Song cupboard P

Paul’s little hen

Peace is flowing like a river

Peace of the river

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini

Pickin’ up sand

Plant a tree

Planting rice

Poppies and goslings / Papaveri e papere

Last updated: 2/6/2023 7:53 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 🔊

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:

· you must give the original author credit

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Your fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.

Paul’s little hen O

‘Pål Sine Høner’ was written by a Norwegian in 1853; the melody is from Leopold Mozart ‘Alte Deutsches Volkslied’. This English translation was very popular in primary schools in the 1960s and 1970s and featured in BBC radio’s Time and Tune Autumn 1958.

Paul's little hen flew away from the farmyard,

Ran down the hillside and into the dale.

Paul hurried after but down in the brambles,

There sat a fox with a great bushy tail.

“Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!”

Cried the poor little creature.

“Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!”

But she cried in vain.

Paul made a spring but could not save her,

"Now I shall never dare go home again."

Peace is flowing like a river 🔊

A song by Carey Landry sung in school assemblies. Not sure where I found this version.

Peace is flowing like a river,

Flowing out through you and me,

Spreading out into the desert,

Setting all the people free.

Let it flow through me,

Let it flow through me,

Let the mighty song of peace

Flow out through me,

Love is flowing like a river,

Flowing out through you and me,

Spreading out into the desert,

Setting all the people free.

Let it flow through me,

Let it flow through me,

Let the mighty song of love

Flow out through me,

Hope is flowing like a river,

Flowing out through you and me,

Spreading out into the desert,

Setting all the people free.

Let it flow through me,

Let it flow through me,

Let the mighty song of hope

Flow out through me,

Peace of the river 🔊

We all need to heed the call of the wild to keep us on track.

A song written on the Kentucky River by Glendora Gosling and Viola Wood. I found it in ‘The Ditty Bag’ compiled by Janet E, Tobitt and published in 1946.

Peace I ask of thee, O river,

Peace, peace, peace.

When I learn to live serenely

Cares will cease.

From the hills I gather courage,

Vision of the day to be;

Strength to lead, and faith to follow,

All are given unto me.

Peace I ask of thee, O river,

Peace, peace, peace.

Pickin’ up sand 🔊

A lively folk song from Alabama.

Spring is a time to think about tidying up, ‘putting everything in its place’. This song would be great to use as ‘picking up’ song, the rhythm in most music is bound to make a task more enjoyable.

I found this song in ‘Music through the Day’ published by Silver Burdett in 1956 and haven’t been able to find it anywhere else. Adapted and arranged by Dany Rosevear.

Pickin’ up sand, Rocky Dan,

Pickin’ up sand, Rocky Dan,

Pickin’ up sand, Rocky Dan,

Pickin’ up sand, Rocky Dan

Grain by grain, Rocky Dan,

Grain by grain, Rocky Dan,

Grain by grain, Rocky Dan,

Grain by grain, Rocky Dan.

Pick up your coat, Liza Jane,

Pick up your coat, Liza Jane,

Pick up your coat, Liza Jane,

Pick up your coat, Liza Jane.

Pickin’ up coats, one by one,

Pickin’ up coats, one by one,

Pickin’ up coats, one by one,

Pickin’ up coats, one by one.

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini O

A classic riddle song with words very similar to ‘I gave my love a cherry’ but with ‘cod’ Latin nonsense words.

I had four brothers over the sea,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

And they each sent a present unto me,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

Petrum, partrum, paradisi, tempore,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini.

The first sent a cherry without any stone,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

The second sent a goose without any bone,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

Petrum, partrum, paradisi, tempore,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini.

The third sent a blanket without any thread,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

The fourth sent a book that no man could read,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

Petrum, partrum, paradisi, tempore,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini.

When the cherry's in the blossom, there is no stone,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

When the goose is in the egg-shell, there is no bone,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

Petrum, partrum, paradisi, tempore,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini.

When the wool's on the sheep's back, there is no thread,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

When the book's in the press, no man can read,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini;

Petrum, partrum, paradisi, tempore,

Perrie, merrie, dixi, domini.

Plant a tree 🔊

This song has been sung on Arbor Day and is for anyone who appreciates the part trees play in our lives.

This is from The Foresman ‘Songs and pictures’ published in 1937.

Sing with dignity.

Plant a tree! Earth will feed it;

Soon ‘twill flourish green and strong;

Soon ‘twill spread its peaceful shadow,

Where the birds will bring their song.

Plant a tree! It will bless you

In the years that are to come;

Plant it gladly, it will serve you;

Plant a shelter, plant a home.

Plant a tree! You are planting

What a thousand folk may see;

House and rafter, ship and masthead,

These they plant, who plant a tree.

Planting rice 🔊

This song from the Philippines is a Tagalog folksong called “Magtanim Ay Di Brio” Hear it in the Filipino language at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TgQ0aagls.

The translation here is not a literal one but give some idea of the hardships endured by agricultural labourers when planting rice.

I first found this song in a Cooperative Recreation Service booklet published in 1948: ‘Work and sing an international songbook’ that I used on international voluntary workcamps in the 1960s in Turkey, Finland and Poland.

I lived in Malaya in the 1950s as a child and remember well watching paddy field workers with their conical hats, feet in water and bending low to do this difficult task.

Planting rice is never fun,

Bent from morn till set of sun;

Cannot stand and cannot sit,

Cannot rest for a little bit.

Planting rice is no fun!

Bent from morn till set of sun;

Cannot stand, cannot sit,

Cannot rest a little bit.

Oh, come friends and let us homeward take our way,

Now we rest until the dawn is grey,

Sleep, welcome sleep, we need to keep us strong,

Morn brings another workday long.

Morn brings another workday long.

When the early sunbeams break,

You will wonder as you awake,

In what muddy neighbourhood,

There is work and the pleasant food?

Planting rice is no fun!

Bent from morn till set of sun;

Cannot stand, cannot sit,

Cannot rest a little bit.

Poppies and goslings / Papaveri e papere 🔊

An Italian folk song. This is just an excerpt with a smattering of Italian that can be found in ‘Making music your own 2’ published by Silver Burdett Company in 1968. Often just this verse is sung in Italian kindergartens.

Choose the verse you’d like to sing and enjoy the music!

Find a video of the complete song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUbjtBZRDz8 and more about the song at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppa_Piccolino .

Oh, do you know papaveri, son alti, alti, alti,

And you are piccolina,

And you are piccolina;

Oh, do you know papaveri, son alti, alti, alti,

But you’re a paperina,

What are you going to do?

Translation:

The poppies here they grow so tall,

So tall, so tall and lofty,

And you are very little,

And you are very little,

The poppies here they grow so tall,

So tall, so tall and lofty,

But you were born a gosling,

What are you going to do?

Italian:

Lo sai che i papaveri, son alti, alti, alti,

e tu sei piccolina, e tu sei piccolina,

lo sai che i papaveri, son alti, alti, alti,

sei nata paperina, che cosa ci vuoi far?

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