fairy ball
The
fairy ring
The
fairy ring (2)
The
gardening song
The
leprechaun
The
little brown bulbs
The
winter now is over
This
is my garden
Tirra-lirra-lirra
To
people who have gardens
Twig
by twig
Also find Spring poems and songs at:
Last updated: 4/17/2023
10:13 AM
The songs below are part of ‘Away we
go’ compiled, adapted and illustrated
by Dany Rosevear
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To listen to music from these
songs click on O
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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Your
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The best eggs 🔊 A cheerful
nonsense ditty for and after the Easter treasure hunt. I saw a sign
for free range eggs on the way to the swimming pool and the bouncy walking
rhythm set off this song. Words and
music by Dany Rosevear. |
The best eggs are free
range eggs, With chickens on the run; A-picking and a-pecking And having lots of fun. Fun, fun! And having lots
of fun, Fun, fun, fun! Having lots
of fun. The best legs are free
range legs, They take you everywhere, They skip along to silly
songs, And dance without a care. Dance, dance! And dance
without a care, Dance, dance, dance! Dance
without a care. The best beds are cosy
beds, That do not groan or
squeak, But take you off to
dreamland As soon as you’re asleep. Dream, dream! As soon as
you’re asleep, Dream, dream, dream! As
soon as you’re asleep. |
The birds’ roundelay 🔊 ‘A joyous song
full of bird music and other delights of Spring.’ From ‘The
half-way house song book’ by Lucy M. Welch published 1953? Tune: French
folk song, ‘Aupres de ma blonde’ Words from the French. Adapted and
arranged by Dany Rosevear. |
I see from out my window The lilacs blooming fair; With every wind of heaven, Come birds a-nesting
there, From East and West come
flying, From mountain, moor and
glen. Chorus Carol, merrily, carol, Sing a roundelay, lay,
lay! Carol, merrily, carol And sing to me today! From East and West come
flying, From mountain, moor and
glen, The blackbird and the
swallow, The thrush, the dove and
wren. They sing for us my dear
friends, Their melodies so true. Chorus |
The daisy rhyme 🔊 A calendar
circle dance from Somerset. The daisy
verse references an old Somerset saying, ‘If you can put your foot on twelve
daisies at once Spring has really come.’ Adapted from
‘The posy rhyme’ which has a verse for each season, see below. It can be
found in ‘The chime child’ or ‘Somerset singers’ collected by Rut L. Tongue.
I plan to do one verse each season. Music adapted by Dany Rosevear as the
original tune was too difficult for my meagre talents; I have written a
simpler melody, hopefully more suited to the young. Form a ‘slow’ circle ‘with an in-and-out walking step and swinging of
arms.’ |
The daisy, the daisy, she
sits in the grass, Where the little birds
nest and the little lambs pass, She grows, oh she grows,
in a fine silver ring, And when there are twelve,
it is the sweet, sweet Spring. |
The briar, the briar, she
sits up above,
Where noone may pick her to
give to their love,
She grows, oh she grows, all
so sweet as any rose,
And sweetly she smells when
that Summer is close.
The apples, the apples,
a-hanging so red,
A-bending the branches that
bow overhead,
They grow, oh they grow, and
are sweet to the tongue,
Apples, fine apples, when
September be done.
The holly, the holly, ashing
to sight,
Its leaves they do glisten,
its berries be bright,
It grows, oh it grows, at
the ending of the year,
To cheer our houses when
Christmas is near.
The butterfly song 🔊 Written by
Mary Lu Walker. We do not live
by ourselves however comfortable that might be; we need each other and we
need to work together to ensure we have a world is fit for everyone. |
Once there was a
caterpillar living in a shell, Happy to be in a place
where everything went well. No one to bother him, no
other worms to see, Locked up in his dark
cocoon he thought that he was free. CHORUS Hey little worm, don’t you
see, Only butterflies are free. Come out of your shell and
fly with me, Only butterflies are free. Something shook that
caterpillar, as he slept one day. Woke him up and gave him
wings and helped him fly
away. People, too, can live in
shells, afraid of being free, But whatever changed that
fearful worm can change both you and me. |
The
donkey and the cuckoo O This German song ‘Der Kuckuck und der Esel’was loosely translated by Mabel Willson in her
book Music Time. It was also recorded for BBC radio ‘Time and tune’. |
The donkey and the cuckoo, They quarrel every day; Who is the finest singer In the merry month of May, Who is the finest singer In the merry month of May? ‘Cuckoo!’ the bird sings loudly, Until his throat is sore, And the donkey bellows proudly With a gruff ‘Hee-haw, hee-haw!’ ‘Cuckoo!’ ‘Hee-haw!’ together, They make a lively din: But they cannot hear each other, So they don’t know which should win. |
The fairy ball 🔊 Saint
Patrick’s Day celebrations need leprechauns. You can find many more Irish
themed songs at:(1)
Irish songs for children - YouTube I found this
poem in ‘365 stories and rhymes for boys’ but without the book have not been
able to discover the name of the author. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
Late at night when the
moon is bright, And the air is soft and
still, Pixies peep and fairies
creep, And goblins roam at will. Elves sneak out, and slink
about, Leprechauns come leaping. Little sprites wave magic
lights, While the world is
sleeping. Singing songs, they skip
along, Towards the forest glade. Hung with lights, all
twinkling bright, While gentle music’s
played. They appear, from far and
near, A host of fairy folk. This happy band dance hand
in hand, Beneath the ancient oak. |
The fairy ring 🔊 A circle game
for all seasons. The words are anonymous and the music was written by Herbert
Wiseman for “A 3rd 60 songs for little children” published by OUP
in 1960. It is also sometimes sung to “Twinkle, twinkle little star.” Play as below
or make fairy rings with hoops or rope circles. Accompany with bell
percussion as children dance in and out of the circles. When the music stops,
if a child is ‘caught’ inside the circle they pretend to fall asleep until
the music resumes. Children join hands and skip in a ring, one child
could act as the Fairy Queen in the centre; move slowly for the first verse
then faster for the second. |
Let us dance and let us
sing, Dancing in a merry ring; We'll be fairies on the
green, Sporting round the Fairy
Queen. Like the seasons of the
year Round we circle in a
sphere; I’ll be Summer, you’ll be
Spring, Dancing in a fairy ring. Spring and summer glide
away, Autumn comes with tresses
gay; Winter hand in hand with
spring Dancing in a fairy ring. Faster, faster, round we
go, While our cheeks so rosy
glow; Free as birds upon the
wing Dancing in a fairy ring! |
The fairy ring (2) 🔊 A poem by Margaret E.
Johnson set around traditional folklore that I heard as a child. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
Beneath the pussy-willow
tree, I found a fairy ring. A ring of tiny toadstools, Where fairies dance and
sing. I've heard that on a
moonlit night, Or on a sunny day, The fairies come to dance
and sing, And make up games to play. So if you find a fairy ring, While playing out of
doors, Be very careful where you
step, For magic can be yours. Now if you catch a
Leprechaun, And if you hold him tight, He'll buy his freedom with
a wish, So wish with all your
might. And then you let him go
again To wend his merry way. Be sure to watch for fairy
rings When you go out to play. |
The gardening song 🔊 Gather your
tools together and get planting. An action song. 1. Dig, rake and hoe. 2. Plant in the palm of your
hand. 3. Tip ‘water’ onto palm and pretend to weed. 4. Wipe brow. 5. Hands
under chin, mimic eathing and rub tummy. |
First you take a shovel, a
rake, and a hoe; Plant a little garden,
plant seeds in a row. Water them and weed them, All through all the summer
heat And then you'll have some
flowers and vegetables to eat. |
The leprechaun 🔊 This can be found in BBC Publications ‘Singing Together’, Spring 1974. Possibly written by Robert Dwyer Joyce in 1873 but this is somewhat
contentious see: http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/forum/975.html
A ‘cruiskeen’
is a small jug. |
In a shady nook, one
moonlit night, A leprechaun I spied; With a scarlet cap and
coat of green, A cruiskeen by his side. ‘Twas “tic, tac tic” his
hammer went, Upon a weeny shoe; And I laughed to think of
a purse of gold, But the fairy was laughing
too! With tiptoe step and
beating heart, Quite softly I drew nigh; There was mischief in his
merry face, A twinkle in his eye. He hammered and sang with
his tiny voice, And sipped the mountain
dew, And I laughed to think he
was caught at last; But the fairy was laughing
too! As quick as thought I
seized the elf; “Your fairy purse!” I
cried. “The purse,” he said,
“’tis in the hand Of that lady by your
side.” I turned to look: the elf
was gone, And what was I to do? O! I laughed to think what
a fool I’d been; And the fairy was laughing
too! |
The little brown bulbs 🔊 How still can
you stay until Spring comes tiptoeing along? Music by Dany
Rosevear. This song is
an adaptation of Margaret Prescott Montague’s poem; there are many versions
of this delightful rhyme. See the
original at: https://skokisok3.wordpress.com/tag/poetry/ Curl up small like a bulb, put a finger to lips at
the right time and be ready to spring up like a flower at the end. |
The little brown bulbs
went to sleep in the ground, In their little bed
jackets they slept very sound. Old King Winter he roared
and he raged overhead, But the little brown bulbs
never stirred in their beds. Yes, the little brown
bulbs never stirred in their beds. But when Spring came
tiptoeing over the lea, With finger to lips, just
as soft as could be, The little brown bulbs all
lifted their heads, Threw off their jackets
and jumped out of bed! Threw off their jackets
and jumped out of bed! |
The winter now is over 🔊 An Italian /
Swiss folk song. Hear it sung in Italian at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSK4SoC0SZo
. |
The winter now is over, And April rains are past; I know I heard this
morning The cuckoo’s song at last. Chorus Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Oh, can’t you hear it too? I know I heard this
morning The cuckoo’s song so true. High up in the mountains, The snow has gone away; The cuckoo finds a nest Where her little eggs can
lay. Chorus L’inverno e passato L’aprile non c’e piu E ritornato il maggio Al canto del cucu. Cucu, cucu, l’aprile non
c’e piu E ritornato il maggio al
canto del cucu. |
This is my garden 🔊 Time to get
planting - a Spring hand play. Music by Dany
Rosevear. 1. Place hand palm up. Rake hand with fingers. Pretend to sprinkle
seeds. Pat palm with fingers. 2. Circle arms overhead. Wiggle fingers downwards. Make fists then
open fingers slowly. Stretch hands up high. |
This is my garden, I’ll rake it with care And then some flower seeds I will plant there. The sun will shine And the rain will fall, And my garden will
blossom, Growing straight and tall. |
Tirra-lirra-lirra 🔊 This spirited
song for the seasons is a traditional German folksong. The English
translation by John Erwin can be found in ‘140 Folk-songs’ from the Concord
series published in 1922 by E. C. Schirmer Music Co. Skip in a circle clockwise and then counter
clockwise. |
Tirra-lirra-lirra, in the
spring, Orioles and robins sweetly
sing; From the leafy branches we
can hear, Tirra-lirra-lirra ringing
clear! Tirra-lirra-lirra, is our
song, When the lovely summer
days are long; Rowing on the river or the
sea, Tirra-lirra-lirra, sing with
glee. Tirra-lirra-lirra, soft and
low, Hear the brook in winter
’neath the snow; Though the leaves are dead
where e’er we look, Tirra-lirra-lirra, sings the
brook. |
To people who have gardens 🔊 Written by
Agnes Mure Mackenzie of Stornoway in 1921 with music arranged by Marjorie
Kennedy Fraser. The version below has come from BBC
School’s ‘Music Time’ Spring 1983. Dany Rosevear has added the chords. |
A day's work, a week's
work, as I go up and down, There are many gardens all
about the town. One that's bright with daffodils,
one with children playing, One that’s white with
cherry flower, another red with may. Kitten and a lilac bush,
petals gently falling, Later crimson roses,
against a granite wall. I have passed your garden
gate, when you never knew, And people who have
gardens, I give my thanks to you. |
Twig by twig 🔊 A Spring hand
play. Earlier this month
I watched as a magpie flew regularly across our garden with a large twig in
its beak, I was unable to follow it to its destination but could imagine what
would happen next. Words and
music Dany Rosevear. Verse
1. Hold up fingers one at a time. Cross hands at the wrist and flap. Hands
make a nest. 2. Hold up fingers one at a time. Tap on hand. Open hands at
wrist. 3. Hold up wiggling fingers one at a time. Open thumbs and
forefingers. 4. Hold up fingers one at a time. Cross forefingers and fly
away. |
One twig, two twigs, three
twigs, four, Five twigs, six twigs,
seven and more, Carried by a magpie flying
through the sky, To make a sturdy nest in a
tree up high. One egg, two eggs, three
eggs, four, Five eggs, six eggs, seven
and more, Who is that a-tapping with
a tippety-tap, Now watch the little
chicks as they start to hatch. One worm, two, worms,
three worms, four, Five worms, six worms,
seven and more, Mother bird is feeding her
very hungry brood, Beaks wide open for their
wiggly food. One chick, two chicks,
three chicks, four, Five chicks, six chicks,
seven and more, Follow each chick as it
grows each day, Til each chick is big
enough to fly, fly away. |
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