Children's singing games

Subject: Children's singing games
From: Hawker
Date: 23 Feb 01 - 05:32 PM

I run several children's workshops and wondered if any of you out there might have some children's singing games that you would be willing to share with me..... or do you know any good websites I can look at..... OOh Err I just remembered I was going to look at Children's mudcat - anybody got others to offer? Thanks in anticipation, Lucy

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: Kim Hughes
Date: 23 Feb 01 - 06:16 PM

Ruth Seeger published an entire book of these, I think with accompanying record, though I've never been able to find that. If you search on her name plus "children's songs" or "children's singing games" you might be able to find a copy.

regards, Kim

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Feb 01 - 06:35 PM

Hawker, if you will put Children's in the DT and Forum Search box (on the top left of the main page) you will get beaucoup stuff to go check out--songs, games, etc.

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Feb 01 - 07:15 PM

Thanks for reminding me I was supposed to do some research on this, Lucy. At a music camp in January, I saw a wonderful play-party book from World Around Songs, 20 Colberts Creek Road, Burnsville, NC 28714, [phone]. This thread reminded me I had planned to write for a catalog, which I did just now.

The best-known singing game book is, naturally, The Singing Game, by Iona and Peter Opie. It's out of print, but several other Opie books have come back into print lately, so I'm waiting rather than paying an exorbitant price at a used book store.

There are a couple in the Wee Sing" series that might help - I'd recommend Wee Sing Silly Songs and Wee Sing and Play, both by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp, published by Price Stern Sloan - about three bucks apiece. Tom Glazer used to have a number of books of singing games and the like, but they're all out of print.

Dover has reprinted a couple of classics: Games and Songs of American Children (William Wells Newell, 1903 - $9.95); and Old Songs and Singing Games (Richard Chase, 1938 - $2.95).

Check out this site (click) for an interesting bibliography, and also don't forget to search the world-renowned Digital Tradition for @playparty.

Somebody above suggested the books by Ruth Crawford Seeger, American Folk Songs for Children & Animal Folk Songs for Children. they're great books, and Mike & Peggy Seeger made recordings of all the sog songs in these two books their mother published. The CD's are available on the Rounder label from Dick Greenhaus at http://www.camsco.com - they're a great (and reasonably-priced) resource.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: GUEST,colwyn dane
Date: 23 Feb 01 - 07:48 PM

Hi,

Checkout this site it contains pre-adult songs.

Cheers,
Colwyn.

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: Hawker
Date: 23 Feb 01 - 08:26 PM

Thanks very much, lots to work at.......better get busy!!! Lucy

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: raredance
Date: 23 Feb 01 - 10:38 PM

For the very young, chekc out "Eye Winker, Tom Tinker, Chin Chopper; 50 Musical Fingerplays" by Tom Glazer (1973, but it's been reissued in paperback since)

Also "Folk Songs & Singing Games of the Illinois Ozarks" by DAvid S McIntosh (1974, Southern Illinois University Press) has a chpater deovted to singing games for children along with a variety of other play-party games for the "older folk"

rich r

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 07:25 AM

The Country Dance and Song Society has, among other wonderful publications, 3 cd/book sets by the New England Dancing Masters. For your needs I recommend Jump Jim Joe
)...which also happens to be one of my personal favorite games!)
I know tons and tons of play party games that I use all the time. Feel free to PM me if you still need help or inspiration!

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 07:28 AM

Games I love to play with the kids:
Jump Jim Joe
Zodiac (aka Sodio, Spodio, or Billy Billy!)
I've been to Haarlem
Circle Round the Zero
Tideo
Punchinello
The Allee-allee-oh
Draw me a bucket of water
Little Johnny Brown

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: Tig
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 09:35 AM

Get the kids you work with to teach you some! I did my special study at college some 25 years ago on them and every so often I ask the children to update it. You may find they are still playing ones you did and have forgotten.

Their parents/grandparents are also a good source.

One book I use a lot is This little Puffin published by Penguin ..... just a minute wasn't there similar thread on this not long back?

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: NH Dave
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 10:10 AM

Some years ago, Scott Hastings, of Taftsville, Vt., published a small book called, Mary Mack/Mac all Dressed in Black, singing games and counting out rhymes of the Northeast Kingdom, the north east part of Vermont that juts out over NH. It may well be out of print by now, but you might find a copy on one of the old book sites on the Internet, or in a library.

One that we used in Scouts went;
  Oh Chester have you heard about Harry
  Just got out of the Army
  I heard he knows how to touch his toes
  Hip, Hip, Hurray for the Army
Touching, Chest, Hair, Arms, Nose, Toes, Hips, & Arms in turn.
TTA- Yankee Doodle

Dave

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: raredance
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 10:24 AM

Another book I forgot last night.

"Jim Along, Josie: A Collection of Folk songs and Singing Games for young Children" by Nancy & John Langstaff (1970 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich)

I expect you alreday know this but the children's section of public libraries can be a good place to find material like this.

rich r

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: Hawker
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 12:14 PM

Excellent, have heard of and used some of the suggestions, often ask the children for their input too, but I am VERY grateful for all your help, Ta muchly Lucy

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 02:13 PM

Great idea, Tig! Some say the playground is the last bastion of the true oral tradition- as long as some tv show doesn't standardize it. Anyone notice how "Down down baby" hasn't changed since Sesame Street did a spot on it over 10 years ago?

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 02:59 PM

If you get the Wee Sing stuff, get the version with tape, ten bucks US.

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 24 Feb 01 - 03:55 PM

I assume you've thought of "The Farmer Wants a Wife", "The Big Ship Sails Down the Illy Ally O", "Wallflowers, Wallflowers", and so on? And skipping rhymes, of course. And hop-the-ball songs?

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: harpgirl
Date: 26 Nov 02 - 08:44 PM

The Needle's Eye

The needle's eye that doth supply
The thread that runs so true,
There's many a beau that I've letgo
Because I wanted you.
With a bow so neat and a kiss so sweet
We do intend before we end
To have this couple meet.

    A boy and a girl hold hands and let the others pass in a line under the arch. At the last line of the song they let down their hands and catch a boy or a girl from the line. If the one caught is a boy, he takes the place of the boy holding up hands; if a girl she takes the place of the girl. A boy is usually caught first.

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: harpgirl
Date: 26 Nov 02 - 08:51 PM

Marching Round the Levee

We're marching round the levee,
We're marching round the levee,
We're marching round the levee,
We're marching round the levee,
For we have gained the day.

Go forth and choose your lover, etc.

Go out and in the window,
Go out and in the window,
Go out and in the window,
For we have gained the day.

Goodbye I hate to leave you, etc.
I'll measure my love to show you, Etc.
I'll take a kiss and leave you, etc.


The players join hands and form a circle, one person standing in the center while the first stanza is being sung. As they sing the second stanza, the centers chooses a partner from the ring. The third stanza indicates the accompanyin action, the lover going out and in the windows formed by the arches of the player's upraised arms. In Mississippi there are several variations from the above verses. pp. 287-288 Folksongs of Mississippi AP Hudson.

Subject: RE: Help: Children's singing games
From: TNDARLN
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 01:54 PM

Two of my favorite collections are Sail Away, published by Boosey/Hawkes [I think] and newly released, My Singing Bird, published by the Kodaly folks...Jill Trinka in Texas has several good, small collections of songs/games. Music in Motion, also in Texas,is an excellent mail order source as is West Music. Both have websites.

Harpgirl posted the words to Needle's Eye, which reminds me that I never finished reading Jesse Stuart's classic book of the same name. Put that on my gotta-do list.

T

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Feb 06 - 11:39 PM

ok the zodiac thing I did at camp but it had more words.

Here comes zodiac zodiac zodiac here comes zodiac all night long
here comes sally walking down the alley here comes sally all night long
here comes another one just like the other one here comes another one all night long.
I looked out yonder and what do I see? A big fat man from tennesse. I bet ya five dollars that ya can't do this, I bet ya five dollars that ya can't do that.
to the front to the back to the side side side. to the front to the back to the side side side. You lean wayyyyyy back, you got a hump on your back, you lean way back you got a hump on your back. Do the camel walk.


and I think it repeated. We did it as a square dance. I'm not sure if the first part is quie right but the rest should be. Has anyone heard of this?

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: Mo the caller
Date: 01 Mar 06 - 05:47 AM

Amazing,I'd never heard of that " Zodiac", but yesterday I found "Barnaby" on   
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gerry.jones/dances.html
Has anyone tried the EFDSS publication John Kanakanaka yet?

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 01 Mar 06 - 05:48 AM

Yes! I learned the "camel walk" version years ago from my late friend Ed Durham. I'm glad to know it traveled around. Where was your camp, Guest?

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: Azizi
Date: 04 Oct 06 - 08:41 PM

I'm quite late with a response, but with regards to the Here Comes Zodiac song, the version that I was taught was "Here We Go Zoodio". I have "Zoodio" written "Zudio". I believe it's included that way in Bessie Jones & Bess Lomax Hawes' book "Step It Down: Games, Plays, Songs & Stories from the Afro-American Heritage" {University of Georgia Press, 1972}. Unfortunately, I can't find that book at the moment so I can't verify that spelling or the word or the words to that version of that song.

Mrs. Janie Mae Owens, a woman from Georgia, taught that song to children in our church's vacation Bible school when I was a child. Mrs Owens said she sung this song when she was a child. I've remembered it and introduced it to children in my community. The words to the version I was taught are are basically the same as GUEST Date: 28 Feb 06 - 11:39 PM posted, However, it ends before the "I look out yonder" lines. {though I've seen those lines elsewhere in collections of African American children's rhymes}.

The way I learned "Zoodio" was like so:
1. children chose one partner
2. the two partners stand facing each other
3. the two partners crossed their hands and held their partner's hand
4. while singing the first lines "here we go zoodio zoodio zoodio here we go zoodio all night long", the partners swing their crossed hands back and forth to the beat, and while standing still, also move their slightly bent knees up & down to the same beat
5. on the words, "Step back sally", the partners jump back and forth away from, and then toward their partner
6. on the words, "walking through the alley", the partners strut to another partner
7. the song begins again and continues in this pattern

This movement song is good exercise and fun to do for children, teens, and adults!

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: Azizi
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 05:32 PM

With regard to the "Here We Go Zoodio" song:

While I was looking for some other information, I came across two webpages that have vesions of the game song {dance?} that I phonetically spelled "Zoodio". I'll type the first one in this post and then post the second one with the comment that I wrote in response to it.


HERE WE GO ZUDIO
from Pizza Pizzazz, #PEA5CD

Here we go Zudio Zudio, Zudio
Here we go Zudio all night long.
Here we go Zudio Zudio, Zudio
Here we go Zudio all night long.

Step back Sally Sally, Sally
Step back Sally all night long.

Walkin' thru the alley, what do I see?
I see a great big man from Tennessee.
I betcha five dollars that you can't do this:
To the front, to the back
To the side side side.
To the front, to the back
To the side side side.

My mama called the doctor and the doctor said
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my side"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my toe"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my tummy"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my head."

Here we go Zudio Zudio, Zudio
Here we go Zudio all night long.
Here we go Zudio Zudio, Zudio
Here we go Zudio all night long.

Step back Sally Sally, Sally
Step back Sally all night long.

Walkin' thru the alley, what do I see?
I see a great big man from Tennessee.
I betcha five dollars that you can't do this:
To the front, to the back
To the side side side.
To the front, to the back
To the side side side.

My mama called the doctor and the doctor said
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my chin"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my knee"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my neck"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my belly button."

Here we go Zudio Zudio, Zudio
Here we go Zudio all night long.
Here we go Zudio Zudio, Zudio
Here we go Zudio all night long.
All night long, all night long.

http://www.peterandellen.com/lyrics/zudio.htm

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: Azizi
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 05:37 PM

Here's another example that I just found of that song:


"I'm not sure of the proper spelling, but the part I remember goes like this:

Two people stand facing each other, holding hands (one person has arms crossed so that an "X" is formed) and the song begins ( you also pull left, right, etc making a crisscrossing motion with joined hands):

Here we go zoolio, zoolio, zoolio
Here we go zoolio all night long.

(release hands and start going backwards)

Take a step back Sally, Sally, Sally
Walk into the alley, alley, alley.

I went to the country, and what'd I see?
I saw a great big man tryin' to "hypotize" me.

I go way back (put hands on waist & lean back)
Got a hump in my back (lean forward w/hands in small of back)
Do the crab walk, do the crab walk (players "strut" towards each other, still in humped position, and trade places)

The last part is what has me stumped...does anybody remember this at all? I grew up in South Jersey, if that's any help."

[email deleted]

-By V Pesante on Thursday, April 12, 2001 ; Streetplay.com Discussion: Girl Games: Other Games: Zoolio http://www.streetplay.com/discus/

-snip-

It's been seven years, but I'm writing in response to V Pesante {I haven't tried her email} and I'm not sure if she'll see this. But for those who are interested in this rhyme, I also grew up in South Jersey {Atlantic City, NJ}. I remember learning this song in the 1950s from a vacation Bible school teacher who was from Georgia. I've phonetically spelled that word "Zoodio", but I've seen it written "Zudio", or "Zodiac". We played this game {or danced this dance} the same way as V Pesante described in the first part of her comment-two partners stood facing each other, we criss-crossed arms holding both of our partners hands and did what I call a see-saw, back & forth motion to the beat. Our knees were slightly bent when we did this motion. On the words "step back sally" we jumped back to the beat. On the words "walkin through the alley" we continued singing but strutted across the large room and at the end of the song we were arbitrarily standing in front of a new partner. And then song would start again from the beginning.

The words that I recall were the very much like those posted above, but we sang "Step back, Sally Sally Sally" and "Walkin' down the alley alley". I don't think we sang the next part, though that "Big man tryin' to hypnotize me" is awfully familiar to me for some reason or the other. When I read that line, what popped into my head was the line "A big Black man tryin to hynotize me". Btw, I'm African American, if that matters :o}

I found another version of this song on at http://www.peterandellen.com/lyrics/zudio.htm .

That version starts with the Here we go Zudio verse but then gives this verse:

Walkin' thru the alley, what do I see?
I see a great big man from Tennessee.
I betcha five dollars that you can't do this:
To the front, to the back
To the side side side.
To the front, to the back
To the side side side.

My mama called the doctor and the doctor said
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my side"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my toe"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my tummy"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my head."

-snip-

[the verse here we go zudio verse is repeated, and then there's a slightly different version of the "I got a pain" verse:

My mama called the doctor and the doctor said
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my chin"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my knee"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my neck"
"Ooh aah, I got a pain in my belly button."
-snip-

That also sounds familiar too me. It may be because I've mis-remembered what I knew of the song, or those other parts sound like other rhymes that I used to sing or have read.
- Streetplay.com Discussion: Girl Games: Other Games: Zoolio http://www.streetplay.com/discus/
-By Azizi on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 05:29 pm:

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: GUEST,GUEST
Date: 25 Oct 09 - 12:28 PM

What are the words to " Mama, mama can't you see"?

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Nov 11 - 07:12 PM

Have y'all ever heard the one where people are in a circle and one person is in the middle and u sing something bout a cellar and at the end the person spins with there eyes closed and points at every1 until they stop

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jun 12 - 02:33 AM

This is what I remember from the "Zudio" song:

Here we go Zudio, Zudio Zudio
Here we go Zudio all night long
And we step back Sally, Sally, Sally
Step back Sally all night long
And I'm walking down the alley, alley, alley
Walking down the alley all night long
And I look down yonder and what do I see?
A big fat man from Tennesee
I bet you $5 I can bust that man
Do the front, do the back, do the side, side, side
"    "       "       "       "       "
I wear my dresses up above my knees
Turn around, touch the ground
I lean way back, get a hunch on my back
I do the camel walk, do the camel walk

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 30 Jun 12 - 02:47 PM

This book, Waltz the Hall The American Play Party, might be of interest.

Subject: RE: Children's singing games
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 01:37 AM

In Girl Scouts, we learned the song as follows:

This way, Willoby, Willoby, Willoby,
This way Willoby all night long.

Step back Sally, Sally, Sally
Step back Sally all night long.

Call the doctor and the doctor said
"Got a pain in my head and it hurts"
"Got a pain in my back and it hurts"
"Got a pain in my side and it hurts"

Really, really sick in bed
Really, really sick in bed.
Oomp chee wah wah,
Oomp chee wah wah.

Lookin' down the alley, what do you see?
I see a big fat mamma from Tennessee.
She wears her dresses down to her knees,
And she shakes, shakes, shakes from Tennessee.

This way, Willoby, Willoby, Willoby,
This way Willoby all night long.