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Old childhood songs

(208 Posts)
Foxglove77 Wed 03-Jun-26 19:12:04

I came across an article remembering old songs we used to sing as children. Like Soldier, Soldier (will you marry me?) and What Shall we do with the Drunken Sailor. I was surprised how many of the words came back to me.
Happy memories, my dear Mum used to sing these to me.

LindaPat Thu 04-Jun-26 08:59:27

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"

blue14 Thu 04-Jun-26 08:45:16

Many of those already mentioned as well as -

The Miller of Dee
Sweet Polly Oliver
Barbara Allan

JackyB Thu 04-Jun-26 08:36:10

I suddenly started to sing "Drink to me only with thine eyes and I will drink with mine" yesterday.

My parents used to harmonise to it.

Loads of songs come back to me from Guiding days. I wrote them all down at the time. Maybe I can find my notebook. (I also kept one of games we played but I can't understand most of the descriptios of the games!)

Clawdy Thu 04-Jun-26 08:35:45

grumppa

Does anyone else remember "Hey, hey clear the way, Here comes the galloping major".

Yes! "All the girls declare, I'm a gay old stager...."!!

MissAdventure Thu 04-Jun-26 08:17:14

There's a tiny house, by a tiny stream, where a lovely lass, had a lovely dream.
I'm not attempting to write the chorus! blush

Fallingstar Thu 04-Jun-26 08:12:23

‘In a cavern, in a canyon
Excavating for a mine
Lived a miner, fortyniner,
And his daughter Clementine’

Also from the US we would sing Yankee Doodle, John Brown’s body, and When the Saints go Marching in.

MissAdventure Thu 04-Jun-26 07:56:16

Fairislecable

My lovely Dad used to sing the Sylvest song Miss Adventure:

That was my brother Sylvest’ (What’s he got?)
A row of forty medals on his chest (big chest!)
He killed fifty bad men in the west; he knows no rest.
Think of a man, hells’ fire, don’t push, just shove,
Plenty of room for you and me.
He’s got an arm like a leg (a ladies’ leg!)
And a punch that would sink a battleship (big ship!)
It takes all of the Army and the Navy to put the wind up Sylvest

He sang the main parts and we children chimed in.

Happy days 😊

Ooh thank you!
I really miss the days of hearing these songs.
I had totally forgotten that one.

Wouldn't it be great to have a time machine and pop back to watch your dad, with the children chiming in? smile

Foxglove77 Thu 04-Jun-26 07:20:15

My grandfather's clock was too tall for the shelf, so it stood 90 years on the floor.

Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea ...

Gotanewlife20 Thu 04-Jun-26 07:16:58

When I was in primary school,before I was 10,the music teacher was mad about Scotland.I still remember all the words to Marie's Wedding,Skye Boat Song,Bonny Dundee and Road to the Isles.I often sing them when out walking,alone of course.I'm 77 now!

grumppa Thu 04-Jun-26 07:12:01

Does anyone else remember "Hey, hey clear the way, Here comes the galloping major".

Magenta8 Thu 04-Jun-26 07:08:22

I'm the sheik of Araby (Not a wasp but a bee. Yes a bee)
And you belong to me (Not to im but to me just to me)
At night while your'e asleep (Not awake but asleep, fast asleep)
Into your tent I'll creep (Wiv me boots on kicking up the sand)

Fairislecable Thu 04-Jun-26 06:57:43

My lovely Dad used to sing the Sylvest song Miss Adventure:

That was my brother Sylvest’ (What’s he got?)
A row of forty medals on his chest (big chest!)
He killed fifty bad men in the west; he knows no rest.
Think of a man, hells’ fire, don’t push, just shove,
Plenty of room for you and me.
He’s got an arm like a leg (a ladies’ leg!)
And a punch that would sink a battleship (big ship!)
It takes all of the Army and the Navy to put the wind up Sylvest

He sang the main parts and we children chimed in.

Happy days 😊

JamesandJon33 Thu 04-Jun-26 05:43:51

Oh Jemima , look at your uncle Jim
He ‘s in the bath tub , learning how to swim.
First he does the breast stroke,
Then he does the glide.
And now he’s in the water
Swimming against the tide.

MissAdventure Wed 03-Jun-26 23:29:02

Oh I've never heard that one. smile

Grandyma Wed 03-Jun-26 23:21:40

Remember my grandmother singing this(amongst other old songs) with her 2 sisters at Christmas parties round the piano:
Oh, that Gorgonzola cheese
Must’ve been a wrong’un I suppose
For the old tomcat fell dead upon the mat
When the “Niff” got up its nose
Talk about the flavour of the “crackling on the pork”
Nothing could have been so strong
As the beautiful effluvia that filled our house
When the Gorgonzola cheese went wrong.

MissAdventure Wed 03-Jun-26 23:08:36

OldFrill

Puff the Magic Dragon
So sad

I used to get told off because a lot of the songs made me cry.
Hence my nickname- Mona.

Sickofweddingcake Wed 03-Jun-26 22:32:55

Another one was...Go, Tell Aunty Nancy.
Never understood why my mum used to sing them to us at bedtime...really sad songs!

Sickofweddingcake Wed 03-Jun-26 22:29:58

Please Mr Conductor, don't put me off this train...(Also called: The Lightening Express)
...really sad!

Nannee49 Wed 03-Jun-26 22:27:06

Saturday morning dance classes threw up a few -

I'm burlington Bertie, I rise at 10.30 & saunter along like a toff

Oh, the deadwood stage is coming on over the hill...whip crack away, whip crack away, whip crack away

Come on along, come on along, it's Alexander's ragtime band

OldFrill Wed 03-Jun-26 22:19:11

Puff the Magic Dragon
So sad

Casdon Wed 03-Jun-26 21:48:20

I went by bus to school, and we often sang silly songs.
She’ll be coming round the mountain - we made up our own verses
John Brown’s body
The Quartermaster’s store
And one our lovely teacher sang to us playing his guitar,
Stewball was a Racehorse.
Happy days!

Grannynannywanny Wed 03-Jun-26 21:44:16

Yes Witzend I introduced my grandchildren to it when they were little and they loved singing along to it. Another old song I played for them was I am a mole and I live in a hole. My 2 youngest GC learned the words and made up a cute little dance to go with it.

Redcar Wed 03-Jun-26 21:43:01

Lots of memories here!

Fallingstar Wed 03-Jun-26 21:42:49

Witzend

Who remembers Nellie the Elephant? A year or two ago I found the original version (Mandy Miller) on YouTube, with a cartoon of Nellie to accompany it.
The Gdcs loved it!

I sing that to my GCs as well they love it.
And they love ‘How much is that doggy in the window’.

Witzend Wed 03-Jun-26 21:30:10

Who remembers Nellie the Elephant? A year or two ago I found the original version (Mandy Miller) on YouTube, with a cartoon of Nellie to accompany it.
The Gdcs loved it!