Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Neil D
Date: 25 Jan 19 - 06:22 AM

Harry Nilsson had a song on his "Son of Schmilsson" album called "I'd Rather Be Dead". The chorus line being I'd rather be dead than wet my bed, on which the Senior Citizens of the Stepney & Pinner Choir Club No. 6, London, England provided backing vocals.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Long Firm Freddie
Date: 25 Jan 19 - 06:09 AM

John Shuttleworth's "God's Waiting Room":

"This is going out to my brothers and sisters
Well it would do if they still existed
But they're all dead now and I'm all alone
All alone in a residential home"

God's Waiting Room

LFF

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Jan 19 - 03:30 AM

hes old and only in the way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFF4ANolpAc

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Jan 19 - 08:10 PM

Here's one right on that fine line:

https://youtu.be/HoRNN8kJ0AU

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Jan 19 - 06:38 PM

My partner Greg sez his blues requests are neck and neck for "... But she gave me gasoline..."

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 24 Jan 19 - 06:32 PM

I believe "Happy Trails to You" ... is one of the most recognized from radio dramas.

Two times, in the last 15 years, it has been sung at "alternative funerals."

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 24 Jan 19 - 04:56 AM

Has anybody mentioned ‘Old Friends’? That line “how terribly strange to be seventy” must be a bit disturbing when you’ve now got children nearly that age.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 23 Jan 19 - 10:31 AM

Catherine Tate is a much loved British comic actress/performer. here she is talking about performing to pensioners.

No pleasing those old folk!

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Joe_F
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 10:08 PM

The Revel:
Then stand to your glasses steady.
This world is a world of lies.
Here's a sip to the dead already
And a cup to the next that dies.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,Dave D
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 07:04 PM

well outside the folk idiom, but -
The Jam's Going Underground
:)

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 06:46 PM

Our nursing home gigs have had universal success with the blues, for both secular gigs and church services there. They are the first-requested, each time we've returned.

Built for Comfort is big with elders!

~S~

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 06:10 AM

Some years ago is was in the news that a nursing home had banned "My Way" (from its collection of vinyl disks?), arguing that it made the inmates depressive. The worst problems are not being old facing death, but being suggested that they (we)

1. are now no longer good for anything,
2. have failed to achieve a lasting impact on the world,
3. have failed to enjoy life "my way".

Songwriters should know that age has many more aspects, and that every year of our lives we face new challenges that ask us to make a new effort. A nursing home is not the waiting room for the grave.

Once I had the problem of selecting autumn songs. Almost all those I found talked about relaxing towards the end of one's life - this is not the right idea! Farmers nowadays know that there is work all year.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,Andiliqueur
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 04:44 AM

I remember feeling very uncomfortable singing "All my Trials Lord soon be over" with my choir at a nursing home.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 03:39 AM

I've found nursing home audiences to be very enthusiastic. They don't seem to be fussy about anything - songs that mention death and old age are fine with them. They do seem to prefer songs that they know, songs that spark a memory.
In the first message, Genie listed

Try To Remember
Don't Fence Me In
Dry Bones
I Almost Lost My Mind
Urge For Goin'

I think nursing home audiences would like the first three, but they wouldn't know the last two and wouldn't relate to them. Familiarity is the key - they don't mind being reminded of being old or or facing death.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 02:09 AM

My Way
Auld lang syne
I'll be home for Christmas.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: oggie
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 04:26 PM

Tom Paxton again 'Forest Lawns'.

'Life is a Lemon (and I wantmy money back)' Meatloaf (or 'Bat out of Hell')

All the best

oggie

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: SharonA
Date: 24 Oct 06 - 06:52 PM

"I Don't Look Good Naked Anymore"

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Genie
Date: 24 Oct 06 - 04:31 PM

Can't Help But Wander, So I'm Bound

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,steve benbows protege off line
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 04:16 PM

What about "Burn Baby Burn" or the crap song "The only way is up"

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 08:33 AM

Why does brocoli look like a cartoon fart?

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 10 Oct 06 - 07:42 PM

Tom Paxton again - "Can't help but wonder where I'm bound".
From "Steady boys, walk on" - "this will be the last trip home".
And Adam McNaughtan "You're all gonnae die".

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: The Walrus
Date: 10 Oct 06 - 03:11 AM

The Parting Glass?

W

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 09 Oct 06 - 11:54 PM

SCORE - 100 poster!!!!

Ring Up 100,000 requent flier miles.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

should one take payment in United, Delta, or Camsco records...one is in default....the other two tetter-tottering.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Oct 06 - 11:51 PM

Good idea Mr. Guest

no one wants a gargoyle making fun of old, fat, crippled, non-gardening, fat folks from Colorado. So, here is MY verse:

Whoop T Chance, Whoopt T France.

I've got a party here in my pants.

Whoop T Dee, Whoop T Dumb

Sit on my lap... You ain't feeling my thumb.

Whoop T Deedle, Dee, Dum, Bun.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Soldier boy
Date: 09 Oct 06 - 10:10 AM

Also :

Growing old with Naomi - Ralph McTell
Ain't no grave can hold my body down/Ain't no grave gonna hold my body down - (See thread with same title here on mudcat)

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Oct 06 - 10:02 PM

Don't let that nasty Gargoyle spoil a perfectly fine thread.

I know GANG!!! Let's take his lyrics an make them one better.

Whoop Tee-Gee, Whoop Wee-Wee

Your teeth are green... just like stale brocholi

Whoop Tee-Wee, Whoop Tee-Wit

Your breath smells just like a bucket of sh-t!

Call the ambulance again - I am havinh an attack again.

Whoop a Tilly, What silly, Whoop the tilly-dilly-DooWhap A DooWhap.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Soldier boy
Date: 08 Oct 06 - 09:58 PM

Also :

The woman sat by the old church door....
( A song I first heard when I was a Scout!)

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Soldier boy
Date: 08 Oct 06 - 09:44 PM

What about :

Will ye go lassie go
Maids when you're young
Look at the coffin
Rolling home (for wheel-chair escapees!)
Willie McBride
Mothers Lament (By Elsie Houghton - narrated by John Cocking ("Uppards" CD))
Grandma (By Kevin Collier - narrated by John Cocking ("Uppards" CD) )
The Recumbent Posture (By Marriot Edgar and Stanley Holloway -narrated by John Cocking - "Uppards" CD)

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 08 Oct 06 - 09:05 PM

Well, that certainly makes it in the "silly stakes", garg...

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 08 Oct 06 - 12:37 AM

Whoop-Dee-Dee - Whoop-Dee-Doo

I smell a diaper and its all full of pooh

Whoop-Dee-Doo - Whoop-Doo-Dee

I smell a diaper and its all full of pee.

Hand me down my walkin cane, point me to the next latrine

Whoop A Doodle DooDee Doo.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Genie
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 10:07 PM

Ingrid, I do sing "When I'm 64" at retirement and nursing homes.   I point out that Paul was a teenager when he wrote it, so 64 must have seemed really old to him then.   And then at the end, I repeat the last line several times, increasing the age till it ends with "...When I'm 104." :)

A song I definitely don't sing at oldsters' residences (at least without rewriting the line in question) is "There'll Be Some Changes Made Today," which includes the line "Nobody wants you when you're old and gray."

Of course, as I said, this thread was intended to be silly and focus on things like songs whose titles take on a new meaning in the context of the (frail) elderly -- songs like "Urge For Goin'."   But, yeah, there are some songs that seriously ought probably to be avoided in those same settings.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: pattyClink
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 08:15 PM

We were in the middle of singing Mood Indigo in a hospice, having never really listened hard to the words before, "I'm so lonesome I could die" and "cause there's nobody that cares about me, I'm just a soul in misery", felt like an idiot singing that to someone in great pain who needs more visitors. Cross it off the list!

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Rasener
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 05:11 PM

Don't ask the residents to take their false teeth out and use them for percussion whilst you sing "Smile"

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Lady Nancy
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 11:16 AM

A good friend of mine with a somewhat warped sense of humour wrote a wonderful song called "Botox Towers" in which he gets his own back at the nursing home now, whilst he is still able.......... I'll pressure him to let me add the lyrics and tune, cos that was self-penned too. It always goes down well.........

LN

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,Scoville
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 10:27 AM

I was thinking of the parody of "After the Ball" where Mary takes off her wig, false, leg, glass eye, dentures, etc., until "there was nothing left of Mary, after the ball".

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: GUEST,Ingrid Frances Stark
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 02:31 AM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Beatles song with the line: Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?
Then there's a song I think was called The Very Unfortunate Man, where his bride takes off all her clothes and then various body parts...

Ingrid

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Genie
Date: 07 Oct 06 - 01:06 AM

How about "Goin' Out Of My Head (Over You)?"   

(Maybe that's one to avoid on the psych units.

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: DaveP
Date: 03 Oct 06 - 02:35 PM

What about ---

May the Circle be Unbroken

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Scrump
Date: 03 Oct 06 - 05:37 AM

What about the one Billy Connolly sang at the Secret Policeman's Ball?
Words here

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 03 Oct 06 - 05:18 AM

Oh ye canna push yer granny off a bus
Only just come to this thread. Makes a nice change to be described as a bit of a goer eh, Liz!!!!!1

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Oct 06 - 04:08 AM

Van Morrisons 'Precious time, slipping away'....

LTS

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Oct 06 - 03:55 AM

Do you realise that songs from *MY* youth (that is, songs from when I was younger, not the toy boy I have tucked under the bed) include such gems as

The Wombling Song - Mike Batt & the Wombles
God save the Queen (and the facist regime) - Sex Pistols
Sing if you're glad to be gay - Tom Robinson
Grandma, we love you - St Winifred's School choir
and The Floral Dance - Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band with Terry Wogan.

Anyone comes to my nursing home and sings those for me, I'm going to smack 'em with my zimmer frame!

LTS

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: InOBU
Date: 03 Oct 06 - 12:14 AM

True Story:
I am singing Irish ballads in an old folks home in New Jersey, lot of Irish folks there... as I am finishing up, an old dear askes me to sing "God Bless America." (I'm not big on patriotic songs... per se... ) SO I explain, and it is true, that as a Quaker I don't swear oaths, or make outward religious showing, that we Friends would not, in our faith use the expression God Bless... anything ( we don't say God Bless you when someone sneezes... ) So the old dear says... "Well you better LEARN to sing it!
Hmmm
lor

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Cruiser
Date: 02 Oct 06 - 09:56 PM

I Don't Remember Loving You___John Conlee

What's Your Name (Is it Mary or Sue..)___Don and Juan

Your Memory Ain't What It Used to Be___Mickey Gilley

What's Your Mama's Name___Tanya Tucker

Stone-Deaf, Dumb and Blind___Charlie Louvin

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 02 Oct 06 - 06:34 PM

A couple of year ago aah did a charity gig for The Southampton Parkinson's Society and the buggaz asked for (honest).......

Shakin' All Over
All Shook Up
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

And when aah wez playin' stuff like Jim Reeves & Don Williams one little owld wumman says tiv uz "De ye not knaah any Dire Straits?"

So aah sang So Far Away and Waalk Of Life and the buggaz joined in.

Aah did the gig aboot fower or five times before they decided that 'disco' wez better twice a year than live music

But Great funsters aall of 'em

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Fliss
Date: 02 Oct 06 - 06:26 PM

If you think that someone at 70 might be in a residential home. That makes them 20 in 1956 at the height of Rock n Roll. Perhaps we shouldnt be singing White Cliffs of DOver with them, but Elvis numbers.

I do hope they have reinvented homes or abolished them by the time Im a geriatric hippie. We should all have instruments and have a all day session in some sort of senior commune. I wonder if we will all be still contributing to Mudcat.

fliss
ageing hippie

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Crane Driver
Date: 02 Oct 06 - 06:03 PM

At a folk festival many years ago, a concert was being recorded for the local hospital radio. Vin Garbutt was singing 'The Chemical Workers' Song'. He got to the chorus line "Every day you're in this place, you're two days nearer death. . ." and suddenly realised what he was singing. He kept going, but you should have seen the look on his face.

Andrew

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Cruiser
Date: 02 Oct 06 - 01:14 PM

Life Git's Tee-Jus, Don't It?____Walter Brennan or Carson Robinson

Also "I'm My Own Grandpa" (Lonzo & Oscar) might get a little confusing to them elders 'cause it does for me…ugh, you don't think…nah, they ain't NEVER gonna put ME in one of those places!

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Cruiser
Date: 02 Oct 06 - 12:48 PM

Waitin' On Ice

Where are We Goin' From Here?

When the Fire Gets Hot

Your Daddy Don't Live in Heaven

Subject: RE: Songs NOT to sing in nursing homes!
From: Genie
Date: 02 Oct 06 - 12:43 PM

I don't think I'd do "Old Maid In A Garret."

Not sure about "I Wish They'd Do It Now." Some of the old guys I'm sure would relate, but ...