Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'

Subject: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Bugsy
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 03:55 AM

Maybe I'm finally losing my marbles, but I remember a song that we used to sing as a round way back in the 50's. It went something like...

Arum sas sa arum sa sa
Galli galli galli galli galli um sa sa
Arum sas sa arum sa sa
Aalli galli galli galli galli um sa sa
Arami arami
Galli galli galli galli galli um sa sa
Arami arami
Galli galli galli galli galli um sa sa


I don't know if these are giberish phrases or some foreigh language, but if anyone else remembers the song maybe they've got some info as to where it came from and what it means.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: GUEST,Henry Piper
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 04:12 AM

Gibberish, I think. Possibly Boy Scout campfire singaround type Gibberish. !!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Mo the caller
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 05:01 AM

My daughter learnt it at Guides.
And to the same tune

A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut
A pizza hut, a pizza hut
Macdonalds, macdonalds
Kentucky fried chicken and a pizza hut

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 05:07 AM

Learned it from The Spinners around 1966. I think they claimed it was Aramaic (?)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 05:59 AM

Authentic traditional gibberish.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 06:08 AM

Wot Les said (Dave & co are probably right as well!)> I seem to remember it pretty well as posted.

RtS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 06:33 AM

Thanks Roger, it was what The Spinners said but the practice of talking b*ll*cks about folks songs resulted in all kinds of nonsense being repeated as true.

Good fun song though - works well as a round

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Haruo
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 07:25 AM

Not sure if I ever knew this one (nor what the tune, which apparently also carries fast food, might be) but when I saw the thread I thought of the St. Olaf's fight song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 09:41 AM

We sang it a "A Ram Sam Sam".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 10:21 AM

Thanks, Allison. That spelling led me to a PDF and MIDI so I could hear the tune. According to two sites, it's Moroccan.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: foggers
Date: 13 Nov 12 - 05:32 PM

Yup- I have it in my 15th anniversary edition of "Rise Up Singing" in the chapter of rounds. It is described as traditional Morrocan but no translation is offered. It is written with A part and B part both repeated thus;
Part A
A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam ram (repeat)
Part B
A rafi, a rafi
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam (repeat)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Bugsy
Date: 14 Nov 12 - 01:01 AM

Thanks for that everyone, So apart from getting ALL the words wrong... I'm not going senile YET!


Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: GUEST,Weasel
Date: 14 Nov 12 - 05:33 AM

Always hated that song (almost as much as the one that went something like "Haila, haila shaila".)

For the second line we used to sing "Ooh my goolies, ooh my goolies"

In fact, I think I hate every song I ever learnt at the scouts.

Weasel

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 14 Nov 12 - 05:58 AM

Buggsy's version is what the Spinners did.

RtS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Bugsy
Date: 14 Nov 12 - 06:16 PM

Thanks RTS... I'M NOT MAD AFTER ALL!!!!

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: Little Robyn
Date: 14 Nov 12 - 10:52 PM

Lots of threads here already if you search ram sam sam - many blamed on Rolf Harris.
A few years back I was looking after a girl who was going through a rough patch and when we reached the gulley gulley bit, she started singing bloody, bloody, bloody... until I leaned over and sang the right words in her ear. Never heard anyone else singing those words!
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: GUEST,CJB
Date: 20 Aug 16 - 06:23 PM

Just found an old reel-reel tape with the Spinners in Concert on it - including Arum Sa Sa. I'll see if I can upload it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: GUEST,CJB
Date: 20 Aug 16 - 06:39 PM

See

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/d5d3cibas5nk1/The_Spinners

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Arum Sa Sa old 'round'
From: GUEST,CJB
Date: 21 Aug 16 - 05:53 AM

It was first sung by The Spinners on the LP 'Folk at the Phil!' issued in 1964.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=aram+sa+sa+spinners+folk

If anyone has the cover or liner then the notes would probably have more info.