What songs did you sing at Primary School?

[KurriKurri]

I don't mean playground songs, I mean the sort of thing you'd sing as a class?

This morning I was trying to remember the words to In the Fields in Frost and Snow, and wikkied them here

In the Fields in Frost and Snows,
Watching late and early;
There I keep my Father's Cows,
There I Milk 'em Yearly:
Booing here, Booing there,
Here a Boo, there a Boo, every where a Boo,
We defy all Care and Strife,
In a Charming Country-Life.

Obviously a kind of old version of Old Macdonald. I went to school in the 60's we also sang one about a tiger 'prowling round the forest while the nights were dark and wild' and 'Bessie was a Black cat as old as the house'.

And one which went

'The ladybird and the centipede got married,
the ladybird and the centipede they wed,
on their wedding night I've heard it said,
fifty one pairs of slippers were by their bed,
the ladybird and the centipede - something something (forgotten)'

My headmaster was a great pianist and loved music, and we had singing everyday first thing, and entered lots of festivals etc. I loved it.

Does anyone else have any favourites they remember?

Bride chasing sleepiness away,
Father gladly we great You,
Here come running to meet you,
Please be in us and near us,
Hallowing our work and play

Oh Botany Bay - loved that one too. And 'Wild Australian Boy'

we had our very own primary school song, was cheese tastic.

yes i remember the ink is black, the page is white together we learn to read and write to read and write

We used to sing 'botany Bay' and one called 'Yellow bird', (way up in banana tree)!

Colours of Day
The Paintbox song
Give me oil in my lamp
From The Tiny Ant
Hes got the Whole world in his hands
Who put the colours in the rainbow
Lord of the dance
Im going to paint a perfect picture

Sosban Fach
Ar Lan Y Mor

and another one about a St Bernard dog I think?!
"Swish, swish, woof, woof....."

mario - sounds like we had a similar school song book

oh and I like if I were a butterfly. I didnt do it at school but have done it with a class as a teacher

Are they all from 'Come and Praise'? Mario

That was a hymn book we used at primary school. It had a tape that went with it that had a hilarious backing track. I used to get into a lot of trouble in hymn practice and assembly for laughing at the 'funky beat(!)' on 'If I had a Hammer' and another one about animals and the ark.

The ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write....

and something like
Autumn days dum de dum de dum , the things I love so well, no I mustn't forget, I mustn't forget, to say a great big thank you I musn't forget.... but I can't remember any of the other words, just the tune. Something about bacon?!

We had sea shanties too 'Boney was a warrior, way yay yah' and Tom Bowling (a real tear jerker)

I'm sure we spent more time on singing lessons at primary than we did on anything else.

Hungry hungry I am hungry
Table table here I come
I could eat a goosemoose burger
Fifteen pickles and a purple plum.....

We used to sing Puff the Magic Dragon too. Is it really not just about a dragon?

And, we also used to sing "What shall we do with the drunken sailor". Do they still sing this?

We used to sing a hymn that went something like

God of girder, God of steel,
God of piston and of wheel.

Also "Shalom chaverim" - when I learned Hebrew, I was a bit peed off to learn that the words translated as "Hello friends, hello, hello. See you later, see you later, see you later." I mean, just how crap is that for words?

We sang a fabulous hymn in junior school, which our headmaster Mr George taught us, and I've never heard before or since - I wanted it for my wedding but couldn't find it. It went something like:

Daily, daily sing the praises
Of the city God has made.
In the wondrous fields of Eden
Its foundation stones are laid.
Oh that I had wings of angels,
Here to spread and heavenward fly.
I would seek the gates of Sion,
Far beyond the starry sky.

Anyone know it?

This is a great thread!

We had come and praise too! Love that book. We used to sing most of these that have been mentioned but my personal faves were:

Hand me down my silver trumpet lord
Autumn days when the grass is jewelled
How great thou art
Colours of day (so light up the fire and let the flame burn)
The happy wanderer (valdereeee, valderaaaa!)
Morning town ride

and my alltime fave

Appuskiduski appuskidu - never eaten a sardine since!

MrsS, that's really funny, cause I teach Shalom as a really sad, mournful cello duet - it get everyone crying every time!

My dad used to sing me Morning Town Ride as a lullaby, - makes me well up just hearing it

the Head's favourite hymn was 'Let All the World, in Every Corner Sing'

Oh and we learnt the theme tune to 'White Horses' - 'On white horses let me ride away, to my land of dreams so far away'

We did Apusski dusski
Okki tokki unga
Ink is black
Think of a world without any flowers
Dinosaur stomp (prehistoric animal brigade)
Octopus' garden
Bay of Biscay-o
Something about a Philipino pearl fishing boy called Quinoro
Let's all go donw the strand
Bananas in pyjamas
Casey jones

yep thats the one I was thinking of Giraffe. Also

Morning has broken
Kum by yah (sp)
and one that went 'I was cold I was naked , were you there?. I always found it quite a shocking that a song we sang in school contained the word 'naked'
One more step along the World I go (used to sing this at the end of the year)
Hes got the whole world in his hands
Thank You Lord for this new day

The funny thing is I didn't go to a Church school yet most of the songs I remember seem to have a religious theme. Although I am a Christian now so perhaps its these ones that stand out in my mind.

janitor I remember that do, can't remember what it was called though. It also had the words 'Summer evenings playing down our road' I think