Games galore in Gryphon’s Garden

Song cupboard 1

A basket full of nuts

A cat came a-fiddling out of a barn

A frog went walking on a summer’s day

A hundred years is a very long time

A little bird sat on a tree

Billy Boy

Bobby Shaftoe

Bought me a cat

Captain Patch the pirate

Cluck, old hen

Don’t drop litter

Don’t waste water

Down in the forest

Down in the meadow, hop a doodle

Ducks in the millpond

Free little bird

Fiddle-de-dee / The Fly has married the Bumble Bee

Farmer Brown’s cow

Go tell Aunt Rhody

Grasshoppers three

Honey spread on brown, brown, bread

Ifca’s castle

I have a little tiny house

I saw a ship a-sailing

I went to the animal fair

I went to the cabbages

Jack the lad and Jim

Jelly on a plate

Katie Beardie

Last updated: 8/2/2015 1:10 PM

The songs below are part of ‘Away we go’ Round and about

compiled, adapted and illustrated by Dany Rosevear

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home

To listen to music from these songs click on O

To watch the author sing a song click on the title at:

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.

A basketful of nuts O

A song from the Dutch tradition. The English words are by R. Elkin and the song comes from Mabel F. Wilson’s ‘Music time’ an infant teacher’s classic in the 1960s.

A basket full of nuts I’ve gathered from my auntie’s tree,

And now I’m going home and I am taking them all with me.

Fa la la, fa la la, fa la la la la la la,

A basket full of nuts I’ve gathered from my auntie’s tree.

A cat came a-fiddling out of a barn O

This is more traditionally known as: ‘A cat came fiddling out of a barn’.

I came across it in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (edited by Iona and Peter Opie) where it was noted that the earliest form of this rhyme appeared in a Wiltshire manuscript and in Nursery Songs and London Jingles both dated around 1740.

A cat came a-fiddling out of a barn,

With a pair of bagpipes under her arm.

She could play nothing but fiddle-cum-fee,

The mouse has married the bumble bee.

Pipe, cat; dance, mouse;

We'll have a wedding at our good house,

Pipe, cat; dance, mouse;

We'll have a wedding at our good house,

A pig came a-dancing out of the barn,

With a pair of drums tucked under his arm.

He could play nothing but diddle-dum-dee,

The mouse has married the bumble bee.

Pipe, cat; dance, mouse;

We'll have a wedding at our good house…

A cow came dancing out of the barn,

With a big brass horn under her arm.

She could play nothing but tootle-tum-tee,

The mouse has married the bumble bee.

Pipe, cat; dance, mouse;

We'll have a wedding at our good house…

A frog went walking on a summer’s day O

This is more traditionally known as: Frog went a-courtin’’. This version is adapted from Barbara Ireson and Christopher Rowe’s ‘Over and over again’ published in 1978. A slightly different song was recorded by the Wiggles in Australia.

A frog went walking on a summer’s day,

A hum, a hum.

A frog went walking on a summer’s day,

He met Miss Mousie on the way,

A hum, a hum, a hum, a hum, a hum.

He said, “Miss Mousie will you marry me?”

A hum, a hum,

He said, “Miss Mousie will you marry me?

We’ll live together in an apple tree.”

A hum, a hum, a hum, a hum, a hum.

The first to the wedding was Mr. Pig,

A hum, a hum,

The first to the wedding was Mr. Pig,

He played the guitar and danced a jig,

A hum, a hum, a hum, a hum, a hum.

And what do you think they had for supper?

A hum, a hum,

And what do you think they had for supper?

A fried mosquito and bread and butter.

Yum yum, yum yum, yum yum, yum yum, yum yum.

And what do you think they had on the shelf?

A hum, a hum,

And what do you think they had on the shelf?

If you want to know go look for yourself.

A hum, a hum, a hum, a hum, a hum.

A hundred years is a very long time O

A sea shanty to be believed – do try! A hundred years is a very long time – so true if you are young; if you are old it is no time at all!

A hundred years is a very long time,

Oh, yes, oh,

A hundred years is a very long time,

A hundred years ago.

They used to think that pigs could fly,

Oh, yes, oh,

I don't believe it no, not I,

A hundred years ago.

They thought the moon was made of cheese,

Oh, yes, oh,

You can believe it, if you please,

A hundred years ago.

They thought the stars was set alight,

Oh, yes, oh,

By some good angel every night,

A hundred years ago.

A hundred years is a very long time,

Oh, yes, oh,

A hundred years is a very long time,

A hundred years ago.

I thought I heard the old man say,

Oh, yes, oh,

That we were homeward bound today,

It's time for us to go!

A little bird sat on a tree O

A German song translated into English by Mabel F. Wilson from ‘Music time’ a infant teacher’s classic music book in the 1960s.

1, Open and close thumb and forefinger.

2. Move fore finger like a worm. Make hands fly.

3. Brush cheeks for cat’s whiskers.

4. Hold up hands in crouching position. Count with fingers to three.

5. Clap hands.

6. Make hands fly, hold hands to chest.

A little bird sat on a tree, on a tree, on a tree,

A little bird sat on a tree:

Still was he.

He saw his breakfast on the grass, on the grass, on the grass

He saw his breakfast on the grass:

Down flew he!

A pussy cat was hiding there, hiding there, hiding there,

A pussy cat was hiding there

Near the tree.

He set himself to make a spring, make a spring, make a spring,

He set himself to make a spring:

One! Two! Three!

But we began to clap our hands, clap our hands, clap our hands,

But we began to clap our hands

Noisily!

So then our little bird flew off, bird flew off, bird flew off,

So then our little bird flew off:

Glad were we.

Billy Boy O

I have had fun trying to recall this song I sang at a Norfolk school in the 1950s not so successfully. This is more or less as I remember it and put together with a little help from the internet!

It has a Roud number 326.

Where have you been all the day, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Where have you been all the day, charming Billy?

I have been to seek a wife, she’s the idol of my life,

She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

Did she ask you to come in, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Did she ask you to come in, charming Billy?

Yes, she asked me to come in, there's a dimple on her chin.

She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

Can she make a cherry pie…

She can make a cherry pie in the twinkling of an eye…

Can she sew and can she spin…

She can sew and she can spin, she can do most anything…

Can she make a feather bed…

She can make a feather bed with the feet up at the head…

How old is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

How old is she, charming Billy?

Three times six and four times seven,

Twenty-eight and eleven,

She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

Bobby Shaftoe O

A song with a delightfully jolly and bouncy tune, Bobby Shaftoe was a handsome fellow who broke the heart of a lady. He was also a parliamentarian from County Durham.

Find out more at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Shafto's_Gone_to_Sea

Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea,

Silver buckles on his knee;

He'll come back and marry me,

Bonny Bobby Shaftoe!

Bobby Shaftoe's bright and fair,

Combing down his yellow hair;

He’s my ain for evermair,

Bonny Bobby Shaftoe!

Bobby Shafto's getten a bairn,

For to dangle on his arm;

In his arm and on his knee,

Bobby Shafto loves me.^[

Bobby Shaftoe's been to sea,

Silver buckles on his knee;

He's come back to marry me,

Bonny Bobby Shaftoe!

Bought me a cat O

A classic American children’s folk song.

Use puppets to help children remember the order of each farm animal. For even more fun allocate animal masks, they can make their own, to a group of children who stand up from squatting each time their animal is named.

Bought me a cat, the cat pleased me,

Fed my cat under yonder tree.

Cat went fiddle-i-fee, fiddle-i-fee.

Bought me a hen, the hen pleased me,

Fed my hen under yonder tree.

Hen went chipsy-chopsy,

Cat went fiddle-i-fee, fiddle-i-fee.

Bought me a duck, the duck pleased me,

Fed my duck under yonder tree.

Duck went slishy, sloshy,

Hen went chipsy-chopsy,

Cat went fiddle-i-fee, fiddle-i-fee.

Bought me a goose, the goose pleased me,

Fed my goose under yonder tree.

Goose went quaa,

Duck went slishy, sloshy,

Hen went chipsy-chopsy,

Cat went fiddle-i-fee, fiddle-i-fee.

Bought me a sheep... Sheep went baa...

Bought me a cow... Cow went moo...

Bought me a horse ... Horse went neigh...

Bought me a baby... Baby went whaa..

Bought me a wife... Wife went honey, honey ...

Captain Patch the pirate O

A song from the BBC-TV Watch programme; words by Tom Stanier, music by Elizabeth Bennett. It also appears in ‘Knock at the Door’ by Jan Betts 1980 Ward Lock Educational.

Captain Patch the pirate had a crew of fifty three.

He sailed the seven seas aboard his boat the ‘Nancy Free’

Yo-ho-ho, Yo-ho-ho, aboard the ‘Nancy Free’. X2

Many merchant ships he found, and many ships he sank.

And those who met the Nancy Free were made to walk the plank.

Splish, splash, splosh, splish, splash, splosh, were made to walk the plank. X2

Captain Patch was awful fierce and so were all his crew.

But they kept leaving things behind and that you mustn’t do.

Yo-ho-ho, Yo-ho-ho, and that you mustn’t do. X2

One day they leapt aboard an English ship of forty tons.

And they were so forgetful they forgot to bring their guns

Yo-ho-ho, Yo-ho-ho, forgot to bring their guns. X2

The English captain jumped for joy: ‘Arrest those men’ said he.

We’ve captured Captain Patch and all his crew of fifty three.

Yo-ho-ho, Yo-ho-ho, his crew of fifty three. X2

‘What a silly blunder for such pirates bold to make.

Now we’ll make them walk the plank to pay for their mistake.’

Splish, splash, splosh, splish, splash, splosh, to pay for their mistake. X2

That’s the end of Captain Patch and all his pirate larks.

His end delighted everyone, including lots of sharks.

Yo-ho-ho, Yo-ho-ho, including lots of sharks. X2

Cluck, old hen O

A great favourite for banjo claw hammering. This version comes from Alex Usher’s ‘Children’s song favourites’. You can find many more versions at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=61809

My old hen's a good old hen,

She lays eggs for the railroad men.

Sometimes eight, and sometimes ten;

That's enough eggs for the railroad men.

Chorus

Cluck, old hen, cluck and call!

Ain't laid an egg since way last fall.

Cluck, old hen, cluck and sing!

Ain't laid an egg since way last spring.

Cluck, old hen, cluck a lot,

If you don’t cluck, you’ll be put in a pot!

Cluck, old hen, cluck I say,

Cluck, old hen, or I’ll give you away.

Chorus

My old hen is fine and true,

She lays eggs and 'taters too,

Sometimes an onion, one or two…

Then jumps in the pot for a chicken stew!

Cows in the kitchen O

Tom Farmer has fallen asleep and allowed the farm animals into the house – he needs to be woken up! (It is a good idea to place hands round the mouth when shouting to protect children’s ears!)

Children can have great fun making up other alliterative lines for more farmyard animals.

Cows in the kitchen, moo, moo, moo,

What shall we do Tom Farmer?

Ducks in the dustbin, quackerdy doo,

What shall we do Tom Farmer?

Cats in the cupboard, doggies too,

What shall we do Tom Farmer?

Pigs in the pantry, oink, oink, oink,

What shall we do Tom Farmer?

Tom Farmer in the haystack fast asleep,

(SHOUT) Time to wake up Tom Farmer!

Chase them away with a shoo, shoo, shoo,

That's what we'll do Tom Farmer.

Don’t drop litter O

Start early learning how to contribute to a world free from rubbish.

This song is sung to the tune of ‘Ten green bottle’.

Don’t drop litter, put it in the bin,

Let’s keep our playgrounds tidy,

Keep them neat and clean,

So don’t drop litter, put it in the bin!

No crisp packets, put them in the bin!

No sweet wrappers, put them in the bin!

Let’s keep the streets around us

Tidy, neat and clean,

So don’t drop litter, put it in the bin!

No plastic rubbish, put it in the bin!

No cans and bottles, put them in the bin!

Keep parks and woodlands tidy,

Keep them neat and green,

So don’t drop litter, put it in the bin!

Please recycle plastic, paper, tin,

Please recycle, put it in a bin,

Let’s keep our planet tidy,

Keep it clean and green,

So please recycle, put it in a bin!

Don’t waste water O

Words and music by Kate Umansky.

We all need to think about the conservation of this precious commodity.

Don’t waste water,

Don’t let the water run out;

The crops will die and the grass won’t grow,

The well will run dry

And the streams won’t flow.

Think what you’re doing,

We don’t want to end with a drought.

So don’t waste water ,

Don’t let the water run out, oh no,

Don’t let the water run out!

Down in the forest O

This is a short version of the French song ‘Dans la forêt lointaine’ and can be found in its original language at:

http://singinggamesforchildren.com/A%20Cluster%202.4%20Allonsy/31to43%20Jouons%20tous%20ensemble.htm. It is also translated as ‘Down in yonder forest’.

Enjoy making bird noises. It can be sung as a round.

Nearby there is a forest,

And there the cuckoo sings.

From high up in the oak tree,

He tells us it is Spring.

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

He tells us it is Spring.

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

He tells us it is Spring.

Far off in yonder forest,

An owl is out of sight.

From high up in the oak tree,

He tells us it is night.

Hoo-oo! Hoo-oo!

He tells us it is night.

Hoo-oo! Hoo-oo!

He tells us it is night.

Down in the meadow, hop a doodle O

A song with a regular beat. Children will enjoy tapping to the pulse or hopping in time to the music.

Down in the meadow, hop a doodle, hop a doodle,

Down in the meadow, hop a doodle doo!

Down in the meadow the horse began to prance,

The cow began to whistle and the pig began to dance.

Down in the barnyard, hop a doodle, hop a doodle,

Down in the barnyard, hop a doodle doo!

Down in the barnyard the goose began to sing, The hen began to cackle, as the rooster flapped a wing.

Hop a doodle, hop a doodle,

Hop a doodle doo,

Hop a doodle, hop a doodle,

Hop a doodle doo!

Ducks in the millpond O

A song from Virginia USA.

Ducks in the millpond, geese in the clover,

Fell in the millpond, got wet all over.

Lawd, Lawd, gonna get on a rinktum,

Lawd, Lawd, gonna get on a rinktum.

Ducks in the millpond, geese in the clover,

Jumped in the bed, And the bed turned over.

Monkey in the barnyard, a-monkey in the stable,

Monkey get your haircut as soon as you are able.

Rain come and wet me, sun come and dry me,

Step back pretty girl, don't come a-nigh me.

Farmer Brown’s cow O

This Belgian folk song could support a discussion about healthy eating.

There are a lot more verses to be found online or you could make up your own.

This could also be played as a circle game standing next to a partner. Bend knees up and down for each of the verses; then link arms with partner and skip round first one way and then the other.

Old Farmer Brown he had a cow, had a cow, had a cow,

But she got sick, I don't know how.

All she said was Moo-oo.

Chorus:

Hey, hey, hey! Wouldn't you say,

That would make it go away?

Hey, hey, hey! Wouldn't you say,

That's all for today. HEY!

Her friend, the pig brought chocolate cake, chocolate cake, chocolate cake,

To see if that would help her ache.

But all she said was “Moo!”

The little duck brought gingerbread, gingerbread, gingerbread,

To see if that would clear her head.

But all she said was “Moo!”

The farmer's dog brought cherry tart, cherry tart, cherry tart,

To ease the pain above her heart.

But all she said was “Moo!”

The old black sheep brought ham and eggs, ham and eggs, ham and eggs,

To help her stand upon her legs.

But all she said was “Moo!”

The farmer brought a load of grain, load of grain, load of grain,

And then she didn't have a pain.

All she said was “Moo!”

Now you may want to sing some more, sing some more, sing some more,

But now her throat is feeling sore

Cause all she said was “Moo!”

Fiddle-de-dee O

Once familiar as ‘The fly has married the humble bee’; this version is from New England. Crane’s ‘Baby’s Bouquet’ 1897 had a similar version.

The Opie’s suggest that the ‘The cat came a fiddling out of the barn’ and this song were once sung together.

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee,

Says the Fly, says he, "Will you marry me?

And live with me, sweet Bumble Bee?"

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee.

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee,

Says the Bee, says she, "I'll live under your wing,

And you'll never know I carry a sting."

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee.

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee,

So when Parson Beetle had joined the pair,

They both took off to take to the air.

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee.

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee,

And the bees did buzz and the bells did ring,

Did ever you hear a merrier thing!

Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddle-de-dee,

The Fly has married the Bumble Bee.

Free little bird O

I came across this song in ‘American folk songs for children’ by Ruth Crawford Seeger published by Doubleday, 1948.

’Where those bad boys will’ has been changed to ‘Where no-one can’ which is found in other more recent renderings of this song.

I'm as free a little bird as I can be,

I'll build my nest in the sour apple tree,

Where no-one can ever bother me.

Oh, who will shoe your little foot,

And who will glove your little hand,

And who will kiss your sweet rosy cheeks

When I'm gone to that far distant land?

Oh, it's mama will shoe my little foot,

And it's papa will glove my little hand,

And it's you shall kiss my sweet rosy cheeks

When you come from that far distant land.

Take me home, little birdie, take me home,

Take me home by the light of the moon,

With the moon a-shining bright and the stars a-giving light

Take me home to my mama, take me home.

Go tell Aunt Rhody O

A traditional made well known by Pete Seeger A popular choice in schools in the 1960 and was. Find out more about this sad tale at: http://www.balladofamerica.com/music/indexes/songs/gotellauntrhody/index.htm

Go tell Aunt Rhody,

Go tell Aunt Rhody

The old grey goose is dead.

The one she's been saving,

The one she's been saving

To make a feather bed.

She died in the mill pond,

She died in the mill pond

Standing on her head.

The goslings are crying,

The goslings are crying

Because their mammy's dead.

The old gander’s weeping,

Because his wife is dead.

Go tell Aunt Rhody,

Go tell Aunt Rhody

The old grey goose is dead.

Honey spread on brown, brown bread O

Mmmmm!

I believe this is a Czech song.

The words are by Edith M Clark; I wrote the middle verse.

Honey spread on brown, brown, bread.

Nothing else I'll have instead.

Supper comes at nine,

I shall have for mine

Honey spread on brown, brown bread.

All the little bees, it’s said,

Pollinate the flowerbeds,

And when they get back home,

Fill their honeycombs

With honey for my brown, brown bread.

How do all those tiny bees,

Make their honey with such ease?

They make lots and lots,

To fill so many pots

With honey for my brown, brown bread.

When I'm led away to bed,

Beneath my counterpane of red

I shall dream of bees

And of yellow seas,

Honey spread on brown, brown bread.

I have a little tiny house O

This is from the traditional Welsh song ‘ Tŷ Bach Twt’ ‘The tidy little house’ You can find the Welsh version at: http://www.mamalisa.com/?lang=Welsh&t=es&p=2547#multimediaBoxInternalLink

The words here are a delightful take by Mari Griffiths and originally came from the BBC radio Music Box programme.

I have a little tiny house,

A tiny house, a tiny house.

I have a little tiny house,

That’s right beside the seaside.

Hi-dee-ho, de-hi-dee-hi-dee-ho,

That’s right beside the seaside.

I do no work, I sit and watch,

I sit and watch, I sit and watch.

I do no work, I sit and watch,

The high tide and the low tide.

Hi-dee-ho, de-hi-dee-hi-dee-ho,

The high tide and the low tide.

And here I live and eat and sleep,

And eat and sleep, and eat and sleep;

And here I live and eat and sleep,

Contented by the fireside.

Hi-dee-ho, de-hi-dee-hi-dee-ho,

Contented by the fireside.

I saw a ship a-sailing O

Iona and Peter Opie say in their’ Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes’ that the lines below were copied with some variation into a family album of verse, dated 1815,by a Mrs Elizabeth Susannah Graham.

A version with ‘raisins in the cabin, And almonds in the hold ‘is from ’Ye fairy ship’ by Walter Crane and the tune below with slight changes comes from ‘The Baby's Bouquet, A Fresh Bunch of Rhymes and Tunes’ by Walter Crane (1878).

I am more familiar with the words below.

A correspondent for the Revue Celtique, 1880, saw children singing it as they danced in a circle imitating ducks.

I saw a ship a-sailing,

A-sailing on the sea;

And oh, but it was laden,

With pretty things for me!

There were comfits in the cabin,

And apples in the hold;

The sails were made of satin,

And the masts were made of gold.

The four-and-twenty sailors

That stood between the decks,

Were four-and-twenty white mice

With chains about their necks.

The captain was a duck, a duck,

With a packet on his back;

And when the ship began to move,

The captain said, "Quack! Quack! "

I went to the animal fair O

Have fun with the sound effects in this song using the voice or percussion..

Sung by American sailors as early as 1898; the words were more appropriate to a seafaring life ‘The monkey he got drunk’ More modern versions end with: ‘And that was the end of the monkey...’

It was also popular as an American minstrel song where ‘the monk, the monk, the monk, the monk...’ was sung ad infinitum.

I went to the animal fair,

The birds and the beasts were there,

The big baboon by the light of the moon

Was combing his auburn hair.

The monkey fell out of his bunk, Bump!

And slid down the elephant's trunk, Wheee!

The elephant sneezed, Atchoo!

And fell on his knees, Oh dear!

And what became of the monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey,

And what became of the monk?

I went to the cabbages O