Apusski Dusky

[ThomasinaJones]

How many people remember singing this song as kids? And Lily the Pink? Bananas in Pyjamas?

DH doesn't remember any of these, and it's making me sad.

Anyone joining me a little sing-along (cross-legged on the carpet, hoping the person next to you doesn't wet themselves today)?

Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea
Silver buckles on his knee
He'll come back and marry me
Bonny Bobby Shaftoe

Funny how they come back to you! Great thread OP

Really? I didn’t know that. And my own mum trained at the start of the 50s!

She wasn’t up to accompanying singing though - luckily there was another teacher who was!

I remember Lily the Pink. We sat on gym mats.

My Dad used to sing Lily the Pink in the army in the late 40s! I’m sure he said it was a WW1 song…?

I recognise so many of these. Welsh primary school in the late 70s, sitting on the (beautiful, block herring bone wooden) floor singing away.

Kum by Ah
Yellow Submarine
If you’re Happy and you Know it
Men of Harlech
The Ash Grove
Streets of London
There’s a Hole in my Bucket

Also Calypso Carol at Christmas which you don’t commonly hear so much now.

I don't think my (primary teacher) dad got that memo either!

A mouse lived in a windmill in old Amsterdam….

When I needed a neighbour, were you there? Were you there?

We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you?

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning

Soldier, soldier, will you marry me?

The farmer wants a wife, thefarmer wants a wife, eee ai addyoh the farmer wants a wife

Always loved the Seekers version of that one.

Does anyone remember how the song “soldier, soldier, will you marry me?” ends?

After she kitted him out with a coat, hat, boots and everything else he said he needed, he then told her he was already married!

Wow, @Storynanny1 , I didn't know that either.

How sad that that's gone now.

And as for "cauliflowers fluffy"... I remember kids screaming that one at the tops of their lungs... 😂

Yes! That was an outrage!

And to balance this out (men/women-wise), does anyone remember "she was one of the early birds, and I was one of the worms"?

I'm not super old but I had a piano in my classroom and did regular sing songs. I was also given a book which was for student teachers to teach them how to play nursery rhymes in a year so I think teachers used to be taught many many years ago.
Some of the songs they sing now are absolute drivel! Most schools don't even sing that much.

A Windmill in Old Amsterdam was sung by Ronnie Hilton. He was also responsible for No Other Love, Leeds United Calypso and Elland Road B'ah T'at.

We change the end of the words of 'soldier, soldier won't you marry me'. From I have a wife of my own to 'I have a life of my own'

Wow, that's a pretty good condemnation of marriage 😂

The original Soldier, Soldier was actually a good warning to girls. Don't waste time giving it all away to a good looking scoundrel. Probably the original intention.

This makes sense! It's a sad song though...

Yay! I still have the first two! I might get them out and start a family sing song tonight! 😛

No don't worry neighbours I won't inflict that on you

Lily the Pink the Scaffold with Mike McGear, Paul McCartney's brother of course.

"Meatball" and "The Quartermaster's Stores" great for singing loudly. Was "Rolls In" in one of them? "By Jove how the money rolls in". We used to sing that on car journeys as a child. I always got confused as to what "aslummishshonerry" was. 😀

@tobee - Id forgotten Quartermaster Stores! My mum was very disapproving of that one, and much "silly girl, what did she expect" about Soldier Soldier.

Quite - the original cocklodger warning song!

Calypso Carol was my favourite! See him lying on a bed of straw…

And It was on a Starry Night:
It was on a starry night, when the hills were bright
Earth lay sleeping, sleeping calm and still.
Then in a cattle shed, in a manger bed
a boy was born, king of all the world.

Calypso Carol was still going strong at my DSs primary a couple of years ago.

And It Was on a Starry Night:
"And all the angels sang for Him,
The bells of heaven rang for Him..."

I used to love this one:
The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy

He come from the glory,
he come from the glorious kingdom;
Yes! he come from the glory,
he come from the glorious kingdom:
O yes, believer!
O yes, believer!
He come from the glory,
he come from the glorious kingdom.

One of my favourite Christmas ones was Wind through the olive tree” (and calypso carol)
I had another book called Harlequin which was much used as well. Also Alleluia which had some assembly religious type songs in it.
I have recently been back to a school I last taught at in 2001 and they tell me the beautiful grand piano in the hall has not been played since I left. And the school I left in 2012 now has got rid of their piano as it was just “ in the way” and “ everyone prefers backing tracks”

That is so sad 😭