Songs from Primary School

Juliet 27
That was the only song I remember singing at primary school but I had forgotten the verse so thank you.
All I remember was Oh ,no John ,no John,no John no John ,no.
Loved singing that.

I married a John...I should have said no more often!

One song that we sang was 'Oh Shenandoah'. I would have been amazed to think that my younger sister would one day move to Woodstock, Virginia, where she would be secretary to the mayor of Shenandoah county!

Linden Lea, When a Knight won his spurs and Glad that I live am I. At Christmas I remember singing From out of a wood did a cuckoo fly. Happy memories of more innocent times.

What a lovely thread. Hurray for BBC Singing together! When I met my husband, we found we remembered the same songs, especially Marianina even though we had lived in different cities. I remember so many of the songs here, but does anyone else remember Barbara Allen, Ally Bally Bee, Spinning Always Spinning, Whenever I see a Train Go By and Those Weaving Men? My favourite was when we learnt the French Horn Song by Flanders and Swann and we still sing that now on car journeys.

Have remembered the last line of the raindrops song!
'Right into the blades of grass the tiny raindrops fell.'

Pitter patter pitpat, this is how they came,
Pitter patter, pitpat, let us do the same,
Pitter patter pitpat, children though we be,
Giver of the welcome rain we bring our thanks to thee.'

That's been bothering me all night!

Sea shanty, Spanish Ladies. Sang it to my mum after school, she added that’s why sailors had one gold earring, given to them by the ‘Spanish lady’ as a token that they would return.
I thought it was wildly romantic.

All along the backwater
Dashing white sargeant
The Ash grove
Green grow the rushes o

How about a skipping song, with a very long rope for lots of kids?
"On the mountain stands a lady
Who she is I do not know
All she wants is gold and silver
All she wants is a nice young man
So come in xxx(a pupils name)
And xxx fades away.

I doubt very much if the words are exact, it was, after all, 60 years ago!!!

DH and I sat at kitchen table now trying to drag out primary school songs from our memories.
What a lovely thread. One more then I’ll stop.
Ilkley Moor. Like a lot of our old school songs wouldn’t be sung now ?

I remember the snowdrop song:

Snow White flower with drooping head,
Rising from a wintry bed
Rising from the frosty land
Perfect as our good Lord planned.

I can remember so many songs from Primary school radio programs and not all were politically correct. Sally Brown, for instance.

However, I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast!!!?

Were these songs influenced by area do you think? I remember the Hymn Eternal Father, Strong to save, every word of it. And pull for the shore, sailor, pull for the shore. I remember singing something about a sweet nightingale, but couldn’t remember what it was until I found it on Google. It’s a traditional Cornish folk song, translated from the Cornish. Then there was Breath and blow, wind of the western sea....can remember most of that. This is going back over 70 years in Cornwall.

So many hymns, but my favourite was, God is love, His the care. When it came to the chorus," Sing aloud, loud, loud". I used to belt it out at the top of my voice. It felt joyous.

I loved Friday mornings at primary school. After assembly (what happened to them?) we had hymn practice. The hymns that had been planned for the following week were practised and when that was done, we got to have a sing song with songs such as Row, Row Row The Boat, The Old Folks At Home and one about a wagon that kept losing a wheel with each verse! Happy days.

I remember singing the Skye Boat Song, the Ashgrove, Dashing White Sergeant among many others. I remember a programme where we had a book loand a man/lady sang a line and we repeated was called Time and Tune? Think we also listened to one called Singing Together

I taught in Sunday School in my 20's. We learnt Down Came the Raindrops to sing for the congregation. This is how I remember it.

Down came the raindrops on a cloudy day
wetting all the pavements washing dirt away
waking little brown buds thirsty seeds as well
Down into the blades of grass the little raindrops fel
Pitter, patter pit pat
this is how they came
Pitter patter pit pat
let us do the same
Pitter patter pit pat
Children though we be
Giver of the gentle rain, we give our thanks to Thee

Oh what a fabulous thread this is
Nina I too love Scarlet Ribbons
My Nan used to sing that to me as a child in bed and I sang it to her when she was in bed dying. Beautiful memories

I remember singing “ the Sloop John B” and “where have all the flowers gone”.
There was the Holmfirth hymn “pratty flowers” and Jimmy crack corn. I think we raised the roof every Friday morning in assembly.

We used to watch Atarah Ben Tovim on the roll about telly at school. She was lovely.

Well in Wimbledon in the fifties we all sang from a book called the National Song Book (!) and I particularly remember ‘ my love’s an arbutus on the ...blah blah’ with a footnote saying that the arbutus was a wild strawberry tree. Which didn’t explain much about his love. Imprinted forever. Beautiful song.

This is a wonderful thread. Thank you, everybody, for the warming memories evoked xx

I think this was a song from 'Singing Together'. For some reason I still remember all the words after 60 years!
Once in a blithe green wood
Lived a hermit wise and good
Whom the folks from far and near
For his counsel sought
Knowing well that what he taught
The dreariest of hearts would cheer.
Though his hair was white
His eyes were clear and bright
And he thus was ever wont to say
"Though to care we are born
yet the dullest of morn
Often heralds in the fairest day".

Yes Gingster I did. ?
See my second post here: message Urmstongran Sat 22-Feb-20 20:28:58

twopence Down in Demarara was the song I was thinking of when I wrote "There was a man who had a horse-a-lum" Keep singing it now! Also sang Jesus loves the little Children, Glad that I live am I and Daisies are our Silver. I'll be checking in throughout the day for more reminders?

Did anyone ever sing a song from A E Housman's A Shropshire Lad. I remember learning it when I was 10 or 11. I can only remember a little bit of it, "Up lad, thews that lie and cumber, sunlit pallets never thrive, morns abed and daylight slumber, were not meant for man alive." I remember the tune to that little piece too. I would love to hear it again all the way through, but can't find a recording of it anywhere.?