Old childhood songs

On my fourth birthday Uncle Mac on Saturday morning radio played "how much is that doggy in the window" and I know it was just for me because he said so.

MissAdventure

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly...

I've sung this with all my children and grandchildren, we had a lovely big picture book to go with it.

Don't go down the mine Dad, there's plenty of slack in yer pants.
My lovely Nana used to sing 'A fox went out one moonlit night.looked to the moon to give home light, he'd many a mile to go that night before he'd reach the town oh

Children's Favourites on Saturday morning, so many songs to remember.

Fallingstar

merlotgran

My grandmother used to teach me old music hall songs - most with questionable lyrics. 😂

Ha ha, my old dad knew a few, I think he learned them in the navy during the war, I remember one that was not too bad -
‘There I was standing at the Church
Standing at the Church
Standing at the Church
All at once he left me in the lurch
Oh ‘ow it did upset me
Then he sent me a little note
Here’s the little note
This is what he wrote
Can’t get away to marry you today
My wife won’t let me’

Another forsaken bride was Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen at the church turned up
Her Mum turned up and her Dad turned up
Her Gran who couldn't hear a thing turned up
The best man with the wedding ring turned up
and her sister with a big red rose turned up
Then the telegram boy with his nose turned up
With a telegram that said he didn't wanna wed
And they'd find him in the river with his toes turned up.

Happily remember many of these songs.
Even some we sung at school along to the radio show by the BBC for schools.
Coach trips with school and clubs.
Ten green botttles, ten in the bed, One man went to mow. Too many!

LindaPat

grumppa - yes I do! We used to bounce the children on our knees to this one!

"Bumpity, bumpity,bumpity, bump.
As if I was riding my charger.
Bumpity, bumpity,bumpity, bump.
As proud as an Indian Rajah.
All the girls declare
That I'm a gay old stager.
Hey, hey, clear the way,
Here comes the galloping Major"

And "This is the way the ladies ride . . . "

I'm a little tea pot short and stout.....

and something about a toothbrush by Max Bygraves

I grew up in Northumberland as a child and still have my school song book. We learnt many songs every week;
Do you ken John Peel
Bobby Shaftoe
Oh we’ll deck the keel row
When the boat comes in
I have fond memories of practising the songs at home with my Mum.
Thank you for this post, ah happy carefree times.

I love this thread as singing has always been so enjoyable, and of course listening to music too.
Ten green bottles hanging on the wall was one we used to sing, along with many of the others already mentioned,
and She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes.
Also Molly Malone.
I still find myself singing some of these songs occasionally.
Another one we learned at School was a beautiful Welsh song called Y Deryn Pur. If anyone wanted to hear that it's on YouTube by Katie Hopkins.

FindingNemo15

I'm a little tea pot short and stout.....

and something about a toothbrush by Max Bygraves

I think it could be ‘I’m a pink toothbrush’ by Max. I remember him well, especially singing ‘tulips from Amsterdam’.

“There was a woman and she was a widow , Fair are the flowers in the valley ,With a daughter as fair as a bright sunny meadow, Fair are the flowers in the valley etc etc . “. Once a week we always used to have a radio programme at 11 o cllock with William Appleby called Singing Together , I think ?

How much is that doggie in the window
The one with the waggley tail ……..

A friend of ours was appearing in a church music hall evening, and he had to sing "When Father papered the parlour ". He bounced merrily onto the stage and sang "When Father parloured the paper...!"
He never lived that down! 😁

merrellina I remember 'Singing Together' with William Appleby. I also remember 'Rhythm and Melody' on the radio.

Daddy wouldn’t buy me a bow-wow (bow-wow)
Daddy wouldn’t buy me a bow-wow(b-w)
I’ve got a pussy cat and I’m very fond of that,
But I’d rather have a bow-wow-wow!

That’s the first song I remember singing (to all and sundry who visited us!) about 1963!
I think Time and Tune was the radio programme on the wheelie thing we listened to (and then Singing Together), they were trying to replace music teachers way back then 🙈😡 but at least it was something 😇

I loved Ed Stu-pot on a Saturday morning too.

What shall we do with a drunken sailor? We used to have to make up more verses, but I can’t remember any.

The runaway train came down the track and she blew (hoo hoooo!)

Sparky and the magic piano...

I remember an old friend of the family who we called auntie Glad used to sing old George Formby songs and would do the whole nudge nudge wink wink act when singing ‘when I’m cleaning windows’.
She also played the spoons.
A real character who boasted she was related to Gracie Fields, but my mum told me to take that with a pinch of salt.

Oh I hated Sparky and the magic piano. It was the voice of the piano that frightened me.

I always wanted to hear more of Sparky, but they only ever played the first side of the record on the radio.

At grammar school, our music teacher, Miss Green, tried to keep the tradition of singing old songs alive—- my favourite lesson of the week. I remember the two Polly songs, Polly Perkins of Paddington Green and Sweet Polly Oliver, The Graceful Swaying Wattle, and one with a verse that went “And the raging seas did roar and the stormy winds did blow, and we jolly sailor boys were up and up and up, and the landlubbers lying down below, below, below.

Happy memories.

In one of my poetry books as a child, was the tale of the lady who left her lord and went of with the raggle taggle gypsies oh!

My ex and I were talking about poems, and he sang the song for me, about the lady and the gypsies.

I'd never known it was a song!!!!

It’s the other way round for me MissA. I had no knowledge of the Raggle Taggle Gypsies poem as a child but I’m very familiar with the song and have heard it sung by many different performers over the past 50 odd years.

Dodo43

I love this thread as singing has always been so enjoyable, and of course listening to music too.
Ten green bottles hanging on the wall was one we used to sing, along with many of the others already mentioned,
and She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes.
Also Molly Malone.
I still find myself singing some of these songs occasionally.
Another one we learned at School was a beautiful Welsh song called Y Deryn Pur. If anyone wanted to hear that it's on YouTube by Katie Hopkins.

It was Mary Hopkin* who sang Y Deryn Pur. Anyway, she has a lovely, pure voice and it is a beautiful song. I loved listening to it on Youtube.


*Katie Hopkins is right wing, Trump supporter and Youtube influencer.

* Miss Adventure * I think Steeleye Span sang a similar song.