Hi there,

I've been searching for information about this song for some years now. I sang this song for a school contest when I was in the Fourth Grade. I grew up in East Falls in Philadelphia, PA USA. My Dad taught me the song. As it turns out, our family lineage is origionally from Yorkshire. So, it's interesting to me that there is another version of this song.

The one I learned is:

"Barefoot Days, when we were just some kids (just some dirty little kids)
Barefoot Days, but oh what fun we had.
We went to a shady nook, used a hairpin for a hook
Fished all day
and we fished all night
But the gosh darn fish just wouldn't bite.
So, now and then
we'd slide down the cellar door (the greasy cellar door)
We'd slide and slide 'til our backs got sore (or our pants got tore)
Then we went right home and went to bed
'til Momma gotta ready with a needle and thread
Oh boy,
what joy
We had in barefoot days. Ya dee da dee da dee dah!"

My daughter and I now sing this in the Nursing Homes in a Variety Show that we do that we call "Smile Songs and Puppy Wings".