Songs from Primary School

watermeadow speaks of incomprehensible songs and althought I didn't learn it at school, 'Mairsie doats' was a puzzle to me for a long time

The school dinners one took me back!
We used to sing (not in class!)-

Say what you will
School dinners make you ill
The cooks are cooking special shepherd’s pie
Schoo-ool din dins
Come from the pig bins
At (dot-dot) High

Seem to remember us all being told off for singing it shortly before dinner! This was mid 50s-ish.

A pp mentioned hymn books. We were only given one once it was thought that we could read well enough, so it was a very proud moment when we finally took a lovely new one into morning prayers, as assembly was then called.
Until then we were told to ‘sing it to la’.

I still love so many traditional hymns.

"round it has cast, like a mantle, the sea"

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
Can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,
He’ll fear not what men say,
He’ll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.

Gosh, how interesting that the hobgoblin was toned down for Primary aged children. Look at what they fill their heads with now.

Greymar we sang a slightly different verse to the one you have quoted;
'Since Lord thou dost defend us with thy spirit,
We know we at the end shall life inherit'.

I wonder if 'hobgoblins and foul fiends' were considered too much for our primary school? That is the version sung by Maddy Pryor and the Carnival Band, who have recorded a lot of the hymns that I remember from school - and yes they have wonderful and exciting verses. I particularly liked 'O Worship the King' for the pictures it conjured up in my young mind.

I checked out Marianana on youtube. Yes I can remember the words and tune. I think we used to sing "Marry a nana" and think we were being witty, as only an 8'year old can.

Hobgoblin , nor foul fiend, Can daunt his spirit.

So many these songs had wonderful words.

Marianina - oh heavens I remember that! Wonderful!

My favourite hymn in the infants was Little Bird, l have heard. Anyone else remember that one or When Lamps are Lighted in the Town? I have thoroughly enjoyed this lovely thread.

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,anyone?
Did anyone have a 'school anthem' at their primary school?

I remember so many of these songs. Singing together was lovely but I’ve never heard my grandchildren sing. There’s no time now for music or art or nature study or handcrafts.
Some of the songs were incomprehensible to children, like “Drink to me only with thine eyes”, “Nymphs and shepherds come away”, “Where ere you walk”, “Where the bee sucks”.
My children learned songs in Welsh for St David’s Day but never knew what the words meant.

BradfordLass73 thank you for going to the trouble of finding information and references to some of these songs. The thread takes me back to sitting at what were the dining tables in our tiny one roomed village primary school. The 'wireless' was massive and in a cupboard. The opening of those cupboard doors meant a time of great joy for me as I loved singing. It took me till my 70s to finally join a choir and it is now the highlight of my week, not to be missed!

By the way in the bottom of that cupboard were the black PE (PT then) pumps or sandshoes as we called them. Shared shoes would be a terrible health and safety risk these days I suppose but we survived!

You’re welcome Wheniwasyourage.
Equally sad when we learned a little song with a haunting melody about a little lost robin, accompanied on the piano by our lovely reception teacher, Miss Powers:

Little robin redbreast came to visit me
This is what he whistled
(whistle five notes)
Thank you for my tea.

Little Robin redbreast flew up in the sky
This is what he whistled
(whistle five notes)
Goodbye, goodbye.

I was so tearful about losing the little robin, that lovely Miss Powers, a good musician, promptly composed and taught us a third verse, on the spot, to console me:

Little robin redbreast came back again next day,
This is what he whistled,
(whistle five notes)
I’ve come back to stay.

Happy days!

Thank you Daddima that was great Three men frae Carntyne
I have tried to utube this song and Alexa it to no avail. I'd love to be able to learn the song to amaze my GC. I have Scots heritage but am completely hopeless at the dialect so would need to hear it being sung.
Thanks again

Bobby Shaftoe

Blow the wind Southerly

Early one morning
Just as the sun was rising
I heard a maiden calling the valley below.........

Dancing to the Sailors Hornpipe as if my life depended on it, thinking on the last day of term that I shall never dance this again. I was right too!

Thank you, Katye! I remember the fox with his big bushy tail now, so thank you for bringing him back to me. Don't suppose the poor little hen would be grateful though!

I remember singing 'Morning has broken" in morning assembly,which was later recorded by Art Garfunkel and Cat Stevens who both gave wonderful versions of it.

May7, we have a similar song in Glasgow, with one thing being added on to each verse! Here’s the last verse-

Three men frae Carntyne and a bottle of wine and five Woodbine
And a big black Greyhound dug named Bob frae up oor close, alang oor street,
And wee Agnes oot the dairy who's been skelly since the Milanda boy
Hit her on the heid wi' a breidboard and went oot an' didnae shut the door
And forgot to apologize
Went to join the parish

And it was shut!

(as sung by Iain MacKintosh)

Tune: One Man Went To Mow

I remember Jonah and the Whale, and On a wagon bound for market theres a calf with a mournful eye. Cant remember the title though. Its so nice to look back and remember the old songs that we sung at primary school.

For the Marianina fans there is a lovely version on YouTube by the Drakenberg Boys' Choir

I remember one man went to mow but think it was more from Sunday school bus outings. We always added
"One man and his dog Spot
Bottle of pop
Bloating pan
Frying pan
Old mother riley and her cow
Went to mow a meadow"
And to this day that's what we sing in the car to GC
Oh also Quarter masters store

Grandma70s that's the one, thank you!

I think I must be the only one who never sang/can't remember Marianina.

Grannybeck 'And as I go, I love to sing, my knapsack on my back'.

Plaid Wrecsan;
(Alan Rees)

Taffy is a Welshman
Taffy is no thief
Someone came to Taffy's house
and stole a leg of beef.

Taffy made no protest
for he doesn't like a row
so the someone called on him again
and stole the bloody cow

and so on for 13 verses!
Of course, our schoolyard version would be politically incorrect these days.

Incy wincy spider climbing up the spout
Down came the raindrops and washed the spider out
Out came the sunshine, dried up all the rain
Incy wincy spider climber up the spout again.