Alfalfa hay, alfalfa hay
Alfalfa hay, alfalfa hay
(Repeat song, substituting new letters of the alphabet- Balbalfa bay, zalzalfa zay, etc.)
This is an older camp song, and when we tried to revive some of these in 2007, this was one we weren't sure how to sing anymore. So, while I have heard it sung to several tunes, I am really not sure which tune it belonged to when it was added to the PV songbook.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Alligator Song
Alligator is my friend
He can be your friend too
If only you will understand
Alligators have feelings too
Alligators
Can be your friends, can be your friends, can be your friends
Too!
He can be your friend too
If only you will understand
Alligators have feelings too
Alligators
Can be your friends, can be your friends, can be your friends
Too!
Beef Log
Beef log rolling down a hill
Beef log rolling down a hill
Beef log, beef log, beef log, beef log
Beef log rolling down a hill.
(This song can be useful for long dull hikes, and can also be cool when sung as a round. Obviously one could also substitute other things for 'beef log', too.)
Beef log rolling down a hill
Beef log, beef log, beef log, beef log
Beef log rolling down a hill.
(This song can be useful for long dull hikes, and can also be cool when sung as a round. Obviously one could also substitute other things for 'beef log', too.)
The Bear
(a repeat song)
The other day (Repeat)
I saw a bear(Repeat)
A great big bear (Repeat)
A-way out there (Repeat)
The other day I saw a bear (No repeat)
A great big bear (No repeat)
A-way out there (Repeat)
(Follow the same pattern for each verse)
He looked at me
I looked at him
He sized me up
I sized up him.
He said to me
You'd better run
Cause I can see
Y' ain't got a gun
And so I ran
Away from there
But right behind
Me was that bear
Ahead of me
I spied a tree
A great big tree
Oh glory be
The lowest branch
Was ten feet up
I'd have to jump
And trust my luck
And so I jumped
Into the air
But I missed that branch
A-way up there
Now don't you fret
And don't you frown
Cause I caught that branch
On the way back down
That's all there is
There ain't no more
Unless I meet
That bear once more
The end, the end
The end, the end
The end, the end
The end, the end
The other day (Repeat)
I saw a bear(Repeat)
A great big bear (Repeat)
A-way out there (Repeat)
The other day I saw a bear (No repeat)
A great big bear (No repeat)
A-way out there (Repeat)
(Follow the same pattern for each verse)
He looked at me
I looked at him
He sized me up
I sized up him.
He said to me
You'd better run
Cause I can see
Y' ain't got a gun
And so I ran
Away from there
But right behind
Me was that bear
Ahead of me
I spied a tree
A great big tree
Oh glory be
The lowest branch
Was ten feet up
I'd have to jump
And trust my luck
And so I jumped
Into the air
But I missed that branch
A-way up there
Now don't you fret
And don't you frown
Cause I caught that branch
On the way back down
That's all there is
There ain't no more
Unless I meet
That bear once more
The end, the end
The end, the end
The end, the end
The end, the end
There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
This song I learned from my mom when I was a kid, as something to keep us kids occupied on car trips, and she learned it from her mom. It also turned up at Peaceful Valley occasionally, especially during the several hour singing marathons during check-ins.
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole
There's a hole
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea.
There's a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a log
There's a log
There's a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea.
(Keep adding an item each verse following this pattern)
There's a bump on the log in the hole...
There's a frog on the bump...
There's a leg on the frog...
There's a foot on the leg...
There's a toe on the foot...
There's a wart on the toe...
There's a hair on the wart...
There's a flea on the hair...
There's a smile on the flea...
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole
There's a hole
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea.
There's a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a log
There's a log
There's a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea.
(Keep adding an item each verse following this pattern)
There's a bump on the log in the hole...
There's a frog on the bump...
There's a leg on the frog...
There's a foot on the leg...
There's a toe on the foot...
There's a wart on the toe...
There's a hair on the wart...
There's a flea on the hair...
There's a smile on the flea...
All My Life's a Circle
This song is popular in girl scouts, but it has also become established at a few boy scouts camps, especially for singing at campfires with other closing songs. I learned it initially at Camp Dietler back in 2000, but I've encountered it through random other camp folks from other camp cultures since then.
CHORUS: All my life's a circle
Sunrise and sundown
Moon rolls through the nighttime
Till daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle
Still I wonder why
Seasons spinning 'round again
Years keep rolling by
Seems like I've been here before
Can't remember when.
I get this funny feeling
We'll all be together again.
No straight lines make up my life,
All my roads have bends.
No clear cut beginning
And so far no dead ends.
CHORUS
I've met you a thousand times
I guess you've done the same.
Then we lose each other
It's like some children's game.
But now I find you here again
The thought comes to my mind:
Our love is like a circle
Let's go around one more time.
CHORUS
CHORUS: All my life's a circle
Sunrise and sundown
Moon rolls through the nighttime
Till daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle
Still I wonder why
Seasons spinning 'round again
Years keep rolling by
Seems like I've been here before
Can't remember when.
I get this funny feeling
We'll all be together again.
No straight lines make up my life,
All my roads have bends.
No clear cut beginning
And so far no dead ends.
CHORUS
I've met you a thousand times
I guess you've done the same.
Then we lose each other
It's like some children's game.
But now I find you here again
The thought comes to my mind:
Our love is like a circle
Let's go around one more time.
CHORUS
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Camp Dietler Song
Many men search for a paradise, a land they call home,
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise, a place for men to roam
All you need is a paradise, and friends you call your own
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise and you can call it home.
We cooked and we cleaned, but we had had a lot of fun
We all pulled together and made the camp run.
It took a lot of time and it took a lot of faith,
But all in all it paid off great.
Now the day is done and we have to separate
We'll remember the friends, yeah
We'll remember the friends.
You've never learned as much as you can learn here
With skills and knowledge you can use all year
The troop pulled together and the truth was known
Camp Cortland Dielter is our second home.
The only way to work is to work together
Making a camp that will last forever
A camp that will last forever
A camp that will last forever.
Many years from now in a place far away
You start to remember the games we played.
Remember the time when you were young
Around the campfire with the songs we sung.
And remember the time when the work was done
The team pulled together and rejoiced as one
The team rejoiced as one, yeah
The team rejoiced as one.
Many men search for a paradise, a land they call home
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise, a place for men to roam
All you need is a paradise, and friends you call your own
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise and you can call it home, yeah
Yes, you can call it home.
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise, a place for men to roam
All you need is a paradise, and friends you call your own
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise and you can call it home.
We cooked and we cleaned, but we had had a lot of fun
We all pulled together and made the camp run.
It took a lot of time and it took a lot of faith,
But all in all it paid off great.
Now the day is done and we have to separate
We'll remember the friends, yeah
We'll remember the friends.
You've never learned as much as you can learn here
With skills and knowledge you can use all year
The troop pulled together and the truth was known
Camp Cortland Dielter is our second home.
The only way to work is to work together
Making a camp that will last forever
A camp that will last forever
A camp that will last forever.
Many years from now in a place far away
You start to remember the games we played.
Remember the time when you were young
Around the campfire with the songs we sung.
And remember the time when the work was done
The team pulled together and rejoiced as one
The team rejoiced as one, yeah
The team rejoiced as one.
Many men search for a paradise, a land they call home
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise, a place for men to roam
All you need is a paradise, and friends you call your own
Camp Cortland Dietler is a paradise and you can call it home, yeah
Yes, you can call it home.
Delatour Paradise
Sittin' on old Coral Rock
Grippin' at the jagged edge
Peering through the valley below
days slip by on a mountain ledge
I've spent my scouting years
Pursuing the rainbow
That reaches to the Northern Sky
Delatour, in the Rocky pines
Is paradise in my eyes.
CHORUS: Paradise in my eyes
And freedom in my mind
Dreamin' like the hawk
Borne on the arms of the wind
That whistles like a Delatour cry
From the time I was a little thing
A scratchin' in the mountain sand
I ran through all the rivers and rocks, screaming
"God, there's honesty in this land."
All the roots of the tallest pines
Hold back the earth of our scouting past
Pinecroft stood before Ol' Delatour
The last bastion of a fading west
The Elkhorn flowed from rivers of old
Singing memories of another time
Adventure, brought to us today
Who can hear the warbling rhyme
CHORUS
Well, I've seen citadels of the city
I've been halfway around the world
Seen so many of the armies of men
Building with their flags unfurled
In the wake of their war
There's a few obstructions
Keeping the west a'wild and free
Delatour is a hope for the living
If we learn to let it be.
Grippin' at the jagged edge
Peering through the valley below
days slip by on a mountain ledge
I've spent my scouting years
Pursuing the rainbow
That reaches to the Northern Sky
Delatour, in the Rocky pines
Is paradise in my eyes.
CHORUS: Paradise in my eyes
And freedom in my mind
Dreamin' like the hawk
Borne on the arms of the wind
That whistles like a Delatour cry
From the time I was a little thing
A scratchin' in the mountain sand
I ran through all the rivers and rocks, screaming
"God, there's honesty in this land."
All the roots of the tallest pines
Hold back the earth of our scouting past
Pinecroft stood before Ol' Delatour
The last bastion of a fading west
The Elkhorn flowed from rivers of old
Singing memories of another time
Adventure, brought to us today
Who can hear the warbling rhyme
CHORUS
Well, I've seen citadels of the city
I've been halfway around the world
Seen so many of the armies of men
Building with their flags unfurled
In the wake of their war
There's a few obstructions
Keeping the west a'wild and free
Delatour is a hope for the living
If we learn to let it be.
To Magness, We'll Never Say Goodbye
[This is a set of lyrics put together by some of the Magness staff prior to the 2000 camp season, set to the tune of "Blowing in the Wind". They're a bit shaky, and could use some TLC by future Magness staff. This was pulled from the original chicken scratches we collectively came up with (yes, I was on the Magness staff for this one), and between the handwriting, ink-splotches from Forrest's pocket, fold creases, and all the arrows and scratched out bits, this may not be quite the song we'd originally envisioned. Still, it's a start.]
Try to forget all you've learned downtown
Embrace mother nature at last
Watch the full moon over waters so still
Dreaming of campfires past.
Hike o'er the trails where the eagles fly
Above the valley so vast
CHORUS: At Magness, my friends
Our song will never end
The memory will ring upon the wind.
Return many times to our trees and our fields
To see all that you can be
Grow all you can while you're here among us
For then your heart will be free
Year after year we'll come back here
To Magness we'll never say goodbye
CHORUS
Try to forget all you've learned downtown
Embrace mother nature at last
Watch the full moon over waters so still
Dreaming of campfires past.
Hike o'er the trails where the eagles fly
Above the valley so vast
CHORUS: At Magness, my friends
Our song will never end
The memory will ring upon the wind.
Return many times to our trees and our fields
To see all that you can be
Grow all you can while you're here among us
For then your heart will be free
Year after year we'll come back here
To Magness we'll never say goodbye
CHORUS
Peaceful Valley Song
Sunlit meadows, moonlit trails,
Land of memory
We have learned our scouting skills
Midst your rocks and trees.
Scouting friendships welded strong
In our hearts will be
We have gained the strength we need
To live in harmony.
Peaceful Valley, you are ours.
And will always be
Peaceful Valley, we'll be true
Through eternity.
Land of memory
We have learned our scouting skills
Midst your rocks and trees.
Scouting friendships welded strong
In our hearts will be
We have gained the strength we need
To live in harmony.
Peaceful Valley, you are ours.
And will always be
Peaceful Valley, we'll be true
Through eternity.
Camp Cris Dobbins Song
There is nowhere I'd rather roam than Camp Cris Dobbins, my second home
So we work and we play the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
There is nowhere a fairer sight than the glow of the moon on the water at night
Se we boat and we swim the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
There is nothing that I know that inspires a man like a campfire's glow
So we work and we play the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
There is nowhere I'd rather roam than Camp Cris Dobbins, my second home
So we work and we play the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
So we work and we play the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
There is nowhere a fairer sight than the glow of the moon on the water at night
Se we boat and we swim the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
There is nothing that I know that inspires a man like a campfire's glow
So we work and we play the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
There is nowhere I'd rather roam than Camp Cris Dobbins, my second home
So we work and we play the whole day long, then gather together to sing our song.
Moon on the Meadow
Moon on the meadow, bugs in our ears
Smoke in our eyes, wet wood and tears
On up the meadow water somewhere
We were the only ones there.
Wild Horse and Slushy, Dry Lake, the peaks
Finding the love there everyone seeks
Hiking to rainbows, sunsets and stars
Just finding out who we are.
We will return here some lucky day
Our hearts will guide us, they know the way
People in cities don't understand
Falling in love with the land.
Moon on the meadow, bugs in our ears
Smoke in our eyes, wet wood and tears
On up the meadow water somewhere
With you my friends I am there.
Smoke in our eyes, wet wood and tears
On up the meadow water somewhere
We were the only ones there.
Wild Horse and Slushy, Dry Lake, the peaks
Finding the love there everyone seeks
Hiking to rainbows, sunsets and stars
Just finding out who we are.
We will return here some lucky day
Our hearts will guide us, they know the way
People in cities don't understand
Falling in love with the land.
Moon on the meadow, bugs in our ears
Smoke in our eyes, wet wood and tears
On up the meadow water somewhere
With you my friends I am there.
Rose/ Love/ America/ Peace
Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose
Shall I ever see thee wed?
I will marry at thy will, sire
At thy will.
Love, love, love, love
Love is the gospel of the world
Love thy neighbor as thy brother
Love, love, love.
America, America
How can I tell you how I feel?
You have given me many treasures
I love you so.
[At PV these three verses are sung through in order, and then the singers split into three groups- The first group starts the first verse, and as they start their second line, the second group comes in with the first line of the second verse, and so on, creating a lovely fugue which continues through 3 repeats. All voices come in for the last line "I love you so." A 4th verse appears to this song occasionally elsewhere, for which a common variation is included here.]
Peace, peace, peace, peace
Wars may come, and wars will cease
We must learn to live with each other
Peace, peace, peace.
Shall I ever see thee wed?
I will marry at thy will, sire
At thy will.
Love, love, love, love
Love is the gospel of the world
Love thy neighbor as thy brother
Love, love, love.
America, America
How can I tell you how I feel?
You have given me many treasures
I love you so.
[At PV these three verses are sung through in order, and then the singers split into three groups- The first group starts the first verse, and as they start their second line, the second group comes in with the first line of the second verse, and so on, creating a lovely fugue which continues through 3 repeats. All voices come in for the last line "I love you so." A 4th verse appears to this song occasionally elsewhere, for which a common variation is included here.]
Peace, peace, peace, peace
Wars may come, and wars will cease
We must learn to live with each other
Peace, peace, peace.
Donna Donna
(The story behind this song, which is often used to introduce it when it is used as a slow-down song, may not be strictly true, so I'll leave it off for now, till I have had a chance to check a few more sources. This is, in any case, one of the prettiest songs in the PV songbooks.)
On a wagon bound for market
There's a calf with a mournful eye
High above him flies the swallow
Winging swiftly through the sky.
CHORUS: How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might.
Laugh and laugh the whole day through and
Half the summer's night, Donna donna
Donna donna donna donna
Donna donna donna don
Donna donna donna donna
Donna donna donna don
"Stop complaining," said the farmer
'Who told you a calf to be?
Why don't you have wings to fly with
Like the swallow so proud and free?"
CHORUS
Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Never knowing the reason why
But whoever treasures freedom
Like the swallow has learned to fly.
CHORUS
On a wagon bound for market
There's a calf with a mournful eye
High above him flies the swallow
Winging swiftly through the sky.
CHORUS: How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might.
Laugh and laugh the whole day through and
Half the summer's night, Donna donna
Donna donna donna donna
Donna donna donna don
Donna donna donna donna
Donna donna donna don
"Stop complaining," said the farmer
'Who told you a calf to be?
Why don't you have wings to fly with
Like the swallow so proud and free?"
CHORUS
Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Never knowing the reason why
But whoever treasures freedom
Like the swallow has learned to fly.
CHORUS
On My Honor (I Will Try)
On my honor I will try
There's a duty to be done and I say 'aye'
There's a reason here, for reason above
My honor is to try, my duty is to love.
People don't need to know my name
If I've done any harm than I'm to blame
If I've helped another than I've helped me
If I've opened up my eyes to see.
I've tucked away a song or two
If you're feeling low, there's one for you
If you need a friend than I will come
There's many more where I come from.
Come with me where the fire burns bright
You can even see better by candlelight
You can learn more here in a campfire's glow
Than you'll ever learn in a year or so.
On my honor I will try
There's a duty to be done and I say 'aye'
There's a reason here for reason above
My honor is to try, my duty is to love.
(This song can be sung with the chorus after each verse, but it flows much better with the chorus at just the beginning and end of the song. Some girl scouts I have met were horrified, though, at the thought of not repeating the chorus for each verse. This song is often used by both boy and girl scouts to close campfires.)
There's a duty to be done and I say 'aye'
There's a reason here, for reason above
My honor is to try, my duty is to love.
People don't need to know my name
If I've done any harm than I'm to blame
If I've helped another than I've helped me
If I've opened up my eyes to see.
I've tucked away a song or two
If you're feeling low, there's one for you
If you need a friend than I will come
There's many more where I come from.
Come with me where the fire burns bright
You can even see better by candlelight
You can learn more here in a campfire's glow
Than you'll ever learn in a year or so.
On my honor I will try
There's a duty to be done and I say 'aye'
There's a reason here for reason above
My honor is to try, my duty is to love.
(This song can be sung with the chorus after each verse, but it flows much better with the chorus at just the beginning and end of the song. Some girl scouts I have met were horrified, though, at the thought of not repeating the chorus for each verse. This song is often used by both boy and girl scouts to close campfires.)
Scout Vespers
Softly falls the light of day
As our campfire fades away.
Silently each scout should ask
Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Oh, Have I done and have I dared
Everything to be prepared?
As our campfire fades away.
Silently each scout should ask
Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Oh, Have I done and have I dared
Everything to be prepared?
It Ain't Gonna Rain No More
This song grows new verses rather spontaneously as it is adopted by new staff, so quite a few of these verses have not been heard at PV for quite a while. But, if the Gummy Bears theme song could come back, which it did when Craig Ritzdorf was the Dobbins Program Director, I'll not deny any of these old verses the possibility of a revival.
CHORUS: Oh, it ain't gonna rain no more, no more
It ain't gonna rain no more.
How the heck can I wash my neck
If it ain't gonna rain no more?
A bum sat by the sewer
And by the sewer he died
And at the cor'ner's inquest
They called it sewer side
CHORUS
A peanut sat on the railroad track
It's heart was all a flutter
Along came the 4:15/ choo choo train
And BOOM! Peanut butter!
CHORUS
My father is a butcher
My mother is a cook
And I'm the little hot-dog
That runs around the brook.
CHORUS
My father built a chimney
He built it up so high
He had to take it down each night
To let the moon go by.
CHORUS
My daddy is a doctor,
My mommy is a nurse,
And I'm the little needle
That gets you where it hurts.
CHORUS
Mary had a little lamb
Her father shot it dead
And now she takes it to school
Between two slabs of bread.
CHORUS
Frog sitting on a lily pad
Lookin up to the sky
Lily pad broke, the frog fell in
Got water in its eye.
CHORUS
Lulu had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Lulu went to Heaven
The steamboat went toot toot.
CHORUS
Mosquito he fly high
Mosquito he fly low
Mosquito he fly by me,
He ain't gonna fly no more
CHORUS
Rich girl uses cold cream
Poor girl uses lard
My girl uses axle grease
And rubs it twice as hard.
CHORUS
Rich girl drives a limo
Poor girl drives a Ford
My girl drives an old gray mare
And beats it with a board.
CHORUS
Rich girl uses bathtub
Poor girl uses sink
My girl doesn't bathe at all
And boy, does she stink!
CHORUS
Tulips in the garden
Tulips in the park
The tulips that I like best
Are tulips in the dark.
CHORUS
CHORUS: Oh, it ain't gonna rain no more, no more
It ain't gonna rain no more.
How the heck can I wash my neck
If it ain't gonna rain no more?
A bum sat by the sewer
And by the sewer he died
And at the cor'ner's inquest
They called it sewer side
CHORUS
A peanut sat on the railroad track
It's heart was all a flutter
Along came the 4:15/ choo choo train
And BOOM! Peanut butter!
CHORUS
My father is a butcher
My mother is a cook
And I'm the little hot-dog
That runs around the brook.
CHORUS
My father built a chimney
He built it up so high
He had to take it down each night
To let the moon go by.
CHORUS
My daddy is a doctor,
My mommy is a nurse,
And I'm the little needle
That gets you where it hurts.
CHORUS
Mary had a little lamb
Her father shot it dead
And now she takes it to school
Between two slabs of bread.
CHORUS
Frog sitting on a lily pad
Lookin up to the sky
Lily pad broke, the frog fell in
Got water in its eye.
CHORUS
Lulu had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Lulu went to Heaven
The steamboat went toot toot.
CHORUS
Mosquito he fly high
Mosquito he fly low
Mosquito he fly by me,
He ain't gonna fly no more
CHORUS
Rich girl uses cold cream
Poor girl uses lard
My girl uses axle grease
And rubs it twice as hard.
CHORUS
Rich girl drives a limo
Poor girl drives a Ford
My girl drives an old gray mare
And beats it with a board.
CHORUS
Rich girl uses bathtub
Poor girl uses sink
My girl doesn't bathe at all
And boy, does she stink!
CHORUS
Tulips in the garden
Tulips in the park
The tulips that I like best
Are tulips in the dark.
CHORUS
Baby Bumble Bee
These lyrics are just one variation of this song, and not one I recall having sung myself, but I had friends who sang it like this when I was at PV. I've forgotten what the lyrics were when I learned it, but I'm quite sure there is at least one other major variation for this song, which I will post separately when I find it. This is the lyrics out of some of the PV songbooks.
I'm bringing home my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringing home my baby bumble bee
OUCH! It stung me!
I'm squishing/stomping up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm squishing up my baby bumble bee
Ew! What a mess!
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't me mommy be so proud of me
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee
Ick! I feel sick!
I'm barfin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm barfin' up my baby bumble bee
Oh! What a mess!
I'm wipin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wipin' up my baby bumble bee
Oops! Mommy's new towel!
I'm wringin' out my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wringin' out my baby bumble bee
Bye bye, baby bumble bee!
I'm bringing home my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringing home my baby bumble bee
OUCH! It stung me!
I'm squishing/stomping up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm squishing up my baby bumble bee
Ew! What a mess!
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't me mommy be so proud of me
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee
Ick! I feel sick!
I'm barfin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm barfin' up my baby bumble bee
Oh! What a mess!
I'm wipin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wipin' up my baby bumble bee
Oops! Mommy's new towel!
I'm wringin' out my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wringin' out my baby bumble bee
Bye bye, baby bumble bee!
The Austrian Yodeler
This song is very popular among both boy and girl scouts, and some girl scouts I've met say that they even learned it with the last verse intact. There are movements associated with the sounds, usually, and some troops perform this one by lining up 8 scouts, so that each verse is sung by just one scout, who also performs the sound/gestures for 'his' verse in the chorus section.
Oh, an Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came an avalanche interrupting his cry,
Oh
Oh rockee, oh rockoo, swish! (3x)
Oh rockee, oh!
Oh, an Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a grizzly bear interrupting his cry,
Oh
Oh rockee, oh rockoo, swish! Ghrrr! (3x)
Oh rockee, oh!
(for each new verse, add the sounds associated with that verse) Saint Bernard (hahh, hahh)/ (whoof, whoof)
pretty girl (kiss, kiss)
her mother (slap, slap)
her father (bang, bang)
an angel (flutter, flutter)
Oh, an Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a Girl Scout interrupting his cry
Oh
Oh rockee, oh rockoo, swish! Ghrrr! Hahh, hahh, Kiss, kiss, Slap, slap, Bang, bang, Flutter, flutter
Girl Scout cookies for sale! (shouted in high voice)
Oh, an Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came an avalanche interrupting his cry,
Oh
Oh rockee, oh rockoo, swish! (3x)
Oh rockee, oh!
Oh, an Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a grizzly bear interrupting his cry,
Oh
Oh rockee, oh rockoo, swish! Ghrrr! (3x)
Oh rockee, oh!
(for each new verse, add the sounds associated with that verse) Saint Bernard (hahh, hahh)/ (whoof, whoof)
pretty girl (kiss, kiss)
her mother (slap, slap)
her father (bang, bang)
an angel (flutter, flutter)
Oh, an Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a Girl Scout interrupting his cry
Oh
Oh rockee, oh rockoo, swish! Ghrrr! Hahh, hahh, Kiss, kiss, Slap, slap, Bang, bang, Flutter, flutter
Girl Scout cookies for sale! (shouted in high voice)
Introduction to my Songs and Skits Project
This blog is a new chapter in a project I've been working on for years, collecting and organizing the songs that enrich the culture of scout camps in Colorado and elsewhere. I started on this route back in 1999 when I was introduced to the community of Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch, a very nice Boy Scouts camp near Elbert, Colorado. Whatever horribleness the Boy Scouts of America perpetuate as an organization, the culture at this particular summer camp represents the best of what Boy Scouts could be. An important part of this camp culture is the music, all the folk songs, traditional songs and more recent popular songs that make up a local modern folk music tradition.
The Peaceful Valley Songbook has been recompiled and re-edited several times. I have in my possession several editions of it, including the one I edited a few years ago. Not all the songs in any edition were regularly performed, but the standard criteria for all editions seems to be that the compiler either knew the song as one used at camp in their past experience, or one they foresaw being used in the near future. Some of these songs were tailored to specific programs, with themes like root beer, bananas or superheroes. All were usually sung a capella, though when guitarists were on staff some of the 'slow-down songs' had instrumental accompaniment.
On this blog I will be posting all the songs in my camp song collection, starting with those I could sing from just looking at the lyrics. At this time I do not have a mechanism worked out to post audio files for these tunes, but I do know all of them and may post audio files at a later date when I have time to make them. I will be adding in provenance information for each song as I find it, including publishing dates and writers/origins. Unless a song is marked as having been published prior to 1922, it is safer to assume that it is copyright protected until you know otherwise. Many camp songs are classic folk tunes which are public domain, but quite a few newer songs have filtered into the collective folk tune category. I am including these songs on this site because they form an important part of the living history of folk music, but all rights to these more recent songs are still reserved to their rightful owners.
Some last notes: 1) The lyrics I am posting are mostly taken directly from the songbooks. Therefore, while there are other versions of most of these songs, these are the versions from PV, or BDSR, etc. I may occasionally shift a word or correct a line where the printed text from the songbook does not reflect the words as they were actually sung at camp. I'll note any major changes, as these often reflect two different 'eras' in camp singing, where the earlier camp staff performed the song as written and a later camp season revived the song as its own. This sort of fluidity is normal in folk music, though in the modern world with all our recorded music we do not always see folk music in its more organic state like this.
2) I am always interested in other versions of camp songs I know, and in new camp songs I don't yet know. It will take a while to post all of the songs I have, since they are not in html format yet until I type them up as such. But, time permitting, I am also still adding to my collection. If you, oh random reader, know songs from your days at a summer camp, boy scouts or girl scouts program, or other similar setting, that you think could benefit my collection here, feel free to send me your lyrics. Similarly, if you have any questions, ask. I am not a professional expert in folk music, by any means, but I'm learning more every day and might be able to at least locate whatever information you are seeking in this area.
3) This is a hobby. I am not getting paid, at all, for any of this (otherwise I would potentially be seriously overstepping the bounds of copyright law posting recent song lyrics here). I would certainly love to be able to pay rent with this sort of work, but at the moment I am still balancing real life and my music/blogging projects, so posting here may be sporadic. If you are checking back every day and getting annoyed that I am not posting something new every day, you've got the wrong idea. This may be a very cool blog over time, but give it time, please. I still have a thesis to write, and somehow have to keep on paying the rent. That said, thanks a lot for your interest! I really love folk music traditions and the social aspects of shared music, and enjoy the thought of sharing the songs I've been collecting with a wider audience.
4) For those folks who have worked at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch, in particular, if you remember songs that are not in the songbook, please let me know. Chances are, you and I are connected via facebook, or you know someone with whom I am 'facebook friends', so you are welcome to send me a message however you wish. I am not just compiling songs from PV. I started listing the classic PV skits a few years ago, and am in the process of writing them out in script form, but I never played a major role in Pretty Pretty Princess, or the Medicrine, or the Florist Friar, so I may be remembering lines wrong. And there are a lot of skits and run-ons I forget even existed, though if I ever saw them again I'd know them. If you have a favorite skit or run-on that you want to add to this collection, please do type it up as you remember it, and send it to me. If I get several different versions of the same skit, that's ok. And, if you'd like to add skits from BDSR or another scout camp, please do. I did work at BDSR for a summer, so some of their distinctive repertoire is familiar to me as well.
The Peaceful Valley Songbook has been recompiled and re-edited several times. I have in my possession several editions of it, including the one I edited a few years ago. Not all the songs in any edition were regularly performed, but the standard criteria for all editions seems to be that the compiler either knew the song as one used at camp in their past experience, or one they foresaw being used in the near future. Some of these songs were tailored to specific programs, with themes like root beer, bananas or superheroes. All were usually sung a capella, though when guitarists were on staff some of the 'slow-down songs' had instrumental accompaniment.
On this blog I will be posting all the songs in my camp song collection, starting with those I could sing from just looking at the lyrics. At this time I do not have a mechanism worked out to post audio files for these tunes, but I do know all of them and may post audio files at a later date when I have time to make them. I will be adding in provenance information for each song as I find it, including publishing dates and writers/origins. Unless a song is marked as having been published prior to 1922, it is safer to assume that it is copyright protected until you know otherwise. Many camp songs are classic folk tunes which are public domain, but quite a few newer songs have filtered into the collective folk tune category. I am including these songs on this site because they form an important part of the living history of folk music, but all rights to these more recent songs are still reserved to their rightful owners.
Some last notes: 1) The lyrics I am posting are mostly taken directly from the songbooks. Therefore, while there are other versions of most of these songs, these are the versions from PV, or BDSR, etc. I may occasionally shift a word or correct a line where the printed text from the songbook does not reflect the words as they were actually sung at camp. I'll note any major changes, as these often reflect two different 'eras' in camp singing, where the earlier camp staff performed the song as written and a later camp season revived the song as its own. This sort of fluidity is normal in folk music, though in the modern world with all our recorded music we do not always see folk music in its more organic state like this.
2) I am always interested in other versions of camp songs I know, and in new camp songs I don't yet know. It will take a while to post all of the songs I have, since they are not in html format yet until I type them up as such. But, time permitting, I am also still adding to my collection. If you, oh random reader, know songs from your days at a summer camp, boy scouts or girl scouts program, or other similar setting, that you think could benefit my collection here, feel free to send me your lyrics. Similarly, if you have any questions, ask. I am not a professional expert in folk music, by any means, but I'm learning more every day and might be able to at least locate whatever information you are seeking in this area.
3) This is a hobby. I am not getting paid, at all, for any of this (otherwise I would potentially be seriously overstepping the bounds of copyright law posting recent song lyrics here). I would certainly love to be able to pay rent with this sort of work, but at the moment I am still balancing real life and my music/blogging projects, so posting here may be sporadic. If you are checking back every day and getting annoyed that I am not posting something new every day, you've got the wrong idea. This may be a very cool blog over time, but give it time, please. I still have a thesis to write, and somehow have to keep on paying the rent. That said, thanks a lot for your interest! I really love folk music traditions and the social aspects of shared music, and enjoy the thought of sharing the songs I've been collecting with a wider audience.
4) For those folks who have worked at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch, in particular, if you remember songs that are not in the songbook, please let me know. Chances are, you and I are connected via facebook, or you know someone with whom I am 'facebook friends', so you are welcome to send me a message however you wish. I am not just compiling songs from PV. I started listing the classic PV skits a few years ago, and am in the process of writing them out in script form, but I never played a major role in Pretty Pretty Princess, or the Medicrine, or the Florist Friar, so I may be remembering lines wrong. And there are a lot of skits and run-ons I forget even existed, though if I ever saw them again I'd know them. If you have a favorite skit or run-on that you want to add to this collection, please do type it up as you remember it, and send it to me. If I get several different versions of the same skit, that's ok. And, if you'd like to add skits from BDSR or another scout camp, please do. I did work at BDSR for a summer, so some of their distinctive repertoire is familiar to me as well.
Ants Go Marching
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain
Boom, boom, boom
(Repeat verse, increasing number each time. The song can be repeated infinitely using the verses listed here.)
two = tie his shoe
three = climb a tree
four = shut the door
five = do a jive
six = pick up sticks
seven = go to Heaven
eight = shut the gate
nine = pick up a dime
ten = do it again
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain
Boom, boom, boom
(Repeat verse, increasing number each time. The song can be repeated infinitely using the verses listed here.)
two = tie his shoe
three = climb a tree
four = shut the door
five = do a jive
six = pick up sticks
seven = go to Heaven
eight = shut the gate
nine = pick up a dime
ten = do it again
All God's Creatures
CHORUS: All God's creatures got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
Some just clap their hands or paws or anything they've got now
Listen to the bass, it's the one on the bottom
Where the bullfrog croaks and the hippopotamus
Moans and groans in a big tattoo
And the old cow just goes "moo"
The dogs and the cats, they take up the middle
Where the honeybee hums and the crickets fiddle
The donkey brays and the pony neighs
And the old gray badger sighs, oh.
CHORUS
Listen to the top with the little birds singing
And the melodies and the high notes ringing
And the hoot owl cries over everything
And the blackbird disagrees
Singing in the nighttime, singing in the day
And the little duck quacks and he's on his way
And the otter hasn't got much to say
And the porcupine talks to himself
It's a simple song, a little song everywhere
By the ox and the fox and the grizzly bear
The dopey alligator and the hawk above
The sly old weasel and the turtle dove.
CHORUS
All God's creatures got a place in the choir!
(I don't recall ever hearing this song while working at PV, but it shows up in at least one of the older songbooks, so perhaps it was used in the 90's before I got to PV? It has been rather recently recorded by the Irish ensemble group Celtic Thunder.)
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
Some just clap their hands or paws or anything they've got now
Listen to the bass, it's the one on the bottom
Where the bullfrog croaks and the hippopotamus
Moans and groans in a big tattoo
And the old cow just goes "moo"
The dogs and the cats, they take up the middle
Where the honeybee hums and the crickets fiddle
The donkey brays and the pony neighs
And the old gray badger sighs, oh.
CHORUS
Listen to the top with the little birds singing
And the melodies and the high notes ringing
And the hoot owl cries over everything
And the blackbird disagrees
Singing in the nighttime, singing in the day
And the little duck quacks and he's on his way
And the otter hasn't got much to say
And the porcupine talks to himself
It's a simple song, a little song everywhere
By the ox and the fox and the grizzly bear
The dopey alligator and the hawk above
The sly old weasel and the turtle dove.
CHORUS
All God's creatures got a place in the choir!
(I don't recall ever hearing this song while working at PV, but it shows up in at least one of the older songbooks, so perhaps it was used in the 90's before I got to PV? It has been rather recently recorded by the Irish ensemble group Celtic Thunder.)
Alice, Where Are You Going?
[This song is one a boy scouts troop from Texas taught me, and from the looks on their faces when I told them I'd never heard it, I guess it was pretty well known in their part of Texas at least.]
Alice, where are you going?
Upstairs to take a bath (dirt, dirt, dirt)
Alice with legs like toothpicks (snap!)
And a neck like a giraffe(affe,affe, affe)
Alice jumped in the water (splash!)
Alice pulled out the plug (oh no!)
(spoken in rhythm)Oh my goodness, oh my soul!
There goes Alice down the hole
Into the sewer, sewer, sewer, sewer
Which is just 3 (2, 1, right next door to) short blocks from
Joe's Junior High.
Let's hear it for Joe's Junior High
It's the best junior high in Toledo
The colors are purple and white
The purple stands for freedom
And the white stands for fight, fight, fight!
(The song repeats, decreasing the number of blocks each time. The last section is to a different tune, that of a school fight song. The triplet echoes, etc. are either sung or spoken, and are easily accompanied by actions. Some patrols I spoke to like to speed up the song with each verse.)
Alice, where are you going?
Upstairs to take a bath (dirt, dirt, dirt)
Alice with legs like toothpicks (snap!)
And a neck like a giraffe(affe,affe, affe)
Alice jumped in the water (splash!)
Alice pulled out the plug (oh no!)
(spoken in rhythm)Oh my goodness, oh my soul!
There goes Alice down the hole
Into the sewer, sewer, sewer, sewer
Which is just 3 (2, 1, right next door to) short blocks from
Joe's Junior High.
Let's hear it for Joe's Junior High
It's the best junior high in Toledo
The colors are purple and white
The purple stands for freedom
And the white stands for fight, fight, fight!
(The song repeats, decreasing the number of blocks each time. The last section is to a different tune, that of a school fight song. The triplet echoes, etc. are either sung or spoken, and are easily accompanied by actions. Some patrols I spoke to like to speed up the song with each verse.)
Alice the Camel
[A very popular classic silly song among both boy scouts and girl scouts.]
Alice the camel has 5 humps
Alice the camel has 5 humps
Alice the camel has 5 humps
So go, Alice, go
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(repeat song, reducing number each time until Alice has no humps, and ending with "So Alice is a horse!" Count humps by wriggling butt.)
Alice the camel has 5 humps
Alice the camel has 5 humps
Alice the camel has 5 humps
So go, Alice, go
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(repeat song, reducing number each time until Alice has no humps, and ending with "So Alice is a horse!" Count humps by wriggling butt.)
American Pie
- written and recorded by Don McLean
This song was sung by the camp staff from memory before campfires at Camp Jeffrey, a part of Ben Delatour Scout Ranch.
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.
So ... CHORUS
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Did you write the book of love
And do you believe in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance?
Well, i know that you're in love with him
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin' ... CHORUS
Now, for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sand dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin' ... CHORUS
Helter skelter in a summer shelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
Landed flat out on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester in the sidelines in a cast
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died
We started singin' ... CHORUS
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to try again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'cause fire is the devil's only friend
And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin' ... CHORUS
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most-
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost-
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing ...
CHORUS (2x)
This song was sung by the camp staff from memory before campfires at Camp Jeffrey, a part of Ben Delatour Scout Ranch.
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.
So ... CHORUS
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Did you write the book of love
And do you believe in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance?
Well, i know that you're in love with him
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin' ... CHORUS
Now, for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sand dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin' ... CHORUS
Helter skelter in a summer shelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
Landed flat out on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester in the sidelines in a cast
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died
We started singin' ... CHORUS
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to try again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'cause fire is the devil's only friend
And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin' ... CHORUS
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most-
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost-
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing ...
CHORUS (2x)
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