Songs that help build self-esteem

18 Jan 05 - 03:07 PM (#1381552)
Subject: Songs that help buld self-esteem
From: Azizi

Greetings!
I'm interested in creating a list of traditional or contemporary songs that help {or helped} children, youth, and/or adults develop and reinforce self-esteem and/or group esteem.

These songs can be from the wide ranks of folk music, or from other music genres.

For instance, the 1968 James Brown R&B song "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" is a song that can be still used to help promote self-esteem in Black youth.

In my opinion, the antebellum African American children's game song 'Johnny Cuckoo' also helped Black children performing it develop self-esteem. Since this song that is based on the English folk song "Three Dukes A'Riding" doesn't appear to be in the Mudcat Song Index, I'll post its text here:

JOHNNY CUCKOO 
  [Players stand in a horizontal line with one player "Johnny Cuckoo"  standing apart from the line & then walking back & forth while others sing]
  
  ALL VOICES                               ACTION
  Here comes one Johnny Cuckoo               Single player approaches line
                                         and walks back and forth 
                                         Inspecting the troops        
  Here comes one Johnny Cuckoo
  On a cold and stormy night
  
  What did you come for
  Come for, Come {here}for
  What did you come for
  On a cold and stormy night
  
  I come for me {We come for us}
  A soldier, soldier, solider
  I come for me {We come for us}
  A soldier, soldier, solider
  On a cold and stormy night
                           
  [Slight increase in speed, begin,
  double offbeat clap]
  
  You look too black and dirty,                 All players in the line turn
                                           their backs on "Johnny
                                           Cuckoo' and switch their 
                                           hips at him, turning to
                                           face him at the last word
  
  You look too black and dirty
  Dirty dirty
  You look too black and dirty
  On a cold and stormy night
  
  I am {We are} just as good 
  as you are 
  You are. You are.
  I am {We are} just as good 
  as you are 
  On a cold and stormy night
  
  Now here comes one Johnny Cuckoo         Game is repeated with 
  On a cold and stormy night                 two Johnny Cuckoos,
                                           at the end of which
                                           the original player
                                           selects another
                                           player, to repeat
                                           the play with three, 
                                           and so on.
  

from: Bessie Jones, Bess Hawes Lomaz "Step It Down: "Games, Plays, Songs & Stories from the Afro-American Heritage {University of Georgia Press,1972}; this song is also included as as #10 on the 3rd CD of "A Musical Journey From The Georgia Sea Islands To The Mississippi Delta" (4 CD set}' Alan Lomax; 1993 Atlantic Recording
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Any suggestions of songs for this list will be appreciated.

Ms. Azizi

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18 Jan 05 - 03:18 PM (#1381562)
Subject: ADD: Johnny Cuckoo
From: Azizi

Since that the lyrics & directions for "Johnny Cuckoo" got mixed in together in my previous post, I'll write just the lyrics here.

Also see the correction of "two Johnny Cuckoos" when the song is repeated again {each time the song is repeated the number of "Johnny Cuckoos is increased by one}

JOHNNY CUCKOO
ante-bellum African American game song

Here comes one Johnny Cuckoo                                
Here comes one Johnny Cuckoo
On a cold and stormy night

What did you come for
Come for, Come {here} for
What did you come for
On a cold and stormy night

I come for me {We come for us}
A soldier, soldier, solider
I come for me {We come for us}
A soldier, soldier, solider
On a cold and stormy night
                         
[Slight increase in speed, begin,
double offbeat clap]

You look too black and dirty,                                
You look too black and dirty
Dirty dirty
You look too black and dirty
On a cold and stormy night

I am {We are} just as good as you
are
You are. You are.
I am {We are} just as good as you
are
On a cold and stormy night

Now here comes two Johnny Cuckoos                
On a cold and stormy night

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18 Jan 05 - 07:24 PM (#1381808)
Subject: RE: Songs that help buld self-esteem
From: Azizi

Thanks, Joe, for fixing the mixed-up text. I appreciate it!

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18 Jan 05 - 10:59 PM (#1381948)
Subject: RE: Songs that help buld self-esteem
From: Cluin

Billy Joe Shaver's "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day)"

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19 Jan 05 - 04:28 PM (#1382557)
Subject: RE: Songs that help buld self-esteem
From: Pauline L

I think that simply learning to sing or play songs can raise self esteem.

Pauline the Teacher

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