For those of you who were at Primary School in the 80's

[Tequilamockinbird]

Would you like to reminisce with me about school assemblies?

DH and I were talking about the 'Come and Praise' book, and singing remembering the songs.

Does anyone else remember songs such as Autumn Days and Cross over the road my friend? Which others were there?

[AyesToTheRight]

Rufus I love that tune. The organ gets a great part before each verse. Also like it being sung in Latin

[TigerseyeMum]

'Streets of London' was by Ralph McTell who used to play banjos with Billy Connolly and did the music to his 'Touring' series. I used to love that song.

We also sang most of the ones already mentioned, Kookaburra, Whole World in His Hands etc etc.

We used to loved singing 'When I'm 64' as well.

I am a terrible singer but loved singing in assembly. Wish I could sing.

[TigerseyeMum]

I almost bought a Puff the Magic Dragon book for my neice yesterday but had to put it back cos I started sniffling in the shop, I accidentally flicked to the page where 'Little Jackie Paper came to see Puff no more'

[Ponders]

me too, Tigerseye - it's why carol concerts/church services at Christmas are so attractive - enough other people singing to drown me out

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

my old man's a dustman, he wears a dustmans hat
he took me round the corner to watch a football match

Fatty passed to skinny, skinny passed it back,
Fatty did a rotten shot an knocked the goaly flat


OH

Where was the goaly when the ball was in the net,
Half way up the goal post with his knickers round his neck,
They laid him on a stretcher, they laid him on a bed,
they rubbed his belly with a lump of jelly and this is what he said.....


Willy was a watch dog standing in the grass
along came a bumble bee and stung him in the
Ask no questions, tell no lies,
ever seen a police man doing up his
Flies are a nuisance bees are worse
and this is the end of my silly little verse.

the obligatory song for the bus on the way to or from the seaside with school.
Went to convent boarding school so come and praise is etched in my head after singing in chapel each morning and evening for 5 years!!

[TigerseyeMum]

I really miss going to church for that reason (I figure that wanting to sing along is not a good enough reason to go )

Plus a lot of hymns are dirges, but jolly ones like 'One More Step' are fun. I'd go back to those days in a heartbeat, I really enjoyed my time at primary school

[RufusTFirefly]

Ponders, I've read it. The music's still shite and he still didn't stand up against the bluesmen in any way. Sorry, shit music is still shit music, no matter how good the intentions may be. I think we may to agree to differ on this one.

[Ponders]

IMo the message is more important than the medium

(not that I think the medium is shite anyway; but then I've always been folkie)

[RufusTFirefly]

Nope (but in a friendly way) - it's the other way round for me. However, I love certain voices that objectively aren't brilliant, because of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. A jazz singer called Anita O'day didn't have a huge range and sometimes her intonation was off, but by God did she swing and could she put a song over! I was lucky enough to see her live in the 80s and she was wonderful. I like her better than Ella, by a long way, and I do like Ella.

Going back to schooldays, I liked "For all the saints" and one I can't remember the name of, which contained the lovely lines:

The horn-ed moon who shines by night
Mid her spangled sisters bright
For his mercies ay endure
Ever faithful, ever sure.

[Ponders]

I liked for all the saints too, Rufus; all those uplifting hymns in fact

I don't remember your horn-ed moon, though I do remember that chorus; but a quick google says it's

\link{http://lyrics.astraweb.com/display/217/hymn..unknown..let_us_with_a_gladsome_mind.html\let us with a gladsome mind}

which is another nice uplifting one

(they don't write 'em like that any more )

[UniS]

re playing colours of day on recorder. DH , who was at primary school in 1980, has just tootled it out on the penny whistle having never played it before in his life. Catchy isn't it.
Only uses 5 notes.

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

Thanks for the Classics nomination. It has to be put before the Classics Nomination Committee, but in the meantime I'll move this into 'Education' so that it doesn't disappear.

[RufusTFirefly]

That's the one, ponders. I too love the uplifting ones, and have just remembered "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind", which I found out a while back was written by a Quaker. I'm one too, albeit a very bad one (haven't been to meeting for ages).

[HooberGoober]

I love this thread!!

Does anyone remember this one...?

Blackberries are on the hedge
And apples on the tree
Old Man's Beard along the wall
Hot apple pie for tea

I remember singing Water of Life but I was shortsighted and couldn't see the OHP v well - I wasn't sure whether it was Water of Life or Water of Lime. I decided it was lime, like the cordial. I don't think it occurred to me to wonder what Jesus was doing with lime cordial

[HooberGoober]

Oh, I don't know if anyone's said this already but the one someone mentioned upthread about Jesus and wrapping a blanket round his tiny form is probably Little Jesus Sweetly Sleep

Little Jesus, sweetly sleep, do not stir
We will lend a coat of fur
We will rock you, rock you, rock you
We will rock you, rock you, rock you
See the fur to keep you warm
Snugly round your tiny form.

Mary's little baby, sleep, sweetly sleep
Sleep in comfort, slumber deep
We will rock you, rock you, rock you
We will rock you, rock you, rock you
We will serve you all we can
Darling, darling little man.

[MayorNaze]

you will be pleased to know that "when i needed a neighbour" is still sung loud and proud in the 21st century at my dds school WITH obligatory giggling at the cold and naked verse

[ArmageddonOuttahere]

Snurking in the back row required very little encouragement at my primary. The line:

"and slowly, slowly somewhere, somebody's liiiiiiife is made"

from The Building Song produced much roffling from Junior 3 as it was talking about bonking

[MsWeatherwax]

I remember loads of these - we were a big singing school and used to spend whole afternoons having a sing-song quite often - probably the only good thing about that school. Someone mentioned English country garden - I presume there are proper words to that because we only sang it on coach trips and then it went 'What do you do when you need the loo in an English country garden?' and had two fairly scatological verses.

[Tequilamockinbird]

Thanks Rowan for moving this, I couldn't bear to lose them all again

[Tequilamockinbird]

yy MsWeatherwax, 'pull down your pants and water all the plants, in an English country gaaaaarden'

[notevenamousie]

There was a Dennis the Menace version of English Country Garden on the front cover of the Beano in, I don't know, 1988 or something that started:
How many kinds of soft fellow go to an English Country Garden
Listen while I tell you of some that I know and if I'm sick please beg my pardon
Walter sniffs a scented rose
While a bee attacks his nose.
In an English Country Garden.
No idea what the real words are. Why I can still remember that is beyond me.

[housemum]

My second line was, "pick up a leaf and wipe your underneath in an English country Garden"

[RufusTFirefly]

Pissing myself at reading what some of you have done to "Country Gardens". It's by Percy Grainger and I can't stand his stuff. Very jiggy-up-and-down-y.

Going off topic and on to the Beano, I remember when the Bash Street Kids sent up Robert Burns - like this:

My Mum has got a red, red nose
Like a beetroot grown in June
My Mum has got a funny face
Just like a wrinkled prune
But don't you worry, dear old Mum
Though you've got a horrible dial
Because I will love you still, dear Mum
Though you look like a crocodile

That was from Plug to his Mum. Look who was talking...

[MsWeatherwax]

Brilliant, neither of those versions of English country garden was mine! :D

We had:

"What do you do when you need a poo in an English country garden? Take a spade and bury what you've made in an English country garden."

and

"What do you do when you need the loo in an English country garden? Pull down your pants and fertilise the plants (I heard these as ants for years, though) in an English country garden."

I am glad have gained a few extra lines for this song :D