Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers

Subject: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Joybell
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 04:57 PM

Children's Musical about to happen. I need good songs about the above. Lots about flowers of course. Not so many about bugs and butterflies. Elusive Butterfly keeps going through my head, but it's a bit too weird.
Sixties songs adapt well.
My Dear Friends -- ideas would be very welcome.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: topical tom
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 05:23 PM

I'm not sure if this is what you want but there are lyrics and audio clips of "Bug Songs" here

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: GUEST,Tinker in Chicago
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 05:24 PM

Offhand, I'd say "The Reel in the Flickering Light," which is about bugs having a party. On an old Leon Bibb vinyl I remember "The Ladybug and the Centipede." And I suppose you could stretch the point a little and still let the kids have fun with "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," recorded by many but notably by Peter, Paul & Mary.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Joybell
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 05:34 PM

Thanks, Tom. I'll take a longer look there.
Just remembered "The Boll Weevil"
Thanks, Tinker. I'll look those up. I had thought of "The Old Lady ..." I'm very good at stretching points to make songs fit. Also writing parodies if I find a good tune with a few appropriate lines.
I have a small child, in the cast, with a big voice. She's able to do impressive solos if I can come up with one.
I might use "The Worm Song" too. Worms? Bugs? they all fit together.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Genie
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 06:00 PM

Dog & The Butterfly - Heart

Poor Butterfly

Free As The Wind (from "Papillon") - song about a butterfly

Inchworm (from "Hans Christian Andersen")

The children's rhyme/song "Ladybird, Ladybird, Fly Away Home"

"Like A Moth To A Flame"

Joni Mitchell's "Circle Game" ("Yesterday a child came out to wonder, Caught a dragonfly inside a jar."

Dolly Parton's "Tennessee Mountain Home" ( ".... watch the children playing with June bugs on a string ... ")

The Glow Worm

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Genie
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 06:03 PM

"The Worms Crawl In, The Worms Crawl Out"

La Cucaracha (The Cockroach)

Not a particular song, but the dance "La Tarantella" is about the tarantula (a spider).

Jim Stafford: "I Don't Like Spiders And Snakes"

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Genie
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 06:03 PM

Dolly Parton again: "Love's Like A Butterfly"

Subject: Lyr Add: DOWN BY THE BAY
From: Azizi
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 06:33 PM

Joybell, your project sounds like fun!

Only one verse of "Down By The Bay" this song refers to "bugs" {if a fly is a bug}. But the whole point of the song is to substitute rhyming words:

DOWN BY THE BAY

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
"Did you ever see a fly
Wearing a tie?"
Down by the bay.

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
"Did you ever see a bear
Combing his hair?"
Down by the bay.

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
"Did you ever see a moose
Kissing a goose?"
Down by the bay.

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
"Did you ever see a whale
With a polka dot tail?"
Down by the bay.

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
"Did you ever see some llamas
Eating pajamas?"
Down by the bay.

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
"Did you ever have a time
When you couldn't make a rhyme?"
Down by the bay.

-snip-
http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/downbythebay.htm

[This website includes a sound clip in case you don't know the song]

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Azizi
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 06:40 PM

You probably won't want to use the song "I Caught Me A Baby Bumble Bee", but I'm including it on this thread just for the record.

This version of that song was posted on that classic Mudcat thread, "Naughty kids' greatest hits". The poster starts the song with the line "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee":

Subject: Lyr Add: BRINGING HOME A BABY BUMBLEBEE
From: Catfeet - PM
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 07:18 PM

I can't believe no one's entered this one yet, but do y'all remember BRINGING HOME A BABY BUMBLEBEE, complete with hand motions?

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
'Cause I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Ouch! It stung me!

I'm smashing up my baby bumblebee.
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
'Cause I'm smashing up my baby bumblebee.
Ooh, what a mess!

I'm licking up my baby bumblebee.
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
'Cause I'm licking up my baby bumblebee.
Ooh, I feel sick.

I'm puking up my baby bumblebee.
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
'Cause I'm puking up my baby bumblebee.
Ahhh, I feel better.

This can go on indefinitely, depending on how long is left in recess, and how inventive the singer is.

Catfeet

thread.cfm?threadid=2794&messages=114

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Joybell
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 06:44 PM

Ohhh. Great! Thank you, everyone.
I thought I'd have a couple of kids dancing a Tarantella and La Cucaracha would be good as a song and dance too.
I'll have the very little kids singing Ipsy Whipsy Spider, while having a flower-picnic.
Last year the babies and little kids had a Teddy Bears picnic on stage.
We also put a grandmother in a cooking-pot with a carrot in her mouth, while visiting the Cannibal Islands. Be hard to top last year's show. This year we'll probably go all icky and be as cute as bugs.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Joybell
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 06:52 PM

"Down by the Bay" is well known to New Zealanders and we have one in the cast -- a father. Last year he sang Fred Dagg's version of "We Three Kings" wearing wellies and a swaggie hat. As I said - be hard to top last year -- but then I said that last year about the year before.
So much talent in such a small community. We don't even have a shop -- just a spread-out lot of big farms. The youngest cast-member will be about 6 weeks old and the oldest is 70. We had the chance of doing a Nativity scene with twins -- but their arrival date is too uncertain.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Genie
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 07:03 PM

I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly

Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Genie
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 07:04 PM

The Bee-I-Ee-I-Ee (Sat On A Wall-I-All-I-All)

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Genie
Date: 23 Oct 08 - 07:08 PM

Oh, you said flowers, too.

How about "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia In An Onion Patch?"

Others:
The Rose
Roses Are Red
Sweet Violets
Wildwood Flower ("I will twine and I'll mingle my raven-black hair
With the roses so red and the lilies so fair,
The myrtle so bright, with its emerald hue,
And the pale emelita and islip so blue ... "


Lavender's Blue

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Joybell
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 12:20 AM

Genie, thanks. I've got a small group of teenagers keen to be in the show, so some of those flower songs might work. Also out here the kids quite like the old songs. The generations mix happily.
A few babies and little kids doing "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee" would be good. New words and lots of buzzing.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Genie
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 01:24 AM

As for 'flowers', don't forget "Wild Mountain Thyme."

Subject: Lyr Add: POISON IVY (Lieber/Stoller; The Coasters)
From: Azizi
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 01:49 AM

Since your program includes some teens and adults, how about the R&B song "Poison Ivy"? It's a song that has a number of great plays on words, but I knew a girl named "Ivy" who hated this song.


Poison Ivy
Artist: The Coasters (peak Billboard position # 7 in 1959)
Words and Music by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller

She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
She'll get you in Dutch
You can look but you better not touch

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

She's pretty as a daisy but look out man she's crazy
She'll really do you in
If you let her under your skin

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough can cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough can cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

la da la da la da
la da la da la da
la da la da la da
la da la da la da

http://www.lyricsdownload.com/the-coasters-poison-ivy-lyrics.html

**

Here's the link to a YouTube video of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDldNjabgpM&feature=related
Poison Ivy-The Coasters

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Willa
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 07:49 AM

Just Like the Ivy On the Old Garden Wall; a music hall song, but it's about a girl and her grandfather so might suit your community audience.

If I Should Plant a Tiny Seed of Love - another music Hall song, but mentions busy little buzzy bees!

Subject: Lyr Add: THE BEE SONG (Arthur Askey)
From: Willa
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 07:59 AM

THE BEE SONG
As recorded by Arthur Askey, 1938.

Hello, playmates! And now for no reason at all, I’m going to sing you a little song that made me famous—uh, the song that I made famous—well, anyway, one of us is very good—and I entitle it: “The Bee.”

Oh, what a glorious thing to be!
A healthy grown-up busy, busy bee,
Whiling away the passing hours,
Pinching all the pollen from the cauliflowers.
I’d like to be a busy, busy bee,
Being just as busy as a bee can be,
Flying round the garden, the sweetest ever seen,
Taking back the honey to the dear old queen.

CHORUS: Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz, honeybee, honeybee,
Bzz if you like but don’t sting me.
Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz, honeybee, honeybee,
Bzz if you like but don’t sting me.

Bzzzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzzt!

Oh, what a glorious thing to be!
A healthy grown-up busy, busy bee,
Making hay while time is ripe,
Filling up the honeycomb just like tripe.
I’d like to be a busy, busy bee,
Being just as busy as a bee can be,
Flying all around the wild hedgerows,
Stinging all the cows upon the parson’s nose.

CHORUS

Bzzzzzzzzzzt!—same bee—Bzzzzzzzzzzt!

Oh, what a glorious thing to be!
A healthy grown-up busy, busy bee,
Visiting the picnics, quite a little tease,
Raising little lumps on the boy scouts’ knees.
I’d like to be a busy, busy bee,
Being just as busy as a bee can be,
Flirting with the butterflies, strong upon the wing.
Whoopee! O death where is thy sting?

CHORUS

Ha! Ha! Silly bee song, isn’t it?

Oh, what a glorious thing to be!
A nice obedient busy, busy bee.
To be a good bee, one must contrive,
For bees in a beehive must behive.
But maybe I wouldn’t be a bee.
Bees are all right when alive, you see.
When bees die you really should see ‘em
Pinned on a card in a mucky museum.

Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz, honeybee, honeybee—
I must buzz off.
Bzz if you like but don’t sting me.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 08:02 AM

Ugly Bugs Ball. - Burl Ives
(Bird on a branch, branch on a tree and so on)English county garden. The Holly bears a berry.
Bee Song - Arther Askey
Yellow rose of Texas

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 08:03 AM

The one I still sing for kids, is Jeremy Taylor's Nasty Spider.
Grown ups like it too.

XG

Subject: Lyr Add: TIPTOE THROUGH THE TULIPS
From: Azizi
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 08:56 AM

Tip-Toe Through The Tulips {as sung by Tiny Tim}

Tiptoe through the window
By the window, that is where I'll be
Come tiptoe through the tulips with me

Oh, tiptoe from the garden
By the garden of the willow tree
And tiptoe through the tulips with me

Knee deep in flowers we'll stray
We'll keep the showers away
And if I kiss you in the garden, in the moonlight
Will you pardon me?
And tiptoe through the tulips with me

http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/timtiny10908/tiptoethroughthetulips347706.html

**

Here's a link to the classic 1929 film clip of Nick Lucas singing "Tip Toe Through The Tulips". Hyperlinks to video clips of Tiny Tim singing this song are also listed on the same page as that link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZMHJX4b9bU

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 11:52 AM

In my opinion, many of the songs supposedly for children are cheap, mean or too adult. I don't mean they are sexual, just that they are not about things kids care about.

Take 'I know an old lady who swallowed a fly.' The tune is drab, the verses are interminable, and it used to make me feel a little sick. Flies are filthy, and the thought of eating one is disgusting.


When my nieces and nephews were little, I wanted something better for them, so I got books of children's poetry from the library and set the poems to music. Those songs were a hit! In fact, there was even one about an insect.

If you catch a firefly and keep it in a jar,
You will find that you have lost (beat) a tiny star.
If you let it go then, to fly into the night,
You will see it once again (beat) star bright.

Of course, we had the advantage that fireflies occur here and the kids knew what the song was about. Another advantage is that the song is short. This is about the right length for a preschool child.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: pdq
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 12:29 PM

...from Burl Ives, most are on topic:

          "Blue Tail Fly"
          "The Boll Weevil"
          "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)"
          "On Top Of Old Smoky"
          "Polly Wolly Doodle"
          "Big Rock Candy Mountain"
          "Sweet Betsy From Pike"
          "The Fox"
          "Woolie Boogie Bee"
          "Mr. Froggie Went A-Courtin'"
          "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly"
          "Get Along Little Dogies"
          "Aunt Rhody"
          "Goober Peas"
          "The Riddle Song"
          "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett"
          "Waltzing Matilda"
          "The Gray Goose"

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Joybell
Date: 25 Oct 08 - 09:23 PM

I agree, leeneia. I rarely use songs actually written for children. We I do it's because they are good musically, have strong images and work as songs. I didn't like children's songs when I was a child.
I thought I might use "The Old Lady Who ..." but it will be unrecognisable by the time we present it.
Thank you all very much. Lots to look at here. Some I hadn't thought of. I'd like to use Poison Ivy -- but we have a child called Ivy in the production -- so maybe not.
I have a personal dislike of "Froggie Went a- courtin'" -- don't know why really, everyone else likes it.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 26 Oct 08 - 07:52 AM

Hi, there, Joybell, what a fun project!

I have a few insect songs; one is

What do caterpillars do?
Nothing much but chew and chew!
What do caterpillars know?
Nothing much but how to grow!
They just eat what by and by will make them be a butterfly,
But that is more than I can do,
However much I chew and chew!

I could probably record it or make a midi and send it along!

I also have an odd song collected or written by Bartok, about a cricket and a spider getting married. It mentions gnats, fleas, cockroaches- and ends with the line,
"Creepy, crawly, mad fling!"

Either of these would be good with your 5-8 year olds.

If you'd like either song, PM me and I'll get them to you somehow!

Allison

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 26 Oct 08 - 09:25 AM

Someone mentione the Ugly Bug Ball by Burl Ives... I loved that song asa kid..
"Come on let's crawl, let's crawl, let's crawl,
To the Ugly Bug Ball,
To the Ball to the Ball,
And we'll have a lovely time there,
One and all,
At the ugly bug ball.

Something like that anyway!!
Best wishes, Mike.

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: GUEST,Sheila
Date: 26 Oct 08 - 02:59 PM

There is a beautiful redition of "Country Gardens" which mentions all kinds of flowers, songbirds and insects. It's at Contemplator:
http://www.contemplator.com/england/garden.html

Sheila

Subject: RE: Songs about Bugs, Butterflies, Flowers
From: Joybell
Date: 26 Oct 08 - 05:41 PM

Oh yes, thanks, Sheila.
Mike and also Guest, The idea that started this year's show was one of the mothers talking about "Butterfly Ball". I found that but she'd confused the title, in her mind, with "The Ugly Bugs Ball". I'll probably modify both songs and use them. That way we have the option of pretty and beautiful -- as butterflies and beetles (a fair number of Christmas beetles of course)-- or strange and wonderful.
Thank you Alison. I like the caterpillar/butterfly one.
We have --or we will have -- a new baby in the cast. Good chance for a metamorphosis during the show -- from caterpillar to butterfly.
I might have one of the older boys read the first paragraph of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. That'll have them wondering. Then I'll lighten things up with little girls butterflying around the stage.
Every year I wonder if I'll get away with absurdist touches. So far so good.
Cheers, Joy