AmblesideOnline Folksongs 2019-2020 School Year

 FOLK SONGS 2019-2020 School Year:

  term 1: 

1. The Happy Wanderer.
We sang this at AM CM Camp 2019, and it was a huge hit, campers could be heard humming it in the lunch line, singing it absently mindedly while stirring their coffee, and basically just spontaneously singing it everywhere, albeit sometimes against their will.  Please note the number of times you say ha ha is a purely personal matter.  Some sing five, some squeeze in seven. It doesn't matter.  Do what works for you.  This muppet version seems to be quite popular!  This version is also on my playlist and will be easier to follow along with. (try this: https://youtu.be/2I7c6wMaFSw and/or this one: https://youtu.be/UPfGL0tDP30)

 The Happy Wanderer

1.    I love to go a-wandering

 Along the mountain track 

And as I go,

 I love to sing 

My knapsack on my back

 [Chorus] 

Val-deri, val-dera

 Val-deri, val-dera, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha 

Ha 

Val-deri, val-dera !

My knapsack on my back

2. I love to wander by the stream

 That dances in the sun 

So joyously it calls to me 

Come join my happy song 

[Chorus] 

Val-deri, val-dera

 Val-deri, val-dera, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha 

Ha 

Val-deri, val-dera !

Come join my happy song

2.    I wave my hat to all I meet 

And they wave back to me 

And blackbirds call so loud and sweet 

From ev'ry green wood tree

[Chorus] 

Val-deri, val-dera

 Val-deri, val-dera, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha  

Val-deri, val-dera !

From every green-wood tree.

4. High overhead the skylarks wing

They never rest at home

But just like me they love to sing

As o’er the world we roam.

[Chorus] 

Val-deri, val-dera

 Val-deri, val-dera, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha 

Ha 

Val-deri, val-dera !

As o’er the world we roam!

5. Oh, may I go a-wandering 

Until the day I die 

Oh, may I always laugh and sing 

Beneath God's clear blue sky

[Chorus] 

Val-deri, val-dera

 Val-deri, val-dera, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha 

Ha 

Val-deri, val-dera !

Beneath God's clear blue sky

2. Go Get the Ax-  This is a silly, jolly song that doesn't have to mean anything. It's just fun to be silly sometimes.   The same aged children who think it's funny to imagine nailing jello to a wall, or who laugh at jokes about how does the teflon stick to the pan when nothing sticks to teflon will probably most appreciate this song.  

To start your family off, you might have fun watching this Bugs Bunny clip.  
Another you-tube version

Peeping through the knot-hole
In Grandma's Wood Leg
Who will wind the clock
When I am gone?
Go get the ax

There's a flea in Lizzie's ear

And a boy's best friend is his mother.

I jumped out the window
A second story window

Why do they build the shore

So near the ocean?

Who cut the sleeves out of

Dear old daddy's vest?

And dug up Fido's bones to build the sewer?

A Horse stood around with its

Feet upon the ground

Oh, who will wind the clock

When I am gone?

Go get the ax

There's a fly on Lizzie's ear

And a boy's best friend is his mother.

3. The Foolish Boy, also known as the Swapping Song, Wing wing waddle, and there are a few other variations as wing wang waddle became something like wim wam wobble.

1. My father died and I cannot tell how, 
He left me six horses to follow the plough. 

 With a wing-wang-waddle, O! 
Jack sold his saddle O! 
 Blossy boys, bubble O ! 
under the broom. 

 2.   I sold my six horses and bought me a cow,
 I'd fain have a fortune, but didn't know how. 

 With a wing-wang-waddle, O! 
Jack sold his saddle O! 
 Blossy boys, bubble O ! 
under the broom. 

 3.   I sold my cow and bought me a calf, 
I'd fain have a fortune, but I lost a half.  

With a wing-wang-waddle, O! 
Jack sold his saddle O! 
 Blossy boys, bubble O ! 
under the broom.

 4.    I sold my calf and I bought me a cat ; 
The pretty thing by my chimney sat. 

 With a wing-wang-waddle, O! 
Jack sold his saddle O! 
 Blossy boys, bubble O ! 
under the broom. 

 5,   I sold my cat and I bought me a mouse ;
 He fired his tail and he burnt down my house. 

 With a wing-wang-waddle, O! 
Jack sold his saddle O! 
 Blossy boys, bubble O ! 
under the broom.

 6.  I have nothing to buy, and I've nothing to sell, 
And how I shall live, I am sure I cannot tell. 

 With a wing-wang-waddle, O! 
Jack sold his saddle O! 
 Blossy boys, bubble O ! 
under the broom.

The above lyrics are from the Sabine Baring Gould songbook recommended by some of Miss Mason's teachers, as seen in their magazine,  L'Umile Pianta.

Youtube:  I really don't like how this one sounds, but it has the right lyrics: https://amzn.to/2XJrRuh

This one is prettier, but the lyrics are a bit different.  This really should not matter, as you are not going be using the youtube video forever, but only as a temporary walking cane to help you learn the tune quickly, so you can sing it on your own with whatever lyrics you prefer.



Wim Wim Wobble-O is a similar version here done by preschool or kindergarten teacher Dany Rosevear.  Bookmark her, she is a wonderful resource for English folk songs.
Here are the lyrics she uses:

Strim-strim-strobble-O,
I sold the horses and bought me a cow,
So I sold the cow and bought me a calf, I sold my calf and bought me a pig,
The poor little thing it never grew big. I sold my pig and bought me a hen, I sold that hen and bought me a cat,
The pretty little creature by the chimney corner sat. I sold the cat and bought a mouse, I sold my mouse and bought me a mole, 


Term 2:


1. Tenting tonight on the old campground (an American Civil war song from Tennessee, where we held our camp this year):

https://youtu.be/hij-e1a3z_c

Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground lyrics

Many are the hearts that are weary tonight

Wishing for the war to cease

Many are the hearts that are looking for the right

To see the dawn of peace

Tenting tonight, tenting tonight, tenting on the old camp ground

verses:

We're tenting tonight on the old camp ground

Give us a song to cheer

Our weary hearts, a song of home

And friends we love so dear

(chorus)

We've been tenting tonight on the old camp ground

Thinking of days gone by

Of the loved ones at home that gave us the hand

And the tear that said "Goodbye"

(chorus)

We are tired of war on the old camp ground

Many are dead and gone

Of the brave and true who've left their homes

Others been wounded long

(chorus)

We've been fighting today on the old camp ground

Many are lying near

Some are dead and some are dying

Many are in tears

(chorus)

Or you might prefer Preaching on the Old Campground by the inimitable Mississippi John Hurt.  It has the same tune, but simplified, and with a simpler set of lyrics.  (also here)

We're preaching tonight on the old campground
Preaching on the old campground
Preaching tonight, preaching tonight, 
Preaching on the old campground.


Then substitute praying, singing, moaning (or mourning, I'm not sure), 


2. Shake Sugaree 

Have a little song
Won't take long
Sing it right
Once or twice

Oh, lordy me
Didn't I shake sugaree?
Everything I got is done and pawned
Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my watch
Pawn my chain
Pawn everything that was in my name

Oh, lordy me
Didn't I shake sugaree?
Everything I got is done and pawned
Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn by buggy
Horse and cart
Pawn everything that was on my lot

Oh, lordy me
Didn't I shake sugaree?
Everything I got is done and pawned
Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my chair.

Pawn my bed

Ain't got nowhere to lay my head

Oh, lordy me
Didn't I shake sugaree?
Everything I got is done and pawned
Everything I got is done and pawned

Pawn my tobacco
Pawn my pipe
Pawned everything that was in my sight
Oh, lordy me
Didn't I shake sugaree?
Everything I got is done and pawned

Everything I got is done and pawned

Elizabeth Cotton, the creator of Freight Train, wrote this with her grandchildren, and her grand-daughter Brenda, age 12, is probably the voice we're hearing on the youtube version.  More about this song and other variations and versions here.
I first heard it over 20 years ago, on Taj Mahal's album for kids (Shake Sugaree, Taj Mahal sings and plays for children)  You can hear the single here.

While working on this list, I've been listening to the glorious voice of Rhiannan Giddens, possibly about a hundred times in the last 23 hours.  I cannot get enough of her gorgeous voice.

3.  Health to the Company.  Please bear with me on this one.  It's been a family favourite for over 20 years.  I realize that at first glance, it appears to be a drinking song, and for many of you, that will be fine.  However, it doesn't *have* to be. If you can't celebrate, feast, and be merry with your family over grapejuice and ginger-ale, you're doing it wrong.  Most of the years we sang this song the wee lass sitting on my knee with a smile on her countenance was my sixth daughter (and there's still none can excel for her style or her beauty).  

Have fun with it, dance a jig, spring a little joyful exuberance into your lives.  Or choose another song or repeat an old favourite. Your choice.  Here are the lyrics:

 Health to the Company

Kind Friend and Companions, '

Come join me in rhyme, 

Come lift up your voices, 

In chorus with mine, 

Come lift up your voices, 

all grief to refrain, 

For we may or might never, 

all meet here again 

Here's a health to the company 

and one to my lass, 

Let us drink and be merry,

 all out of one glass, 

Let us all drink and be merry, 

all grief to refrain For we may or might never,

 all meet here again 

Here's a health to the wee lass,

 that I love so well,

 For her style and her beauty, 

sure none can excel, 

There's a smile on her countenance, 

as she sits on my knee, 

There's no man in this wide world, 

as happy as me, 

Here's a health to the company, 

and one to my lass 

Let us drink and be merry, 

all out of one glass, 

Let us drink and be merry, 

all grief to refrain 

For we may or might never, 

all meet here again, 

Our ship lies at anchor, 

she's ready to dock, 

I wish her safe landing, 

without any shock,

 If ever I should meet you,

 by land or by sea,

 I will always remember, 

your kindness to me,

 Here's a health to the company 

and one to my lass,

 Let us drink and be merry,

 all out of one glass, 

Let us all drink and be merry, 

all grief to refrain 

For we may or might never, 

all meet here again

Health to the Company, Chieftains

        During your Christmas break, try a carol you may be less familiar with:
                    
                     Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming and/or It Came Upon a Midnight Clear


term 3:

https://youtu.be/ND7W7Yxo7GU

Little Brown Dog

Oh once I had a little dog, his color it was brown

I taught him for to whistle, to sing and dance and run

His legs they were fourteen yards long, his ears so very wide

Around the world in half a day, upon him I could ride. 

Sing Tarry-O Day, Sing, Autumn to May. 

Oh once I had a little frog, he wore a vest of red

He'd lean upon his silver cane, a top hat on his head

He'd speak of far off places, of things to see and do,

Of all the Kings and Queens he'd met while sailing in a shoe. 

Sing Tarry-O Day, Sing, Autumn to May. 

Oh once I had a flock of sheep, they grazed upon a feather

I'd keep them in a music box from wind or rainy weather

And every day the sun would shine, they'd fly all through the town

To bring me back some golden rings, candy by the pound. 

Sing Tarry-O Day, Sing, Autumn to May. 

Oh once I had a downey swan, she was so very frail

She sat upon an oyster shell and hatched me out a snail

The snail had changed into a bird, the bird to butterfly

And he who tells a bigger tale would have to tell a lie. 

Sing Tarry-O Day, Sing, Autumn to May. 

2. https://youtu.be/3ICFzyW7Mh4 Arkansas Traveler * (Peter Pan Records version)

Once upon a time in Arkansas

An old man sat at his little cabin door

And he fiddled at a tune that he liked to hear

a jolly old tune that he played by hear

it was raining hard

by the fiddler didn't care

he sawed away at the popular air

and his roof tree leaked like a waterfall

but it didn't seem to bother the man at all.

a traveler was riding by that day

and he stopped to hear him a-practicin' away

the cabin was afloat and his feet were wet but still the old man didn't seem to fret

so the stranger said now the way  it seems to me

you'd better mend your roof, said he, 

but the old man said as he played away

I could'n't mend it now, it's a rainy day.

This is obviously the tune of bringing home a baby bumble bee.  You could sing that if you prefer. There are multiple versions of this using the same tune.  Don't fret too much about finding the perfect version.  This is true of all the folk songs.

3. How Many Miles to London Town (also sometimes How Many Miles to Babylon). It's a song, a game, and/or a simple dance.  I have played it in the living room with five grandchildren.  It would be a good choice for a co-op group to do together.  More here, including a score and a recording:

https://www.efdss.org/efdss-education/re...ondon-town

HEre's a youtube video showing a group of children performing the actions/steps to the song.

How many miles to Babylon (or London Town)
Three Score and Ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes and back again.

Open the gates to let me through
open the gates to let me through
Open the gates to let me through
So I can travel on.

Not without a beck and a boo (or bow)
Not without a beck and a boo
Not without a beck and a boo
Will I open the gate to let you through.

Here's your beck and here's your boo
Here's your beck and here's your boo
Here's your beck and here's your boo
Now open the gate and let me through.


Here is my youtube playlist for the year's folksongs.



Amazon Affiliate Links, however, if you have Amazon Prime or another streaming option, you can listen to most of these for free.  I could not find a satisfactory link to HOw Many Miles, but here are the others:

Happy Wanderer, sung by Bill Staines.  It has all the verses but changes 'beneath God's clear blue sky' to 'beneath the clear blue sky.'  A bit slower than the versions in my youtube play list.  Also has a hint of yodeling in a few of the choruses.  Or this version by Charlie Hope. She sings clearly and a bit faster than Staines, but leaves out the last verse.

Go Get the Axe

Wing-wang-waddle, The Foolish Boy, or the swapping song by Shirley Elizabeth Collins
This version has all the right lyrics, but I find the sound incredibly irritating.  You can also find it on youtube to see what you think.    Definitely try before you buy. 

 Shake Sugaree sung by Rhiannon Giddens   Read more about Rhiannon Giddens here.

Tenting Tonight, by Lightening in a Jar or Preaching Tonight by Mississippi John Hurt

The Little Brown Dog (or Autumn to May)

Chieftains, Health to the Company

Arkansas Traveller, by the Rocking Horse Players