Rhymes and poems that we said to our children

That is lovely Mishap and the first time I've heard of it.

DH and I used to sing "Golden Slumbers" to our two and the DGDs loved me to sing "Hush little baby" to them. DGS was never as keen though he always wanted stories read.

Lullabys have been sung to children for centuries so it's good to know that they are still!

mishap that's lovely. This is a favourite South African lullaby, one I grew up with and so did my children. There are lots of versions but this is a nice one, and you can tell from the audience reactions how loved it is. It means "Be quiet, my baby" (well the title does anyway). Sung in Zulu.

m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=ZhEEl0rAy2U

I couldn't make the link work Grannyknot - what is the song called? I have sung and taught to others many Zulu songs, including lullabies.

You're bound to know it in that case.

It is Tula Tula sung by Kimmy Skota, with Andre Rieu.

Isn't there a charming South African once called 'Ntjilo Ntjilo'? I seem to remember a recording by Miriam Mkeba.

'Tula Tula' is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhEEl0rAy2U

For ages, I have been trying to find out about a song I sang in infant school - so a very long time ago!!

It began:

Little brown houses, now what do you hold?

and was about bulbs, primarily daffodils. I loved it but no one else seems to have heard of it.

Does anyone else recall it?

Mind you, André Rieu makes my teeth itch...

Little brown houses and what do you hold?
Treasures of purple and crimson and gold
Kings, queens and princesses wear robes like these,
Tell us who lives in you, brown houses, please!

That's all I could find, Kitty, but it sounds more like crocuses than daffodils...

feetle I'm not too keen on Andre Rieu either, he is a bit too schmaltzy for me. But I do like that singer.

Every afternoon after we had put our chairs on our desks we said:
Now the day is over
Night is drawing high
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky.

Now the darkness gathers
Stars begin to peep
Birds and beasts and flowers
Soon will be asleep.

Hildaj I remember that and the tune we sang it to. It was another of those very simple tunes akin to Twinkle Twinkle and Baa Baa black sheep.

Thank you Ana. It does sound like crocuses doesn't it! I'm sure there were more verses, too!

My Nan used to sing,

Lula, lula, lula, lula bye-bye,
Do you want the moon to play with?
Or the stars to run away with?
They'll come if you don't cry.

Lula, lula, lula, lula by-bye,
In your mammy's arms a keepin'
And soon you'll be a sleepin to a
Lula, lula, lula lullabye.

Desks on chairs and......

Hands together softly so,
Little eyes shut tight,
Father just before we go
Hear our prayers tonight.

Merlot - Paul Robeson recorded that and it is magic!

Thula thula has so many versions - there are at least 5 or 6 that I know. It is lovely. (But like feetle I find Andre Rieu not to my taste. Sky Arts programmes a riddled with him.)

Try this link - .........https://www.youtube.comwatch?v=nXN7VMOfjlM I have sung this with Njabulo - an experience not to be forgotten.

My all time favourite was the one my Grandma used to say in her best scary voice.

'It was a dark and stormy night, and the brigands were seated around the camp fire.
One rose and said, Chief tell us a tale, and this is the tale he told.....
....It was a dark and stormy night, and the brigands...etc etc.'

We never tired of this silly ditty. The fact that there was no ending never seemed to bother us...we just loved her chanting it to us and being just a little bit scary.

Merlot - my Mum used to sing that one to me
Eldest daughter was either a little angel or a little .... ( I won't say it!)
So I used to sing to her:
There was a little girl
And she had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good she was very very good
But when she was bad she was HORRID!

Said to me as a child and subsequently by me as an adult when someone complains about a cough.

It's not the cough
That carries you off
It's the the coffin
They carry you off in.

Wow mishap. Thanks for the link.

Now the day is over hildajenni I remember that one too, I always thought it was a hymn but perhaps not.

It is a hymn by Rev Sabine Baring-Gould:
cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/o/nowtheda.htm

I went to his house once (not when he was still alive you understand!) and there is a wooden cradle on the landing which apparently rocks by itself.

Gentle Jesus meek and mild
Look upon a little child
Pity my simplicity
Suffer me to come to me

Night night,
Sleep tight
Hope the bugs
Don't bite

Girls loved

hooie gooie was a worm
a fearless worm was he

one day the railway tracks
he didn't see

hooie gooie