Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong

Subject: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Suzanne
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 02:45 PM

Hope someone can help me. I'm looking for a nice, happy traditional folksong I can sing with my nieces and nephews. Something that isn't about death, adultery, illegitimacy, desertion ... you get the idea. But that was popular during the 19th century.

Thanks

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 03:08 PM

Gee, Suzanne, you leave out all the good ones. Your nieces and nephews will love all those songs about death, adultery, illegitimacy, desertion, and the like. Well, you left out drinking - they'll like drinking songs. They probably won't show much interest in love songs. All those bad things you listed are a normal part of life, and kids tend to accept songs that speak of those things with a healthy attitude. You may want to try a Keyword (click me) search of our database. You'll find various ways to browse the database in the blue box in the upper-left corner of this page.
Animal songs might fit your criteria. One song that came to mind was MISTER FROG WENT A-COURTING (click). We have five versions of the song in the database, so Dick and Susan (the editors) have given it a Digital Tradition designation number to make it easy to search for. You can find all five versions if you put #306 in the blue Digital Tradition search box.
I haven't performed it for anybody yet, but I'm working up The HOUND DOG SONG. I suppose you could argue that there's violence in the song, but it's pretty tame. I think kids will love it.
Hope that helps.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Suzanne
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 03:28 PM

Been there, done that for about 4 hours. And have been to half a dozen web site.

I know all about normal life, thank you. And I know my nieces and nephews. Even more important, I know their parents.

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 03:47 PM

It's not 19th century, but I've never seen a kid who didn't like A Place in the Choir (click), by Bill Staines. Rounds are good, too. Gospel songs and spirituals might work, too.

Now, if you want 19th century, I love the songs of Stephen Foster and Henry Clay Work that you'll find at this site (click) - but most of those songs at least touch on the sad parts of life. "Grandfather's Clock" and "Long, Long Ago" (or Click here) are two of my favorites from the 19th century, but they don't fit your criteria. You didn't mention the ages of the kids - the songs in American Folk Songs for Children (Ruth Crawford Seeger, 1948 - found in most U.S. libraries) may appeal to kids under the age of about 10.
Another good resource is the Rise Up Singing songbook. I'm sure you'll find some good ones among the 1,200 songs in that book - but most of the songs in that book that are more upbeat come from the 20th century. Good luck in your search, Suzanne. Let us know what you come up with.
I have to say, though, that your restrictions make the task awful hard. I sing for kids all the time. If somebody asked me to follow the guidelines you set, I don't think I'd take the job.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Bert
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 05:17 PM

What ages are they??

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Suzanne
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 05:59 PM

Well, there are 14 of them. I'm looking for something for the younger ones, 10 and under.

I should make it clear that we are singing other folksongs. Finding music for the older kids was no problem; they're doing the ones about death, desertion, adultery, etc. And getting quite a kick out of it.

I was hoping to provide a little contrast by having the younger ones do something comic or just light and cheerful. There's just something too surreal about 5 and 6 year olds singing about a faithless seducer.

Thanks for asking

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Magpie
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 06:09 PM

Jayzus, no death, no adultery, no booze, no tragic end, no war- Is there anyting else? Magpie

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Magpie
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 06:16 PM

By the way there's always "The old woman from Wexford" although she does try to off her husband.(It backfires, though)

And there's a bit of adultery as well, but you could always alter the first verse if need be.

I mean, we live in the real world (at least some of us do) and I don't think ten-year olds will be damaged by it.

Magpie (again)

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Pat
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 06:53 PM

Why does it have to be 19th century? The Carter family's "Keep on the Sunny Side" is good. Very little kids like songs which mention THEM - "Sally wore a red dress" from the Ruth Crawford Seeger book is a good one. There's a song most 7- to 10-year-olds like, "Throw it out the window" in which you take nursery songs - well, for example, "Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to fetch her poor dog a bone. When she got there the cupboard was bare so she threw it out the window, the window, the second-story window. When she got there, the cupboard was bare so she threw it out the window." It works for nearly every nursery rhyme. It might be in Rise Up Singing. You have to remember the very old ballads served much the same function as soap operas! Few were happy! "Henry Martin" is a pretty one though.

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Jeri
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 07:25 PM

Not all sea chanteys have naughty lyrcs. See CAPE COD GIRLS
There's WINDY OLD WEATHER
There'sThe Herring Song as sung by Eliza Carthy on "Red Rice" is fun to sing, but it does involve death (of the fish.) I guess I'm on a fishy kick tonight...

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 07:59 PM

Oh, now you've got me thinking. Here are some songs that are fun with that age group:
Green Grow the Rushes
The Rattlin' Bog
Old Joe Clark (with some editing needed to preserve a "G" rating)
Old Dan Tucker

Other songs I do that aren't so traditional or don't fit the criteria are Swallowed a Fly and There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea. The Hokey Pokey is also popular.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Tony Burns
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 08:14 PM

How about "There's a Hole In The Bucket"?

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 08:52 PM

Joe, not too sure... My version of Rattlin bog (if I'm thinking of the same song as you) Has the verse:

And on this maid there lay a man (rare man and a rattlin man)...

But I think that that sort of song is fun. The one I learned in school that in many ways is similar to Rare bog and a Rattlin bog (tune different) starts:

Now in this wood there was a tree
The finest tree you ever did see
And the green grass grew all around around around
And the green grass grew around.

I am not sure about dates but I would guess that "The Fox (walked out on a wintera night)" could be a good one that fits the criteria.

Jon

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: BK
Date: 23 Sep 99 - 10:57 PM

If yer gonna stoop to more modern stuff ya gotta try "Marvelous Toy" by Tom Paxton; the kids always love it, 'n ya kin ham it up on the choruses somethin' shameful! Just fantastic fun. Also, tho it's not really cheerful, 'n has technical errors, (such as including Dimetrodon, aquatic & flying reptiles in as though they were dinosaurs!!), it's great fun 'n kids love it. 'N ya kin always do one of my favorites - "Coulter's Candy," which does likely come from the last century, (Coulter, 'n his candy, were real.)

Cheers, BK

ps. Somewhere I have a set of words for "Coulters Candy" in fairly plain English, if the heavy dialect in some versions (all the ones I used to hear!) is a problem. Just let me know.

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Magpie
Date: 24 Sep 99 - 06:08 AM

How about "I'll tell me ma" (in the database) or "Mairie's wedding" it has come up in some threads earlier and if you search for it, you'll find it. If I knew how, I'd make a blue clicky thing for you, but don't know how to do it.

Magpie

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: sapper_re
Date: 24 Sep 99 - 07:47 AM

Sorrows Away:- Another recorded by the Copper Family.

The time passes over more cheerful and gay, Since we learnt a new act to drive sorrows away, Sorrows away (x3) Since we learnt a new act to drive sorrows away.

Enter 1st line in the search and it will be there!!! How do you do one of those blue clicky things anyway???? Bob

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 24 Sep 99 - 08:44 AM

Roy Baily does some good kid's songs which should suit just that age. I htink he did a whole CD of just kid's stuff - so if you've got time to hunt it down that would probably be ideal material. Don't know if they are folky enough tho'. Kris

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: folk1234
Date: 24 Sep 99 - 09:46 AM

I ordered and just received an old taped album that is chock full of great kid's songs. It's called "I've Got a Song". I don't recognize the photo on the cover, but the lady is absolutely beautiful and the guy is a smiling happy face with long wavy blond hair. I think they are known as Sandy and Caroline? You can find it at Folk Legacy. I know you'll love it, Suzanne.

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From:
Date: 24 Sep 99 - 04:18 PM

Suzanne.. are you for real... If you want your nephews and nieces to think your cool sing songs about farts, armpits or burping.. if you want to feed thier fantacies sing of love and pretty skies.. if reality is what you prefer, sing of death,adultery, crime... sooner or later they must face life and you will be thanked in the long run walking them down that road..

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Art Thieme
Date: 25 Sep 99 - 12:19 AM

Bob Franke's cute little sing-along called "HARD LOVE".

Also, anything by Andrew Calhoun...

Art

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: Stewie
Date: 25 Sep 99 - 06:05 AM

I'm with Joe, you can't go past Staines' 'A Place in the Choir' - not old, but definitely durable, and lovable.

Subject: RE: Help: Upbeat, cheery family folksong
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 26 Sep 99 - 04:57 PM

found a peanut

old Hogan's goat

Most Raffi stuff is recycled folk material: kids love "down by the bay"

do you know the Chicken song?

(C, that's the way to begin ... even better if they can do the funky chicken while singing. Is this by chance preparingthe kids for a performance at a family reunion??)

MA