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childrens song - wind the bobbin

30 Apr 01 - 12:14 PM (#452155)
Subject: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: GUEST,grannyjan

My grand daughter, Leah, is 2 and has learnt a new song at playgroup.

Unfortunately, all she remembers is 'wind the bobbin, pull,pull,pull,' with accompanying actions.

She is driving us mad, asking us to sing this song. I vaguely recognise it, but only the chorus.

Has anybody any ideas?

Unfortunately, I am not well enough to go to the library or I would be into the Opie's Lore and Language of Schoolchildren.


30 Apr 01 - 12:24 PM (#452163)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: mousethief

If nobody gets it before then, and you can wait until tonight, I can look for it in my copy of Songs and Games of American Children.

Alex


30 Apr 01 - 12:25 PM (#452165)
Subject: Lyr Add: Wind the Bobbin ^^
From: Sorcha

Is this it?

Wind the Bobbin up
Wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up.
Pull, pull, clap, clap, clap.
Wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up.
Pull, pull, clap, clap, clap.

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor.
Point the the window and point to the door.
Clap your hands together,
1 2 3
Put your hands upon your knees.

Wind it back again, wind it back again.
Pull, pull, clap, clap, clap.
Wind it back again, wind it back again.
Pull, pull, clap, clap, clap.
Point to the ceiling, point to the floor.
Point the the window and point to the door.
Clap your hands together,
1 2 3
Put your hands upon your knees.
^^


30 Apr 01 - 12:26 PM (#452166)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin ^^
From: IanC

This is about all of it. My wife used to sing it as "Wind the threads".

WIND THE BOBBIN

Wind, wind, wind the bobbin (2x)
Pull, pull, tap, tap, tap.
Wind, wind, wind the bobbin (2x)
Pull, pull, tap, tap, tap.

Heel & toe & tap, tap, tap (4x)

Cheers!
Ian ^^


30 Apr 01 - 12:28 PM (#452170)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)

Tune???


30 Apr 01 - 12:33 PM (#452176)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: grannyjan

Thank you for the answers.

I'll try them on Leah tomorrow.

No chance of a tune between a two year old and a tone deaf granny!


30 Apr 01 - 12:58 PM (#452199)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: black walnut

Kathy Reid-Naiman has recorded this and lots of other wonderful children's songs and rhymes. Excellent tapes/CD's produced by Ken Whitley.

Tickles and Tunes, More Tickles and Tunes, Say Hello to the Morning

~black walnut


30 Apr 01 - 01:13 PM (#452212)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Noreen

It's a very simple tune, obviously, and the same as a French children's song , but can't think of the name of that, not that it would necessarily help.

I could scan it in from The Singing Game by Iona and Peter Opie, but it's such a little scrap... I'll try something:

so, la, so-me-doh- (repeat)
fa--, me--, ra, ra, doh.

Is that any good, Allison?

Noreen


30 Apr 01 - 01:27 PM (#452222)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: black walnut

s..lsmd.
s..lsmd.
f...m...r.r.d...
s..lsmd.
s..lsmd.
f...m...r.r.d...
d.dms.s.l.lls...
d.dms.s.f.fmr...
d.dms.s.l.lls...
f.f.m.m.r.r.d...

An attempt at simplifying the solfa-thing. Does it work, Noreen? Every syllable or dot is an eighth note in this case.

~black walnut


30 Apr 01 - 02:03 PM (#452252)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Noreen

Works for me, bw, thank you. I'm sure we'll be accused of re-inventing the wheel here!


30 Apr 01 - 02:42 PM (#452282)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: black walnut

I am aware of my shortcut's shortcomings. But it works for some things, as long as the code is understood...

I'm happy to reinvent insofar as I'm not spinning my wheels!

~b.w.


30 Apr 01 - 02:50 PM (#452293)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: MMario

THANKS! (I don't care how you post 'em if they get here!)

BW ? one question

first line is 6 syllables five notes?

okay - two questions....which set of lyrics above fits the tune you posted ?


30 Apr 01 - 03:17 PM (#452306)
Subject: ADD Tune: Wind the Bobbin ^^
From: Joe Offer

The words in The Singing Game are just a bit different, and don't seem to scan the same as some of the lyrics posted above.

WIND THE BOBBIN

Wind the bob-bin up,
Wind the bob-bin up,
Pull, pull
Tug, tug, tug

Players wind their fists round each other, first one way, then the other. At "Pull, pull," they thrust their fists away from each other, and at "Tug, tug, tug," they pull their elbows back. Although now a playground game it seems now to have been a nursery game, in fact one informant said she had known it so long she oculd not remember where she had learnt it: "I think me auntie and me Mum taught me." (Opie: "The Singing Game")
I sent the tune to Mudcat MIDIs
-Joe Offer-

MIDI file: WINDBOB.MID

Timebase: 192

Name: Wind the Bobbin
Text: By Traditional
Copyright: From "The Singing Game" (Opie)
TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Start
0000 1 67 110 0142 0 67 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0070 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0022 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 67 110 0142 0 67 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0070 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0022 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Wind the Bobbin
M:2/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
G3AG3/2E/2D2|G3AG3/2E/2D2|D4D4|D2D2D7/2||

^^


30 Apr 01 - 03:19 PM (#452308)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: MMario

phhhhhfffffffffffftttttttttt!!!!


30 Apr 01 - 03:28 PM (#452314)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Joe Offer

"phhhhhfffffffffffftttttttttt!!!!"

Can you do a MIDI of that tune, MMario?
[grin]
-Joe Offer-


30 Apr 01 - 03:41 PM (#452320)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Noreen

Joe, that's basically the same as Sorcha's.


30 Apr 01 - 05:25 PM (#452393)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Mrs.Duck

I do Sorcha's version which fits to black walnut's notation. Did it twice today!


30 Apr 01 - 06:22 PM (#452436)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: black walnut

MMario:

I was using the words, "Wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up, pull, pull, tap, tap, tap".

Wind . . the bobbin up .

is 4 quarter note beats of music. Each syllable and each dot equals an eighth note.

Truth be told, you hold the word "Wind" through the dots; it's not a great shorthand, just a fast and easy one to help jog the memory. It won't indicate holds, dotted rhythms, or tunes that span greater than one octave.

But, it was worth a try for this simple tune...

~b.w.


30 Apr 01 - 06:24 PM (#452437)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: black walnut

P.S.

That's cool, Mrs. Duck!

~b.w.


30 Apr 01 - 07:30 PM (#452501)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Snuffy

We did this at primary school in the late 50s. It was a one-room school with about a dozen pupils aged 5-11. And we had one old 78 to play on a wind-up gramophone with just the tune, no words. We did the same actions as above for lines 1,2, & 4, but I can't remember what we did for line 3. I think the other side was called "I've Lost My Stocking In The Brook", which involved nodding at the end of each line. Here's the Bobbin tune as I remember it from 40+ years ago.

MIDI file: WINDBOBB.MID

Timebase: 480

Tempo: 120 (500000 microsec/crotchet)
Key: G
TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Name: Wind the Bobbin
Start
0000 1 74 127 0359 0 74 000 0001 1 76 090 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 74 090 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0119 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 74 127 0359 0 74 000 0001 1 76 090 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 74 090 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0119 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 72 127 0359 0 72 000 0001 1 72 090 0119 0 72 000 0001 1 71 090 0359 0 71 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 69 127 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 74 127 0359 0 74 000 0001 1 76 090 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 74 090 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0119 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 74 127 0359 0 74 000 0001 1 76 090 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 74 090 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0119 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 72 127 0359 0 72 000 0001 1 72 090 0119 0 72 000 0001 1 71 090 0359 0 71 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 69 127 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 127 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 62 090 0239 0 62 000 0001 1 62 090 0239 0 62 000 0001 1 67 127 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0239 0 71 000 0001 1 74 090 0479 0 74 000 0001 1 69 127 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 62 090 0239 0 62 000 0001 1 62 090 0239 0 62 000 0001 1 67 127 0239 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0239 0 71 000 0001 1 74 090 0479 0 74 000 0001 1 74 127 0359 0 74 000 0001 1 76 090 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 74 090 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0119 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 74 127 0359 0 74 000 0001 1 76 090 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 74 090 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 67 090 0119 0 67 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 72 127 0359 0 72 000 0001 1 72 090 0119 0 72 000 0001 1 71 090 0359 0 71 000 0001 1 71 090 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 69 127 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Wind the Bobbin
M:2/4
Q:1/4=120
K:G
d3e dBGB|d3e dBGB|c3c B3B|A2A2 G4|
d3e dBGB|d3e dBGB|c3c B3B|A2A2 G4|
A2A2 D2D2|G2B2 d4|A2A2 D2D2|G2B2 d4|
d3e dBGB|d3e dBGB|c3c B3B|A2A2 G4||



Wassail! V


30 Apr 01 - 07:32 PM (#452502)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Joe Offer

I think we have the same tune - but I don't know how to make it fit Ian's version. Walnut, are there words that have more than one note? I interpreted it as one word, one note.
-Joe Offer-


01 May 01 - 08:13 AM (#452760)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: sophocleese

My kids learned it as:

Wind the bobbin and
Unwind the bobbin and
Break, break
Hammer, hammer, hammer.

My sound card still is working and I'm too sleepy yet to read the notation but its likely that you've got the same tune.


07 May 01 - 04:31 PM (#457292)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: ermintrudeclaire

i am a playgroup leader and we sing this each time to signify the end of our song time as wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up, pull, pull, clap clap clap point to the ceiling, point to the floor point to the window, point to the door put your hands together 1,2,3 put your hands upon your knee.

sometimes we also sing the second verse wind it back again, wind it back again pull, pull etc.


07 May 01 - 05:23 PM (#457346)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Mrs.Duck

snap


08 May 01 - 05:38 AM (#457680)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: grannyjan

Wow! What a magnificent response.

Thank you all, Leah is now dancing around the garden singing and doing the actions , and her mum and I are free for a while.


03 Oct 17 - 10:59 AM (#3880038)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Tuvya

As far as I can tell this song grew from a dance, sometimes identified from Danish as Shoemaker Boy. It's centuries old, and may be classified as one of those occupational dances which I guess were around then according to Iona Opie.

Wind Wind Sugar Baby is how it was sung to me over seventy years ago in New York, In the cradle. It was sung medium tempo. slower than the dance. minus the second part.

I'd love to know more how and when the Danish migration brought this to english speaking shores.

Apparently to bring clarity to this ostensibly cobbler's dance, the melody of "Bobbin up" dropped a note which "Sugar baby" retained. The gestures are mostly preserved in both.   

The Danes eventually stuck lyrics to the tune and as far as I can tell translate something like "first it's this-a-way then it's that-a-way..ugh ugh..." and then there's a clapping or tapping or both

You can find youtube examples of much of this... none, naturally, are exactly the same... iI'd love to hear anyone's personal experiences with this wonderful old piece that still bobbing and winding and surviving.

By the way I've taught it as a two part round, with the gestures... fun.


15 Feb 19 - 06:43 PM (#3976955)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind ind sugar baby
From: GUEST,tuvya

I should add the melody, I assume the earliest, for dance purposes appears in a 1917 publication of international dances. In the 20s there's an RCA Victor orchestral rendition, pretty fast tempo I've heard A 1911 book of popular songs and play taught on Indian Reservations includes the recognizable gestures that accompany the piece. It has been printed up in several song anthologies since then sometimes as a song for infants to get their hands moving. I'd have to check my records if anyone's interested. In the US at one time in the early 20th century "sugar baby" replaced the odious "nigger baby" reference but how these lyrics got attached to the piece I have yet to learn.


16 Feb 19 - 03:16 AM (#3976985)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Monique

We have a version in French, most probably directly from the English.


17 Feb 19 - 04:19 AM (#3977251)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Tattie Bogle

Just wondering if any other of our British members remember it from theirs or their children's childhood? I certainly don't. The first time I heard it was when I started taking my grandson to a pre-school singing circle about 5 years ago. So when did it "cross the pond"? (Or re-cross, if it came from Denmark?!)
The version used is exactly as Sorcha's post on 30.04.01.


17 Feb 19 - 08:07 AM (#3977301)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Dave Sutherland

I can remember learning a version at Junior School in South Shields around 1958 which went "Wind, wind, wind the thread x3, pull, pull, clap, clap, clap".
Many years later (1984)when we had moved to Long Eaton and our daughter started Nursery School she came home with a version very similar to the one cited by the OP.
Not sure whether our Granddaughter has one but I'll ask when I next see her.


29 Aug 19 - 09:24 AM (#4006372)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: GUEST,shadywhere

I learned it this way:

Wind, wind, wind the bob-bin
Wind, wind, wind the bob-bin
Pull, pull, tap, tap, tap
Wind, wind, wind the bob-bin
Wind, wind, wind the bob-bin
Pull, pull, tap, tap, tap

See our work so nicely done?
Now it's time to have some fun.
See our work so nicely done?
Now it's time to have some fun.


23 Feb 26 - 10:37 AM (#4236091)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: GUEST,tuvya

A friend has told me when she learned it as a child from her mom she heard it as "whine whine" (sugar baby.) It is lovely to me to think how far this melody has traveled, and how many visualizations and associations its accumulated in the hundreds of years since it emerges. I see what I learned as "pull... pull" is sometimes sung "push ...pull."      And how after a while such a piece resides in the world of the very young.


23 Feb 26 - 10:56 AM (#4236093)
Subject: RE: childrens song - wind the bobbin
From: Mo the caller

I remember it from 1940's childhood in London (England). With actions, rolling hands round each other. Can't be sure where I learnt it, maybe GLB Cadet (like Brownies)