Gransnet forums

TV, radio, film, Arts

What did we sing in school?

(105 Posts)
JessM Thu 21-May-15 10:26:53

When I was in primary school in the 1950s we used to do singing in the hall every week. Most teachers in those days seemed to be competent pianists. I've been trying to remember the songs that we sang and can only come up with:
Greensleeves
Green Grow the Rushes Oh
and
A frog he would a wooing gob(Hey-ho said Roly).
But there were lots more. And didn't they come out of a standard collection that was used in schools across the land?

KatyK Tue 23-Jun-15 17:09:43

I also remember

Lavender blue Dilly Dilly, lavender green
When I am king Dilly Dilly you shall be queen

10 Green Bottles

Polly put the kettle on

Something about put your shoes on Lucy, don't you know you're in the city. Put your shoes on Lucy you're a big girl now.

Jomarie Mon 22-Jun-15 23:07:54

Going back to the OP about songs in primary school - I remember being about 6/7 and learning "The river sang softly to the leaves on the tree, I am waiting to take you on a journey with me. The leaves fell down softly on that quiet autumn day and floated by the river far far far away". I have never forgotten this and can still hear my class singing this and me feeling so peaceful and, if I'm feeling really stressed for some reason, this calms me even now. smile

Jomarie Mon 22-Jun-15 23:01:26

"....soft her wings are as the clouds of day,as she passes all the blue waves say, Marianina do not roam, wither ? hither? is your home come and turn us into foam - Marianina Marianina come oh come and turn us into foam."

Ring any more bells Katek and Greenfinch? Certainly this thread has rung lots of bells for me. My Mum had a blue song book (piano) all the ones mentioned here were in it plus loads more. It was well used and eventually fell apart. sad

TwiceAsNice Mon 22-Jun-15 22:24:49

I remember singing a song called The Trout and All through the Night
In school. My grandfather taught me My Grandfathers Clock and I am still word perfect. I sing Teddy Bears Picnic and Little Donkey to my granddaughter if she can't sleep, she loves them

Daisyanswerdo Mon 22-Jun-15 15:06:12

Yes grannyactivist, 'Mango Walk' is in the same book.

Thank you for the flowers.

grannyactivist Tue 26-May-15 10:18:54

Daisyanswerdo flowers

As I was going to sleep last night I suddenly remembered 'My brother did a-tell me that you go mango walk'. Anyone else remember that one?

We sometimes used to sing 'Glad that I live am I' as our dismissal song on a Friday afternoon. I still know the words.

Greyduster Tue 26-May-15 09:51:21

"glad that I live am I". We never sang this as a hymn and I don't know whether it is or not, but it was one of my favourites at school.

seasider Mon 25-May-15 23:37:14

My Grandfather's clock
The River Clyde
John Peel
Soldier Soldier
Early one morning
Greensleeves
British Grenadiers

Lots of rousing hymns and carols .We also.learnt Silent Night in German and various French songs. Loved singing

Grandma2213 Sat 23-May-15 23:39:31

I too remember Singing Together on the 'wireless' at primary school. I loved it! Also can anyone remember the Christmas Carol Sheets, I think from Doctor Barnardos? That's why I now know all the words, as we were allowed to keep them.
Our music lessons at Grammar School were always 'singing'. Again I remember so many, even 50 + years later eg Funiculi Funicula, Where the Bee Sucks There Suck I (in a cowslips bell I lie), La Reve Passe which I now know means 'The Soldier's Dream?' I loved the line 'Rhythmical beat of soldiers' feet upon the ground' . Was anyone else taught these songs or was it just Mr Bosworth (bless him). I've heard the music since them but never the words!

Elegran Sat 23-May-15 09:42:48

Dashing white sergeant lyrics

JessM Sat 23-May-15 09:30:20

I always thought Dashing WS was a dance. There words?

grannyjan57 Fri 22-May-15 23:25:15

yes remember the Time and Tune, loved the songs.

Lonely and Faraway

The Dashing White Sergeant

Kelvin Grove

etc etc we also used them to play the tunes on the recorder.

boheminan Fri 22-May-15 22:54:59

"Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it"
but the only thing that was left
was the ribbon hanging round it"....

Ariadne Fri 22-May-15 21:02:01

Well you'd think so, Soutra but I just looked it up - think it's a turnip. Apparently it's the song of the Wiltshire Regiment...:

"T'were on a jolly zummer's day, the twenty-vust o' May,
John Scruggins took his turmut 'oe, wi' this 'e trudged away,
Now some volkes they loike haymakin', and some they vancies mowin'
But of all the jobs as Oi loike best, gi'e Oi the turmut 'oein'.

The vly, the vly,
The vly be on the turmut,
'Tis all me eye,
For Oi to try,
To keep vlies off them turmuts" etc. etc.etc. (it goes on and on and on)

In central Nottingham, not a great deal of relevance!

AshTree Fri 22-May-15 20:08:48

I've just found Adam lay ybounden on Youtube - beautiful, but entirely unfamiliar to me, which I found surprising. I expected to think "Oh yes, of course, I know this!", but I didn't!

AshTree Fri 22-May-15 19:57:56

Oh Trelawney! It's the Cornish National Anthem Soutra here it is

Soutra Fri 22-May-15 19:50:02

Ariadne might it not have been " to keep the flies off the turbot"?? grin

Soutra Fri 22-May-15 19:48:05

"Singing Together" from a great big brown wireless set in the classroom.
The Soft Lowland Tongue o the Borders, The Road tae Dundee, Down by the Sally Gardens, something about Trelawney and (?) thousand Cornishmen Will Know the Reason Why, all spring to mind!

Ariadne Fri 22-May-15 19:32:05

We sang some very, very English folk songs - must have been "Singing together"! But there was one:

"The fly, the fly, the fly is on the turmot(?)
And it's all my eye for we to try
To keep fly off the turmot."

What?!!!

JessM Fri 22-May-15 19:19:47

Ashtree Adam etc is a carol usually sung at Christmas.
oh I had not thought about "land of the silver birch" for many decades. Going to have to print out this thread I think.

Eloethan Fri 22-May-15 18:19:59

Daisy What a poignant but beautiful memory for you to treasure.

AshTree Fri 22-May-15 18:12:59

Lilygran I remember The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came down, but not Adam lay ybounden. I shall have to look that one up.

We were at our GS's junior school this afternoon for the annual Grandparents event. Today the theme was silver as they were celebrating the school's 25th anniversary. Each class put on a singing, dancing or musical act, and I was so pleased to see that one class sang Land of the Silver Birch (home of the beaver...). I remember singing this one at school and absolutely loved it (boom didi boom boom, boom didi boom boom...)

AshTree Fri 22-May-15 18:05:53

Daisy so very poignant, so lovely that you could see some happiness shine from your daughter's face so late in her illness. What a beautiful memory for you.
When my DH visited his mother 2 days before she died, she sang 'Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner' all the way through to him. We decided to have that played at her funeral, as people were leaving the chapel. The vicar told everyone the story of her singing it, so they would understand the choice of song. My DH thought it might be considered irreverent, but I thought it was rather touching. She was, after all, a Londoner born and bred, but had lived the last third of her life in Devon. Everyone loved it being played and were quite moved by it.

numberplease Fri 22-May-15 17:47:04

I remember most, not all, of the songs that have been mentioned so far. Trisher, could your red book be the one we used, it was called The Britannia song book?
Greyduster, I remember having a 78 recording of the Band of the RAF playing Lillibolero, and I loved it, but never knew that there were words to it.
One that we sang on a regular basis was The Trout, by, either Schubert or Schumann, can`t remember.
And another song we loved in juniors, used mainly by ice cream vans nowadays, was The Happy Wanderer. It was played a lot on radio, recorded in German by the Obernkirchen childrens choir, I think that`s how it`s spelt.

trisher Fri 22-May-15 15:28:26

Daisyanswerdo just touched, not upset. Big hug for you. A moment of happiness in what must have been a nightmare for you. You must be an amazing person. Stay strong.