Song cupboard C-D

Cape Cod girls

Captain Patch the pirate

Catching smiles / Pass it on

Caterpillars only crawl

Chatter with the angels

Cluck, old hen

Cock Robin and Jenny Wren

Cockles and mussels

Country life

Cows in the kitchen

Crawdad song

Crocodile smiles

Crow on the cradle

Days of the week

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs

Dog and cat

Don’t drop litter

Don’t eat all the worms

Don’t waste water

Down in the forest

Down in the meadow, hop a doodle

Ducks in the millpond

Every day is a happy day / Lyn’s clapping song

Last updated: 1/9/2023 11:04 AM

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

compiled, adapted and illustrated by Dany Rosevear

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To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊

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

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Cape Cod girls O

A pentatonic version of this sailor’s shanty. Roud Number 325.

Cape Cod is one of the first parts of the American continent to have been reached by Europeans. There are many teasing verses to this song which takes the mickey out of sailors from this part of the world.

Cape Cod girls they have no combs,

Heave away! Heave away!

They comb their hair with codfish bones,

We are bound for Australia!

Chorus:

Heave away, my bully, bully boys,

Heave away! Heave away!

Heave away and don't you make a noise,

We are bound for Australia!

Cape Cod boys they have no sleds…

They slide down dunes on codfish heads…

Cape Cod folks they have no ills…

The doctors feed them codfish pills…

Cape Cod cats they have no tails…

They lost them all in sou'east gales…

Cape Cod moms don't bake no pies…

They feed their children codfish eyes…

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

Catching smiles / Pass it on 🔊

There are so many things you can you catch, some more pleasant or difficult than others: a bus, a train, fish, a yawn, the list is long. Hopefully not chickenpox these days!

Any of these verses can be used separately depending on the situation / theme.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear

Can you catch a smile? Yes, you can! Yes, you can!

Can you catch a smile? Yes, you can!

When you meet a crocodile,

Catch its great big toothy smile

It will try to snatch it back so pass it on!

Can you catch a ball? Yes, you can! Yes, you can!

Can you catch a ball? Of course you can!

“Well done!” squawks Mister Crow,

“Bounce it high and bounce it low,

Then give a mighty, mighty throw and pass it on.”

Can you catch a bubble? Yes, you can! Yes, you can!

Can you catch a bubble? NO, YOU CAN’T!

Watch it very softly land

Rainbow colours in your hand,

Gently blow that shiny bubble, pass it on! (Blow!)

Can you catch a cold? Yes, you can! ATCHOO!

Use an arm for each ‘Atchoo!’

For no-one wants to catch the flu;

Keep your sneeze to yourself,

DON’T pass it on! DON’T pass it on!

Caterpillars only crawl 🔊

Children of of the 1970s 80s would be familiar with this song by Sue Charlton as it was regularly played on BBCTV’s Playschool.

Wriggle fingers like caterpillars and cross hands at wrists to flutter like butterflies.

A butterfly was flying by a garden in July,

He landed on a cabbage leaf and heard a mournful sigh,

A big fat hairy caterpillar, nibbling at a leaf,

Said, “If I could fly like you, that would be a relief… but

Caterpillars only crawl!

Crawling here, nibbling there,

Crawling and nibbling everywhere.

Caterpillars only crawl,

And though I’d like to reach the garden wall,

But on this leaf I’ll stay, nibbling all day,

Never getting anywhere at all!”

“But look here,” said the butterfly “not very long ago,

I sat and nibbled leaves like you and crawled around so slow,

But soon you’ll be a butterfly and through the leaves you’ll flutter by,

And you will be so happy that you nevermore will say,

Caterpillars only crawl!

Crawling here, nibbling there,

Crawling, nibbling, everywhere.

Caterpillars only crawl

And I’d just crawl and nibble that’s all,

But one fine day, you’ll fly away,

And flutter by the garden wall.”

Chatter with the angels 🔊

African American spiritual with a syncopated rhythm.

Chatter with the angels soon in the morning,

Chatter with the angels in that land!

Chatter with the angels soon in the morning,

Chatter with the angels, join the band!

I hope to join that band

And chatter with the angels all day long!

I hope to join that band

And chatter with the angels all day long!

March with the angels…

Skip with the angels…

Dance with the angels…

Tiptoe with the angels…

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!

Cock Robin and Jenny Wren 🔊

Spring is a time for courting and merriment. A romantic classic and folk song.

From ‘The Baby’s Opera’ by Walter Crane - a book of old rhymes and new dresses. Originally published in 1877.

‘Twas on a merry time,

When Jenny Wren was young,

So neatly as she danced,

And so sweetly as she sung,

Robin Redbreast lost his heart,

He was a gallant bird,

He doffed his cap to Jenny Wren,

Requesting to be heard.

"My dearest Jenny Wren,

If you will but be mine,

You shall dine on cherry pie,

And drink nice currant wine;

I'll dress you like a gold-finch,

Or like a peacock gay,

So if you'll have me, Jenny, dear,

Let us appoint the day."

Jenny blushed behind her fan

And thus declared her mind -

"So let it be to-morrow, Rob,

I'll take your offer kind;

Cherry pie is very good,

And so is currant wine,

But I will wear my plain brown gown,

And never dress too fine."

Robin Redbreast got up early,

All at the break of day,

He flew to Jenny Wren's house,

And sang a roundelay;

He sang of Robin Redbreast,

And pretty Jenny Wren,

And when he came unto the end,

He then began again.

Cockles and mussels 🔊

An old Irish air which was a very familiar one in my youth.

In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow, through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels! Alive, alive, oh!

Chorus:

Alive, alive, oh!

Alive, alive, oh!”

Crying, "Cockles and mussels! Alive, alive, oh!"

She was a fishmonger, but sure 'twas no wonder,

For so were her father and mother before;

And they each wheeled their barrow, through the streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels! Alive, alive, oh!"

She died of a fever, and no one could save her,

And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone;

But her ghost wheels her barrow, through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels! Alive, alive, oh!"

Country life 🔊

A song of the seasons originally collected by Mike Waterson from Mick Taylor of Hawes in Wensleydale and sung by The Watersons in the 1970s.

Find out more and other versions at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=47543 .

I like to rise when the sun she rises,

Early in the morning,

And I like to hear them small birds singing,

Merrily upon the laylum,

And hurrah for the life of a country boy,

And to ramble in the new mown-hay.

In spring we sow at the harvest mow.

And that’s how the seasons round they go.

But of all the times, if choose I may,

T’would be rambling in the new-mown hay.

In summer when the sun is hot,

We sing, and we dance, and we drink a lot,

We spend our time in sport and play,

And go rambling in the new-mown hay.

In autumn when the oak trees turn,

We gather all the wood that's fit to burn,

We cut and stash and stow away,

No more rambling in the new-mown hay.

In winter when the sky is grey,

We hedge and ditch our time away,

And think of summer when the sun shines gay,

When we’d go rambling in the new-mown hay.

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.

Crawdad song O

This song has Afro-American origins.

Crawdad are crayfish, a poor man’s food. You can find out more and other versions of this song at: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10390&messages=37

You get a line and I'll get a pole, Honey,

You get a line and I'll get a pole, Babe.

You get a line and I'll get a pole,

We'll go fishin' in the crawdad hole,

Honey, Baby mine.

Sittin' on the bank 'til my feet get cold, Honey,

Sittin' on the bank 'til my feet get cold, Babe,

Sittin' on the bank 'til my feet get cold,

Lookin' down that crawdad hole,

Honey, Baby mine.

Yonder comes a man with a sack on his back, Honey,

Yonder comes a man with a sack on his back, Babe,

Yonder comes a man with a sack on his back,

Packin' all the crawdads he can pack,

Honey, Baby mine.

The man fell down and he broke that sack, Honey,

The man fell down and he broke that sack, Babe,

The man fell down and he broke that sack,

See those crawdads backing back,

Honey, Baby mine.

I heard the duck say to the drake, Honey,

I heard the duck say to the drake, Babe,

I heard the duck say to the drake,

There ain't no crawdads in this lake,

Honey, Baby mine.

Crocodile smiles 🔊

Dental hygeine. Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

If you don’t want the smile of an old crocodile,

Here’s what you must do;

Brush two minutes every time, enough to make them shine,

For a smile that’s good as new!

Chorus:

Brush your teeth up and down, brush them all around,

To keep the rot at bay.

Brushing both front and back will keep away the plaque,

For a smile that’s bright as day.

If you get bad toothache it could keep you wide awake,

So here’s what you must do;

Clean your teeth twice a day and remember what I say,

Drink and eat what’s good for you!

Chorus

If you need a snack to eat, carrot sticks are hard to beat

Fruit and veggies too;

Fizzy drinks will cause decay, keep sweets for special days,

Milk and water are good for you!

Chorus

Crow on the cradle 🔊

Words and music by Sidney Carter. These words are from my well used copy of Sing out’s ‘Hootenanny Songbook’ published in 1963. You can also find it in ‘Sing True’ a collection of songs and hymns for use in school assemblies in the 1970s – it included several of Sidney Carter’s songs.

The words of nursery rhymes and the gentle tune of a lullaby mingle with the language of fears and forebodings brought on by the Cold War years of the 1960s.

The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.

Now is the time for a child to be born.

He’ll cry for the moon and he’ll laugh at the sun!

If it’s a boy he’ll carry a gun.

Sang the crow on the cradle.

If it should be that our baby’s a girl,

Never you mind if her hair doesn’t curl.

Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes!

And a bomber above her wherever she goes,

Sang the crow on the cradle.

Rock-a-bye baby, the dark and the light!

Somebody’s baby is born for a fight.

Rock-a-bye baby, the white and the black!

Somebody’s baby is not coming back,

Sang the crow on the cradle.

Your mammy and pappy, they’ll scrape and they’ll save!

Build you a coffin, and dig you a grave.

Hush-a-bye little one, why do you weep?

We’ve got a toy that will put you to sleep,

Sang the crow on the cradle.

Bring me my gun, and I’ll shoot that bird dead -

That’s what your mammy and pappy once said.

Crow on the cradle, oh, what shall I do?

That is a thing that I leave up to you,

Sang the crow on the cradle.

Days of the week 🔊

Learn the days of the week to the melody of ‘My darling Clementine’. Add an extra challenge to the tune of ‘Frere Jacques’.

Sunday, Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday,

Sunday, Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

There are seven days, there are seven days,

There are seven days in a week.

Sunday, Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

Today is Tuesday,

All day long, all day long,

Yesterday was Monday,

Tomorrow will be Wednesday,

Oh what fun! Oh what fun!

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs 🔊

A dinosaur song to the tune of ‘Allouette’. There are some tricky words to pronounce here but young children always love a challenge.

Allosaurus, pachycephalosaurus,

Apatosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex.

Allosaurus, pachycephalosaurus,

Apatosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex.

Stegosaurus, trachodon,

Triceratops, pteranodon,

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs,

Oh, oh, oh, oh…

Allosaurus, pachycephalosaurus,

Apatosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex!

Dog and cat O

A song with a syncopated rhythm. Make up your own rhyming verses.

Bought me a dog, bought me a cat,

They both fight but do not mind that,

Hi-ho my darlin’!

Bought me a flea, bought me a gnat,

They both bite but do not mind that,

Hi-ho my darlin’!

Bought me a dog, bought me a cat,

They both fight but do not mind that,

Hi-ho my darlin’!

Bought me a ball, bought me a bat.

I can't hit but do not mind that.

Hi-ho my darlin’!

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 eat all the worms 🔊

Asking a fox not to eat worms is like asking for the moon; worms are the staple of a foxes’ diet. We had watched the fox almost for an hour rooting effectively and chomping away through the bare garden bed that had been dug over ready to plant dahlias. How delightful I thought ‘til my husband grimaced imaging how a lack of worms would leave the soil depleted!!

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

Verse 1. Wave. Hand to heart. Hands to cheek. Ring eyes. Verse 2. Hands together and bow. Shake finger. Tumble fists, wiggle fingers downwards. Continue to wiggle fingers. Verse 3. Place on hand over the fist of the other with two fingers out. Rub tummy. With palms down spread and form garden, fingers grow upwards. Shake finger then wiggle them.

Hello red fox, how are you?

We’re glad you’ve come this way,

To sleep upon a pile of grass

And look for food today.

We ask you very kindly,

Please don’t eat all the worms;

They mix the soil and drain it well

As they wiggle and they squirm.

We have slugs and snails a-plenty,

Tasty creatures soft and firm,

Our garden needs good soil to grow,

So don’t eat all the worms!

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.

Every day is a happy day 🔊

Or ‘Lyn’s clapping song’. Written for a friend’s daughter by June Epstein.

I recorded this one especially for my new granddaughter Laila.

Clap along with the Tra la las.

Every day is a happy day as soon as Lyn's awake,

She claps her hands and she nod her head and gives it a little shake.

She looks at us with her twinkling eyes and in a little while,

Everybody who looks at her begins to sing and smile.

With a tra-la-la .......... (repeat with tra-la-la)

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