What did we sing in school?

We sang Barbara Allen too. About death as I recall
Also Solomon Grundy and There was an old man named Michael Finnegan.

Oh, I loved Barbara Allen. Didn't used to sing it in school, but it's one I used to sit up in bed in the mornings singing out of my stolen-from-Sunday-School cupboard songbook. And then there was The Minstrel Boy. (So sad) And the British Grenadiers. I must have made a fine old racket.

Several of those mentioned but not once I reached senior school. My infant headmistress' favourite was Scarlet Ribbons. We sang that every time. Well, others did. The miserable * made me mime because she said "I couldn't hold a tune.' This wasn't a choir just whole school singing practice. What a thing to tell a six yr old

Oh, we used to have "Blow the wind southerly" sung by Kathleen Ferrier, played on the record player sometimes in school assembly. Amongst other songs, I liked Steal Away by Paul Robeson.

I was identified as the one not singing in tune too. Still can't. Love singing though.

I love this thread! It's bringing back so many happy memories - there are very few songs mentioned here that I didn't sing at school at some point. I loved Scarlet Ribbons and Linden Lea - thanks for the reminders .

Paul's Little Hen (it ran away from the farmyard and came to a sticky end). We did Barbara Allen too. I remember a series of Oxford songbooks. Also "Time and Tune" and (not for singing) "Music and Movement" on the radio.

In an all-girls school we were a bit limited in what we could sing as a choir, but I do remember Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus and Brahms' Liebeslieder arranged for female voices.

Singing out of tune - I was in the school choir too and the conductor said
Tricia your voice is too loud - go to the back row!
Taught me a lesson

Thank you JackyB Three books we have are called Sing Together. They are modern but have all the old songs in them.

This is all Junior School I suppose... I was embarrassed to have to sing stuff about 'Sir Eglamore, that valiant Knight - Fa la lanky down dilly' - that lanky down dilly really put my teeth on edge! I was a swing fiend! This was all so un-hip!

And in the middle of it, some poor child would wet itself, and wail...

Linden Lea, however is very beautiful. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvoYHwYDYLA

I usually mimed at the back, but I did enjoy the medieval 'Sumer is Icumen in', or 'The Cuckoo Song' sung in a round.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWWEHAswpFI

Cherry Ripe - and I HATED every second of it!

Forgot to mention one that we sang a lot - The Raggle Taggle Gypsies...
I must say it took me back when I heard it sung by Alison Moyet.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yokLn7DDbig

P.S. now sing (badly) in a community choir and thank god we don't sing Cherry Ripe.

Pedro the Fisherman; The Yeomen of England; Raggle Taggle Gypsies (a favourite); Over the Sea to Skye (I used to sing this to GS to get him off to sleep); Lillebulero (hated it); Linden Lea; Down in Demerara; The Eriskay Love Lilt (also sung to GS at bedtime). I think this would be my favourite - I have a wonderful recording of Joan Baez singing this. Sure there were many others that I can't rake up from the memory bank dustbin!

Most of these are so familiar. Can't say I recall your one-eyed cook though, AshTree.

Weel may the keel row was another regular. And Bobby Shafto.

And I found myself singing the very unPC Camptown Ladies to my DGS the other day, much to DS's alarm.

Yes, so many memories - I'm with jingle on the Minstrel Boy, loved it along with Danny Boy. I'd forgotten Scarlett Ribbons and also loved Barbara Allen and Shenandoah - maybe we should do a gransnet CD…..

Oh I used to love Singing Together, a BBC schools broadcast on the wireless. Found a copy of one of the books recently while having a clear out and put it in an incredibly safe place (????????????!). So, although I can't lay hands on it just now, I do remember some of the sings I rediscovered in it. They were Donkey Riding , Sweet Nightingale, Blow the Wind Southerly, Bobby Shaftoe and a song called Aloha with a very high note in it. The words of that song inspired in me a huge desire to travel ('coral, amber pearl and shell, gifts we gather from summer seas, find and bind make love the spell, take our gifts if they charm and please,), somehow I just KNEW that song wasn't about Skegness.

My daughter is a primary school teacher (6 year olds currently), she said the little girls all belt out the song from Frozen given any opportunity to sing. She has some Nigerian children in her class who sing hymns beautifully if given the opportunity. The school is non denominational so hymns are not encouraged.
This thread is bringing back to many positive memories, I wonder what formal singing goes on in schools these days.

Ah I remember the one eyed cook! "Fa la the doh a diddle, bow wow wow!" And "Oh soldier soldier won't you marry me, with your musket fife and drum".

Oh yes Greenfinch!! 'O'er the ocean flies a merry fey (fay?), soft her wings are as the cloud of day' Can't remember all the rest apart from something about whither do you roam come and turn us into foam (?)

The Ash Grove
Bobby Shaftoe
Over the sea to Skye
Burns ad infinitum!!

Iam64....we could have a Gransnet choir!! We could be like the Military Wives and maybe get on TV!

Katek you have just jogged my memory! I recall in early days of GN quite a few some how manged to synch and sing all together, I cnat rem how it was done now, wonder if GN techies can bring it back up! I'm sure there must be a few of the original ones who sand still on GN? (I wasn't brave enough)

@Maggiemaybe - it's The Camptown Races - Camptown Ladies was what the character in Blazing Saddles called it...