The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #11190   Message #2707009
Posted By: Uly
23-Aug-09 - 09:56 PM
Thread Name: Counting Songs
Subject: RE: Counting Songs
"Hi! Whiskers, I learned that as "Alison's Camel" and we ended it with ".....a horse, OF COURSE!!!!!" Interesting how children's songs change in the oral tradition."

And *I* learned that as "Sally Ann the Camel". I sang it to my niece, and she promptly decided it must be "Sally *and* the camel *have* so-and-so many humps" - she doesn't seem to think it's strange that Sally randomly becomes a horse at the end of her version!

On topic, I learned as a child:

1, 2, 3, 4
Mary at the kitchen door
5, 6, 7, 8
Eating cherries off a plate

though I've also heard it

2, 4, 6, 8
Mary at the garden gate
Eating cherries off a plate

*thinks*

I think you can say it in French as well...?

Speaking of French, my mother, a Belgian, taught us as children to sing a marching song. I've long since loosely translated it into English for my own nieces:

One mile by foot
It uses, it uses
One mile by foot
It uses up my shoeses!

Two miles...

There's a longer version of it here, but I don't sing it that way :)