Summer
songs O-S
Oh,
Mister Sun
Oh,
oh, the sunshine
Oh
what a beautiful morning
Paint-box
/ Cauliflowers fluffy
Picnic
tea
Play
on the seashore
Riding
on a donkey
Ring,
ring my bicycle
Rockpool
safari
Roll
with the waves
Seagull,
seagull sit on the shore
Seagull,
seagull sit on the shore (2)
Seashell,
seashell
Seaside
fun
Shadows
go round
Shake
the papaya down
Shore
Sing
a song of sunshine
Sponge
fishing
Summer
sunset
Summertime
Sunbeams
and shadows
Also
see:
Down in the grass, curled up in
a heap
She sailed away on a lovely summer’s day
Last updated: 7/25/2022
10:24 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 page
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:
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you must give the original author credit
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you may not use this work for commercial purposes
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Your
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Oh,
Mister Sun O I began this song on a lovely sunny
Spring day; by the time I’d finished it was pouring with rain. There’s always
hope though! |
Oh, Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun, please shine down on me. Oh, Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun, hiding behind a tree. These little children are asking you, to please come out so we can play
with you. Oh, Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun, won’t you please shine down on
me? Oh, Mistress Moon, Moon, bright and silvery moon, please shine down on
me. Oh, Mistress Moon, Moon, bright and silvery moon, hiding behind a tree. These little children are asking you, to please come out so we can
sleep for you. Oh, Mistress Moon, Moon, bright and silvery moon, won’t you please
shine down on me? Oh, little stars, stars, little twinkling stars, please shine down on
me. Oh, little stars, stars, little twinkling stars, hiding behind a tree. These little children are asking you, to please come out so they can
wish on you. Oh, little stars, stars, little twinkling stars, won’t you please shine
down on, Please shine down on, please shine down on me? |
Oh,
oh, the sunshine O A song from Texas from ‘American
songs for children’ 1948 by Ruth Crawford Seeger. This song covers clothing weather
and colour topics! |
Oh, oh, the sunshine, Oh, oh, the sunshine, Oh, oh, the sunshine, Sally's got a red dress, buttoned behind, Sally's got a red dress, buttoned behind. Oh, oh, you can’t shine, Oh, oh, you can’t shine, Oh, oh, you can’t shine, Ethan has green wellies on, ready for rain, Ethan has green wellies on, ready for rain. Nancy has blue jeans, buttoned in front… Isaac has black shoes with Velcro on top… |
Oh,
what a beautiful morning 🔊 A song that gives you a burst of
happiness when you hear it sung. A song that was oh, so familiar
through my childhood as my mother had a wonderful collection of the musical
shows at the time, this one was from Oklahoma!’ by Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein. I still wake up with this song in my head when the early morning
sun peeps through the window in the summertime, it is so cheerful. |
Chorus: Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling, Everything's going my way. There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, The corn is as high as an elephant's eye, An' it looks like its climbin' clear up to the sky. Chorus All the cattle are standing like statues, All the cattle are standing like statues, They don't turn their heads as they see me ride by. But a little brown mav'rick is winking her eye. Chorus All the sounds of the earth are like music, All the sounds of the earth are like music, The breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree, And an ol' Weepin' Willer is laughin' at me. Chorus |
Paint-box
/ Cauliflowers fluffy O A song for harvest time by V.P.
Mitchell and H.C. Mitchell. Sometimes called ‘Cauliflowers fluffy’ and
popular in school assemblies. It was a favourite of my infant
classes after a summer outing to sing on the coach journey back home. |
Cauliflowers fluffy and cabbages green, Strawberries sweeter than any I’ve seen. Beetroot purple and onions white: All grow steadily day and night. Chorus The apples are ripe, the plums are red, Broad beans are sleeping in a blankety bed. Blackberries juicy and rhubarb sour, Marrows fattening hour by hour, Gooseberries hairy and lettuces fat, Radishes round and runner beans flat. Chorus Orangey carrots and turnips cream, Reddening tomatoes that used to be green. Brown potatoes in little heaps, Down in the darkness where the celery sleeps. Chorus |
Picnic tea O A minibeast poem for
summer by David Harmer. Music by Dany Rosevear. Find his website at: http://davidharmer.com/poetry-days-in-schools/some-poems/
|
We found a shady spot
under a tree. Here’s what we had for
a picnic tea; We had ants in the
sandwiches, Wasps in the jam, Slugs in the lettuce
leaves, Beetles in the ham, Midges in the orange
juice, Flies on the cheese, Spiders on the
sausages, Ice-cream full of bees! |
Play on the seashore 🔊 The place to be when the
sun is warm It is soon the summer holidays and round here that means down to
the grandparents for trips to one of the many beaches a short trip away. Dramatise seashore play. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
Play on the seashore And gather up shells, Kneel in the damp sand, Digging wells. Run on the rocks Where the seaweed
slips, Watch waves roll in And the beautiful
ships. |
Ring, ring my bicycle 🔊 Practice makes perfect;
work hard to become an expert. A cheerful song to show how happy this can
make you. An Indonesian song by
A.T. Mahmud; it tells a story about two children who are given things, a
bicycle and shooes because they work hard. In my adaptation the children
succeed in a task because they try and try again. Translation by Dany
Rosevear. This Indonesian song and
music was sent to me by a very kind young teacher and her colleagues; I am
most grateful to Grace Sandy, Mr. Rudy, Ms.Tere and the rest of the team;
thank you! |
Ring, ring, ring, I’m
on my bike, It has handlebars I
like; Father taught me how to
ride, He knows just how hard
I tried! Tap, tap, tap, just see
my shoes, Made of leather, bright
and new; Mother shows me how to
dance, I practice hard at
every chance. Kring..kring
kring ada sepeda (ring..ring ring here is my bike) Sepedaku
roda tiga (it's a three wheels bike) Kudapat dari
ayah (I got it from my father) Karena rajin
bekerja (because I'm a hard worker) Tuk tuk tuk
ada sepatu (tap tap tap here are my shoes) Sepatu kulit
lembu (they are made of leather) Kudapat dari
ibu (I got it from my mother) Karena rajin
membantu (because I love to help her) |
Rockpool
safari 🔊 When the grandchildren come to
visit during the school holidays at least one day is spent on a beach where
there are rockpools and there is
always great excitement to be had discovering different creatures brought in
by the tide. A cup and bucket is all you need but make sure they are returned
to the pool once they have been identified. Words and music by Dany Rosevear. Make up more verses for other inhabitants:
seaweed, barnacle, mussel, blenny,
cuttle fish, anenome, prawn, limpet. |
I spy, identify! I spy a claw – what could it be? A crab, a crab, washed in by the sea. I spy a shell – what could it be? A whelk, a whelk, hiding from me! I spy an arm – what could it be? A starfish, a starfish, waving at me! I spy a tentacle – what could it be? A jellyfish, a jellyfish, please don’t sting me! I spy antennae – what could it be? A shrimp, a shrimp, as small as can be! |
Roll
with the waves 🔊 Music by Michael Levine, lyrics by Eric Litwin and Michael Levine,
they have a delightful site of accessible and often original songs, on
occasion using classical music as an inspiration at: https://www.thelearninggroove.com/
. |
Rolling, rolling; roll with the waves. x2 Come now with me to my boat on the sea, We'll bounce on the waves in the cool summer
breeze, Sometimes the boat, it will rock to and fro, So we let out the sail and away we go! Oh we are..
Rolling, rolling; roll with the waves. x2 Deep in the ocean there swims a blue whale, Watch as he moves with a swoosh of his tail, All of the fishies get out of his way Splashing about, you can hear the fish say that we
are... Rolling, rolling; roll with the waves. x4 |
Seagull, seagull sit on the shore 🔊 I originally found a
simple version of this on BBC Schools TV ‘Music time’ broadcast in the late
80s. This version is usually sung as a two part song and the arrangement was
written by Susan Brumfield. |
Seagull, seagull, sit
on the shore, sit on the shore, sit on the shore. Seagull, seagull, sit on
the shore, and sail on my Santy Anna. Captain, captain, hoist
up the sails, hoist up the sails, hoist up the sails, Captain, captain, hoist
up the sails, and sail on my Santy Anna. For my love is far
away, far away, far away, For my love is far
away, ‘cross the ocean. Blue horizon, heading
for home, heading for home, heading for home, Blue horizon, heading
for home, oh, sail on my Santy Anna. ‘Cross the waves and
back again, back again, back again, ‘Cross the waves and
back again, Santy Anna. Sail on my Santy Anna. |
Seagull, seagull sit on the shore
(2) 🔊 This simpler version for
younger children can be played as a hand play and comes from BBC Schools TV
‘Music time’ broadcast in the late 80s. The verses might be a little
different. 1. Cross hands at wrists,
flap and fly. 2. Make hand dip and dive. 3. Flap hands. 5. Pull at an
imaginary rope. |
Seagull, seagull, sit on
the shore, sit on the shore, sit on the shore. Seagull, seagull, sit
on the shore, sail away my Santy Anna. Penguin, penguin, swim
in the sea, swim in the sea, swim in the sea, Penguin, penguin, swim
in the sea, sail away my Santy Anna. Puffin, puffin, follow
the ship, follow the ship, follow the ship, Puffin, puffin, follow
the ship, sail away my Santy Anna. Captain, captain, hoist
up the sails, hoist up the sails, hoist up the sails, Captain, captain, hoist
up the sails, sail away my Santy Anna. |
Seashell, seashell 🔊 Hear the sea calling. It is
such a magical experience to pick up a conical shell and listen to the sound
of the sea. Music arranged by Dany Rosevear. Older children might like this one I wrote about the same experience:(1) Here is a seashell -
hear the sea calling - YouTube |
Seashell, seashell, Sing a song for me, Sing about the ocean, Tell me about the sea. Seashell, seashell, When I hold you near, I can hear the ocean, Whispering in my ear. |
Seaside fun 🔊 There is so much to do at the beach! Experience some of those lively
and more gentle movements with this seaside action game. Younger children
might like to just move to the first verse. Words and music by Dany Rosevear. 1. Jump up and down. Stretch. Flap arms and fly around. Curl up small.
2. Jump forward. Make swimming movements. Trot. Kneel and dig. 3. Wobble all
over. Sit and row. Mime holding a net and digging. Run the sit down and
pretend to eat. |
Bounce, bounce, bounce,
like a bouncy beach ball, Stretch up high, like a
lighthouse tall; Spread your wings, like a
sailing seagull, Curl up small like a sea
snail in its shell. Jump, jump, jump, over
little wavelets, Swim, swim, swim, like the
fishes in the sea; Trot, trot, trot, along
the beach like donkey, Dig, dig, dig, make a
sandcastle for me! Wibble, wibble, wobble,
like a floating jellyfish, Row, row, row, a boat so
merrily; Dip, dip, dip your net
into a rock pool Run to the shack to buy
fish and chips for tea! |
Shadows go round 🔊 A circle game to play outside on a sunny day; watch how the shadows lengthen and shorten as the circle moves round. Alternatively play with a
partner. Repeat
three times, the second quickly and the third slowly. |
Shadows go round,
shadows go round, Shadows go round with
me. Skip and dance in the
sunshine, All the way round with
me. |
Shake the papaya down 🔊 A calypso work song. It
works well as a partner song. A. Sing 1.-4.
sequencially. B. Sing 1.&2. together. C. Sing 1.&2. Together. D. Sing
2. |
1. Mama says no play,
this is a work day, Up with the bright sun,
get all the work done. If you will help me,
climb up the tall tree, Shake the papaya down. 2. Shake them down, shake
them down, Climb the tall tree,
shake them down, Shake them down, shake
them down, Shake the papaya down. 3. I love papaya, yes I
do, juicy papaya, yes I do, If you will help me,
I’ll help you, Shake the papaya down. 4. Sweet, sweet papaya,
fruit of the island, When all the work’s
done, dance on the white sands, If you will help me,
climb up the tall tree, Shake the papaya down. |
Shore 🔊 This delightful poem by
Mary Britton Miller gives a very succinct picture of time on the beach. Since
lockdown ended we have had the pleasure of taking the grandkids to three very
different beaches, oh what fun they had with a combination of these: damp
sand, dry sand, big waves, little waves, pebbles, rock pools, large rocks and
one beach where you could see a number of vast cruise ships parked offshore
waiting for better days. Music by Dany Rosevear.
This can be played as an action rhyme or hand play. |
Play on the seashore And gather up shells, Kneel in the damp sand, Digging wells. Run on the rocks Where the seaweed
slips, Watch the waves And the beautiful
ships. |
Sing a song of sunshine 🔊 A daytime wake up song. The sun is out, we’re
out, time to sing, shout and smile. 1. Draw a round sun and
wiggle fingers to make it shimmer. 2. Draw smile then repeat sun movement 3.
Sweep hands outwards. 4. Make smile again. 5. Conduct singing. |
Sing a song of
sunshine, Be happy every day. Sing a song of
sunshine, And chase those clouds
away; Be happy every moment No matter what you do, Just sing and sing and
sing and sing / smile and smile And let the sunshine
through! La, la, la, la, la, la,
la, la, La, la, la, la, la, la! |
Sponge fishing / Xekina mia psaropoula 🔊 A traditional song from
Greece. I remember this one from BBC broadcasting for Schools Music Box from
the 1980s but originally it came from ‘East West songs’ 1960. Hear ‘Xekina mia
psaropoula’ sung in its original language at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilZmeOc9FfQ and https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-trata-mas-i-kourelou/id1102324986. Australia has a
considerable Greek population and different interpretations of the song
published by the Australian ABC broadcasting for Schools are discussed here: file:///C:/Users/daros/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/49-218-1-PB.pdf. |
Ξεκινά μια ψαροπούλα απ’ το γιαλό, απ’ το γιαλό ξεκινά μια ψαροπούλα απ’ την Ύδρα τη μικρούλα και
πηγαίνει για σφουγγάρια, όλο γιαλό, όλο γιαλό Little boat we’ll go
a-fishing, Out from the shore, Out from the shore. When the evening bell
is ringing, Many sponges we’ll be
bringing, And we’ll sail for home
with singing, Out from the shore, Out from the shore. |
Summer sunset 🔊 An end of summer song by
Roger Quilter 1877-1953, he also wrote it to music in a classical style.
While I was reading the poem Alan was singing a folk song, ‘Brigg Fair’, the
poem and tune both seemed well matched hence the new setting by Dany
Rosevear. |
Golden gleams the sky; Lovely days of summer, You must bid goodbye. Don a veil of silver, Crown your head with gold, Ere the night has fallen Deep and dark, and cold. Dying days of summer, Lay you gently down With your shroud of silver And your golden crown. |
Summertime 🔊 A lullaby composed in 1934
by George Gershwin for the opera ‘Porgy and Bess’. The lyrics are by DuBose
Heyward. One from my mother’s
extensive collection of musical show LPs. All now sadly disappeared! |
Summertime, and the livin'
is easy, Fish are jumpin' and
the cotton is high. Oh, your daddy's rich,
and your ma is good-lookin', So hush little baby,
don't you cry. One of these mornings
you're gonna rise up singing, And you'll spread your wings
and you'll take to the sky. But till that morning
come, there ain't a-nothin' can harm you With mammy and pappy
standin' by. |
Sunbeams and shadows 🔊 How lovely it would be to
live our lives, making the most of the good times, with love and light in our
hearts. Having safely survived a recent
heatwave (small compared with elsewhere in the world!) I would like to
celebrate sunlight but also shade and shadows – they are not always the
darker side of life!! In these warmer days we
seek out those precious shady spots in our gardens, parks and countryside.
Perhaps to sit or picnic under the trees where it is cool; and where we can
appreciate the lovely patterns made as the sunlight filters through the
canopy above. Light and dark both play
their part in our lives. Learn to look for the
positive in each one and the beauty that can be found as they dance together
like those ephemeral butterflies, first there then flown away, disappearing,
perhaps fleetingly, as a cloud moves across the blue sky. Words and music by Dany
Rosevear. |
Sunbeams and shadows, Flicker softly through
the trees, Happy thoughts and sad
ones, Whisper with the gentle
breeze. Chorus Sunbeams and shadows, Hold them close to your
heart; Feathered wings and
flutterings Dipple-dappled, light
and dark. Sunbeams and shadows, Seek their cheerful,
merry ways; Frolicking together Best of friends, they
love to play. Chorus Sunbeams kiss the flowers, Shadows cool the
scented air; Butterflies a-dancing, Flying off, I know not
where. Chorus |
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