To remember this primary school song?

[funnytimes1]

Sorry, this is a bit random and pointless and possibly a bit of a niche memory! But it suddenly popped into my head earlier today!

im 25 and went to primary school between 2003-2010 so not even that long ago, but I remember singing songs in the assembly and one of them stuck in my mind so clearly I can still remember it word for word.

‘if you’re feeling sad and weary and you’re down in the dumps there’s something you can do…
don’t be grumpy
don’t go on and on
don’t be grumpy
don’t go and spoil the fun’

obviously hindsight is a wonderful thing and it’s not fair to put 2024 standards on something from 20 years ago but wow that hasn’t aged well very at all! The motto of the song (as i remember it anyway so maybe wrong) was that if you’re sad you shouldn’t talk about it and bring other people down, probably not the best mental health message to send to kids and I imagine it’s not sung too often anymore!

not even sure what the point of this post is sorry!

(and on a more cheerful note- does anyone else remember a song called build up?? And another about a chicken or Easter chick or something like that? That was the best assembly tune!!! 🤣)

I don't remember any of the songs here; but I remember some others that I haven't come across since.: does anyone else know them?

(1) Lots of animals live in the zoo,
Tigers and pandas and elephants too,
Lions and bears and the big kangaroo.
Lots of animals, lots of animals.
Lots of animals live in the zoo,.

(2) (A dancing song, close to Christmas):

I'm a fairy doll
Hanging on a tree.
All the little children
Dancing round me.
Tra la la! Tra la la! Tra la la!

(And more verses; e,g, 'I'm a golden star..')

(3) (On birthdays)

We wish you many happy returns of the day,]
We hope you will be healthy and strong all the way,
Strong to do right; slow to do wrong,
And thoughtful for others all the day long.

(4) (I just remember the first verse):

Jennifer Jane has a cold in her head
And a terrible big Achoo
And its 'Where;s your hankie?' and 'Come indoors'
And 'Blow for Nursie, do'.

(5) This was a recitation, rather than a song; and I don't remember most of it, but it was a very gloomy poem about Sammy the Snail, who said 'I fear I shall never get out of this pail'. and eventually fell to his death trying to do so. 'And that was the end of poor Sam-u-el!'

I got married 32 years ago and was a primary school teacher, teaching Y2. The class came to my wedding and sang ‘love’s just like a magic penny’. It was very special and makes me feel all nostalgic years later.

I played that on the piano during assembly practically every morning during the first half of the Autumn Term😄And yes,the kids really made a big thing of the '...and a win for my home team' !

On the 'keep smiling' front, one of our teachers (the same one who taught us the poem about Sammy the Snail) used to quote the lines 'Laugh and the world laughs with you/ Cry and you cry alone'. I would guess that the lines originated as a cynical comment about how most people are fair-weather friends; but our teacher interpreted and used it as an injunction not to cry.

The following is better known, but I definitely remember:

'If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands..
If you're happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.'

Years later, during the pandemic, I used the verse to time my handwashing, with the word 'wash' substituted for 'clap'. As I hate my birthday, I didn't want to use 'Happy birthday', and this verse seemed to work well.

Another one from my primary school, that I love singing to my kids (my dh had never heard of it):

When you're smiling, when you're smiling
The whole world smiles with you
When you're laughing, when you're laughing
The sun comes shining through
But when you're crying
You bring on the rain
So stop your sighing
Be happy again!
Cos when you're smiling, when you're smiling
The whole world smiles with you!

@ToWhitToWhoo
I remember the birthday one from primary school😀

don't take the paper off

WTF? How are kids meant to eat the sweet then?

I don’t remember that song but wonder if might be a good anthem for middle aged men?

If the words sound queer
And funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey

Sing “Mares eat oats
And does eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy”

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?

DD taught that one to a bunch of baffled German teens on her year abroad. She said they really got into the 'shh' after a while.

London's burning, London's burning.
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines.
Fire fire, Fire Fire!
Pour on water, pour on water.
London's burning, London's burning.
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines.
Fire fire, Fire Fire!
Pour on water, pour on water.
London's burning, London's burning.
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines.
Fire fire, Fire Fire!
Pour on water, pour on water.
Pour on water, pour on water.
Pour on water, pour on water.

Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie watcha,
Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.
Hayla, hayla shayla, hayla shayla hayla ho,
Hayla, hayla shayla, hayla shayla hayla ho.
Shaly waddy, shaly waddy, shaly waddy, shaly waddy,
Oom-pa, oom-pa, oom-pa, oom-pa,
Shaly waddy, shaly waddy, shaly waddy, shaly waddy,
Oom-pa, oom-pa, oom-pa, oom.
Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie watcha,
Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.

Can't believe there's no mention of 'I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there...' everyone's favourite because you got to say naked and titter. Also 'SING hosanna, SING hosanna, SIIIIIING hosanna to the King OF KINGS!'

TotHappy - I visited a primary school in years gone by, for a meeting with their music co- ordinator. As we walked past the hall, the kids were belting out with great joy and gusto “Sing Lasagne, Sing Lasagne, SIIING Lasagne to the king OF KINGS!!” It was a wonderful moment!

I remember that first hymn - it's called "Colours of Day". I always used to like it, too.

The mention of colours reminds me of another assembly song that started, "The ink is black, the page is white" and something about how we learn to read and write and the law of the land.

I learned this as a folk song sung by the Spinners, and I think earlier by Pete Seeger. 'The ink is black, the page is white/ Together we learn to read and write/
To read and write/And now a child can understand/ This is the law of all the land.
All the land...The child is black, the child is white./ The whole world looks upon the sight/ Beautiful sight!'. I assume that the song originated as a celebration of school integration in the USA.

I remember the inkeepers song at nativity plays at primary . I call it the Nigel Farage/Suella Braverman carol:

rat a tat tat
rat a tat tat
no no no!
there isn't any room and you can't stay here
there isn't any room for strangers

'Hes got the whole world in his hands' was one we always sang in assembly!

Believe it or not, I have a very vivid memory of singing Whiskey in the jar, in year 7 and 8 with a very enthusiastic music teacher for assembly!!

I'm late 50s and I think we sang a variety of songs then.
I remember learning Streets Of London and Matchstalk Men. Also Rolf Harris' Two Little Boys.

Sounds like the teacher was misquoting Ella Wheeler Cox's poem "Solitude",

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

There's two other stanzas but I only recall that first one as it was in a book I had as a child that also had From a Railway Carriage and I wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Thanks for this, I remember this one! Haven't thought about it in over 30 years and still remember the tune. That's made me smile.

Oh really? That makes sense that they'd need to practise. I expect they mainly do it in Autumn, too.

We never did songs for assembly, CofE primary school so we always recited the Lords Prayer. I do remember a small group of us doing Kumbaya once in a random room with a random teacher and I remember a couple songs from school plays; Skip to my loo, and one about dillying and dallying (so I dillied and dallied, dallied and dillied , lost my way and don't know where to roam .... when you can't find your way home), oh and Soldier Soldier (will you marry me).

I remember the ‘half past three’ song vividly. I’m sure it went:

’At half past three we go home for tea
Or Maybe at quarter to four
And ten pairs of feet go running down the street
And in at their own front door
And it’s rough and tumble
Clatter and noise
Brothers and sisters
Girls and boys
Baby in the carrycot
Cat by the stove.
A little bit of quarrelling
But much more love’

I didn’t learn the chick song until I was working in a school but I’ve used it with children since:

One Mother Hen sat on 5 little eggs
Keeping them warm in her little egg nest
Then one day she heard a crack
And a little voice said as a head popped out
I’m a spring chicken
I’m yellow and small
My feathers are fluffy
And they’re keeping me warm
My legs are not long
So I’ll never be tall
But I’m a real spring chicken
And I’m having a ball
Chicken, I’m a chicken
And I’m having a ball!’
(and so on until all the eggs are hatched)