Brownie and Guide songs

[Diversion]

Carrying on from the school hymns thread I thought I would ask if any of you remember your Brownie or Guide songs? For some strange reason many of these are stuck in my head, to pop out from time to time including the actions 😂. I'm taking home my baby bumble bee, This little guiding light of mine, Oh I had an Aunty an Aunty Monica (and when she went out shopping they would all say ooh la la, because her hat is swaying, swaying to and fro) Our chalet, Camp fires burning, Kookaburra and a game we played called Walk the Deck.

“…and help our (homes and land?)
We’re Brownie friends, we’re Brownie friends,
From north, south, east and west.
We join together in our wish
To try to do our best!”

I didn’t like the religious side either. I was just there for the shits and giggles. 😄 I was always such a “good girl” at school and at home, so decided I would be the naughtiest child at Brownies just to see what it felt like, and I loved it.

Thank you for jogging my memory, @PollyannaWhittier and @DrinkingMyWaterMindingMyBiz !

I saw a Bird, with a Yellow bill.
It landed on, my windowsill.
I coaxed it in, with a loaf of bread.
Then I stroked, its fluffy head

It then deteriorates to putting it in a toaster and smashing it's head in. We also sang 'Charlie had a Pigeon'.

I don't think anyone so far has mentioned 'I said a boom chicka boom'. It was a repeating one and got louder every time. This was my absolute favourite throughout Brownies and Guides.

Some of these songs are absolutely insane 😄 I really didn’t notice at the time. I wonder what they sing nowadays because I cannot imagine many of these being acceptable anymore

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o

Henry: There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, a hole.
Liza: Well, fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Well, fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it.
Henry: With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I fix it dear Liza, with what?
Liza: With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a straw dear Henry, dear Henry, with a straw.

So many great songs being dredged from the depths of my brain thanks to this thread!

I think it must be more of a Scouting song (we used to have an annual group camp with all the units so we sang together) but Riding Along on the Crest of a Wave was always a big favourite then.

So many memories coming back now! My favourite was Charlie Was a Pigeon but I seem to remember one called Okki Tokki Unga? No idea why a group of Brownies in the Midlands were singing an Inuit fishing song, but there we go!
I used to like all getting together to sing Brownie Bells at the end, and even now I sing it in my head when I hear church bells.

I like Swinging Along (the Open Road) too, very difficult to sing though, you need several people who know it very well to carry it - it ends up in chaos when I try to sing it with the girls even with a backing track !

"We have camp fired here
In the mud and rain
And another year
We won't camp again.

As the sun goes down
All the camp is still
And the boy scouts wait
Up on yonder hill.

Should we join them there?
T'would be rather nice.
We could creep past Skip
Like a load of mice.

But let's think twice
E're we dare to roam.
'Cos if Skip finds out
We'll be all sent home."

Skip was our Guide Captain...... and more than 50 years since I sang it, I'm still word perfect...

The one where the orangutan slides down the elephants trunk

This one

Another classic!

There's a long, long worm a crawling
On the roof of my tent
And the morning whistle's blowing
And it's time I went
There's the cold, cold water waiting
For me to take my morning dip
And when I return I'll find that worm
Upon my pillow slip
(Accompanied by various hand movements & sound effects)

And what about this one -
Verse 1
A girl guide went to camp (went to camp)
She went to bed without a lamp (without a lamp)
And when she found a beetle in her bed
This is what that girl guide said (girl guide said)
"Beetle, beetle go away (go away)
I'm afraid you cannot stay (cannot stay)
Remember what the Captain said
No two people in one bed (in one bed)"

Verse 2
A girl guide went to camp (went to camp)
She went to bed without a lamp (without a lamp)
And when she found a Boy Scout in her bed
This is what the girl guide said (girl guide said)

"Boy scout, Boy Scout you must stay (you must stay)
You must never go away (go away)
Remember what the Captain said

[spoken]
Girl guides and Boy Scouts must be good friends at all times "
🤣🤣🤣 Appalling! We thought we were hilarious as 12 or 13 year olds. And the leaders were very disapproving, needless to say.

I'm interested in which ones you think wouldn't be sung. Because we still sing all of these. Yes some of the lyrics are a bit 'naughty' but just a bit of fun.

I remember a guide one that one of our leaders wouldn't let us sing because it was suggestive. 'Mmn I'd like to linger, mmn a little longer, a little longer here with you.

I think I'm quite a bit older than most of you. No pizza hut for us!!
Anyone remember She fell into a lat-pit on a bar of Sunlight soap?
Glory glory what a terrible place to slip. Can't remember the last line!!

Magdalena hagdalena oopataka wakataka oka noka poka was her name…

So many memories from this thread!

Sung to Frere Jacques

Life is butter (life is butter)
Melancholy flower (melancholy flower)
Life is but a melon (life is but a melon)
Cauliflower (cauliflower)

Ten in the bed and the little one said etc
At the end -
Please remember when you wake up brothers
Please remember when all is said and done
Please remember when you tie the cord on your old pyjamas
Single beds are only made for ONE!

Little cottage in the wood
Little eyes by the window stood
Saw a rabbit running by
Knocking at the door
Help me help me help me said
Before the farmer shoots me dead
Come little rabbit come inside
You'll be safe with me

Can't remember all the words to this

I jumped aboard a pirate ship and the captain said to me
We're going this way, that way, forwards and backwards over the Irish sea
A bottle of rum to fill my tum
And that's the life for me

And my kids sung this

A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
McDonald's McDonald's
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

For me, Riding Along on the Crest of a Wave is a Gang Show song as that's the only time I heard it. The kids all stood on risers and it was visually amazing. It's a great song!

Same, we still sing nearly all of them ! (Except Princess Pat, because apparently it's disrespecting the regimental standard of a Canadian infantry regiment so we've been discouraged from singing it; and Red Men because racial stereotyping.)

Linger isn't suggestive at all it's about being sad to say goodbye to the new friends you've made on camp.

I mostly remember the bumblebee one.

I've got a baby bumble bee
Won't my mummy be surprised at me?
I've got a little baby bumble bee
Oooh Eee the bee stung me!

(Slapping hands together)
I'm smashing up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mummy be surprised at me?
I'm smashing up my baby bumble bee
Oooh Eee I'm all sticky!

(Miming licking smashed bee off hands)
I'm licking up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mummy be surprised at me?
I'm licking up my baby bumble bee
Oooh Eee, I feel funny

(Miming excessively violent vomiting!)
I'm sicking up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mummy be surprised at me?
I'm sicking up my baby bumble bee

But I can't remember the last line!

I tried teaching to my brownies aged daughter and she was horrified! Kids today. No sense of humour 🤣

Oh yes, definitely a Gang Show song. But we used to sing it round the campfire too.

Linger isn't in the least bit suggestive! It's about the last night round the campfire, making new friendships and looking forward to reconvening after the summer break. It's a lovely song.

Oh you'll never get to heaven
In a biscuit tin
Cos biscuit tins-
Got biscuits in!

That's interesting, I've always understood it that they were on summer camp together (presumably from different groups) and probably wouldn't meet again but would keep the memories.
I love all the variation in lyrics and interpretations of these songs - it would make a great dissertation project !