More school songs

My father was a Spanish Captain
Went to sea a month ago
First he kissed me then he left me
Bid me always answer no
Oh no John, no John, no John, no John, No!

Ending up

O hark! I hear the church bells ringing,
Will you come to be my wife?
Or dear Madam, have you settled
To live single all your life?
Oh No John! No John! No John! No!

I used to sing ‘Soldier, soldier, won’t you marry me’ to my grandson to make him go to sleep. It’s very easy to spin it out with a list of all the things he wears.

sorry meant Fields autocorrect doing things behind my back!

To be a Pilgrim was never sure what a Pilgrim was!

All things bright and beautiful

Bladon races

An English country garden

I cannot remember what it was. A lovely hymn started, "Oh Lord," at the break of the day and then went through to the end of the day ... Oh Lord, we beseech you.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

But Christmas was the best.
Away in a manger
Silent night
all the great hymns

i must admit a soft spot for we plough the riles and Scatter.

We sang so many of these! Magenta8 I’d forgotten ’Glad that I live am I’! Can’t stop singing it now.
We also learnt with the radio (no song books) ‘Normandy’ in ‘my dear France’, lovely song but odd choice for an English primary school where I can guarantee not one child had been to France, not that it matters.
Also my all time favourite around Christmas ‘Wind through the olive trees softly did blow round little Bethlehem long long ago’.

Heart of oak

Heart of oak are our ships
Jolly tars are our men
We always are ready
Steady boys Steady
We'll fight and we'll conquer
Again and again

Anyone remember that?

Calon Lan
Ash Grove
Bread Of Heaven
Land of My Fathers
Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer
Beside The Sea
David of the White Rock

All in Welsh

I went to several different schools and three of them had school songs. Does anybody remember any of the following?

Glad that I live am I

Let us now praise famous men (strange choice for a mixed primary school)

Forty years on (originally written for Harrow School)*

*Why we sang this beats me it was a grotty state school for girls.

Astitchintime

‘Soldier, soldier won’t you marry me with your musket pipe and drum?
Oh no sweet maid I cannot marry you for I have no coat to put on.
So up she went to her grandfather’s chest and brought him a coat of the very very best and the soldier put it on’

This is just one of many songs we sang at school, not sure if this is the first verse, nor if the words are correct so you’ll have to excuse me for any mistakes.
I think I will be singing this one all day now.

Yes, that's right 🙂

I can remember the words from over 70 years ago.

I always thought he was finding every excuse but the right one until the very end. Scoundrel!

Greyduster

Oh, and “My Love is Like a Red Red Rose”.

Yes!

baubles

These are some I remember from primary school. I could probably still remember the words to most of them.

The Skye Boat Song
Mhairi’s wedding
The Road to the Isles
My Bonnie lies over the Ocean
Bobby Shaftoe’s gone to sea
Soldier Soldier, won’t you marry me?
Dashing away with the smoothing iron
Early one morning just as the sun was rising.

I remember those but not others from other posts.

Green sleeves

Early one morning, just as the sun was rising
I heard a maiden singing in the valley below etc

Hearts of Oak
British Grenadiers
Bobby Shafto
The Skye Boat Song
The Ash Grove
Molly Malone
Linden Lea
Green Grow the Rushes O!

The first line of my school song was:

"Let folly praise what fancy loves......."

What? Utter tosh.

For fellow Scots, there was Ally Bally and the Jeely Piece Song!

Let's go hunting said Risky Rob
Let's go hunting said Robin to Bob
Let's go hunting said Daniel and Joe
Let's go hunting said Billy Barlow

All my GSs particularly like the above song which goes on for several more verses. They like making up their own verses.

Anyone remember this one?
Step we gaily on we go
Heel for heel and toe for toe
Arm in arm and row on row
All for Marie's wedding

Or this one?
When I was a little boy I lived by myself
All the bread and cheese I had I laid on the shelf

Chorus:
Wing wong waddle to my Jack Straw straddle
To my Jimmy Fair Faddle
To my long ways home

Rats and mice they led me such a life
Had to go to London fetch me a wife

Chorus:

I can't remember the rest. Does anyone else know the rest of this song?

Caleo, local country songs and folk songs provided much inspiration for composers such as Vaughan Williams, Holst, Percy Granger and Delius. We should be thankful that these traditional songs are still in the folk repertoire here and there.

went

The school I want to changed its location to a country town with local traditions. The teacher who taught singing did a very good thing. She taught us all the local songs , about five of them, and encouraged us to join in the spirit of the ancient local traditions. (These were innocent enough BTW! )

Oh, and “My Love is Like a Red Red Rose”.

I can remember our senior school music teacher, a doughty lady of unstable temper, bashing away as we sang The Fishermen of England, Linden Lea, Where ‘ere you Walk, and Hark Hark the Rising Lark, but mostly it is the songs we sang at junior school that stick in my mind including Oh Soldier Soldier; Mairie’s Wedding; Raggle Taggle Gypsies; The Drummer and the Cook; A Keeper Would a Hunting Go; Campdown Races, The Skye Boat Song, and Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill (which was our regimental quick march when I was in the WRAC, so that was in my head for a long time! The slow march was Greensleeves which we had also sung as children).

This thread is bring back so many memories of all those lovely songs.

Yea - I'd forgotten about The Raggle Taggle Gypsies and Dashing away with the Smoothing Iron.

Also Early One Morning is now singing away in my head and will be stuck with me all day.

Another one. I don't remember the title but it began with -

'Oh soldier, soldier wont you marry me with your musket, pipe and drum. Oh no sweet maid I cannot marry you.......'

There was one that started "My father was a Spanish captain, went to sea a month ago..." Think it was "No, John, no!"

HelterSkelter1 I’m only 71.

I know there were more but they’re not coming to mind.

Baubles are you mid 70s now....those are the songs I listened to and sang as well at primary school. I must get them on a play list and have a quiet cry into the washing up!

These are some I remember from primary school. I could probably still remember the words to most of them.

The Skye Boat Song
Mhairi’s wedding
The Road to the Isles
My Bonnie lies over the Ocean
Bobby Shaftoe’s gone to sea
Soldier Soldier, won’t you marry me?
Dashing away with the smoothing iron
Early one morning just as the sun was rising.

We listened to the BBC programme on a large radio speaker balanced on a desk beside the open coal fire in our classroom. Blow the Wind Southerly sung by Kathleen Ferrier? I go straight back to being 9 when I hear it now. And I can still picture wedding guests dancing to Mairi's wedding througn country lanes and hills "Arm in arm and row on row'. Sounds more fun than some weddings I have been to.

Do children have similar programmes now?