I remember girls used to play a highly complex game involving chucking two tennis balls at a wall, but always accompanied by a huge range of songs. That area of childhood culture from about 3 to 11, with its songs and sayings, is absolutely fantastic because it is handed down orally from child to child, and adults have little to do with it. I know the characters were older, but the story by Stephen King, The Body, captures that sense of childhood singularity really well, as does Dennis Potter's 'Blue Remembered Hills' capture it (rather chillingly).
You can build a wall around you.....(something something something) Break out! Reach out! Let the walls tumble down down down. Break out! Reach out! Let the walls tumble down.
You can build a wall around you.....(something something something) Break out! Reach out! Let the walls tumble down down down. Break out! Reach out! Let the walls tumble down.
At Oakfield Lane Primary, we used to join other local schools for singing festivals where we'd all sing prepared songs together inc this one.:
Nelly Bligh piped her eye When she went to sleep When she wakened up again Her eye began to peep Hey Nelly, ho Nelly Harken unto me I'll sing to thee I'll play to thee A joyful melody "
Then there were the old favourites : " D'ye ken John Peel " and " Green grow the rushes o " .
This is one I was particularly good at when I was studying at Fossedene Primary, specially when we done it in a round when some started before the others, made the hairs stand up on the back of you neck. I think the fold away apparatus in the hall helped with the acoustics mind.
I can remember singing that with my daughter when she was in primary school, thanks for the video that will make her smile tonight and that is not an easy thing to do for someone in the middle of A Level revision
Ching Chong chinaman went to milk a cow Ching Chong chinaman didn't know how Ching Chong chinaman pressed the wrong tit Ching Chong chinaman got a face full of shit.
Old king Cole was a smelly old soul And a smelly old soul was he He got up in the middle of the night To go to the lavatory The lavatory was occupied And so was was the kitchen sink It had to be done It had to be done So out of the window he stuck his bum A little old man was walking by Heard a rumbling in the sky He looked up, the poo came down Now they call him Mr Brown
Comments
That area of childhood culture from about 3 to 11, with its songs and sayings, is absolutely fantastic because it is handed down orally from child to child, and adults have little to do with it.
I know the characters were older, but the story by Stephen King, The Body, captures that sense of childhood singularity really well, as does Dennis Potter's 'Blue Remembered Hills' capture it (rather chillingly).
Break out!
Reach out!
Let the walls tumble down down down.
Break out!
Reach out!
Let the walls tumble down.
At Oakfield Lane Primary, we used to join other local schools for singing festivals where we'd all sing prepared songs together inc this one.:
Nelly Bligh piped her eye
When she went to sleep
When she wakened up again
Her eye began to peep
Hey Nelly, ho Nelly
Harken unto me
I'll sing to thee
I'll play to thee
A joyful melody "
Then there were the old favourites : " D'ye ken John Peel " and " Green grow the rushes o " .
Ah ! Victorian times ! Those were the days !
Cross over the road my friend
Were you there were you there
Everybody's building
Jerusalem in secondary school
Sing Hosanna
If I Had a Hammer
Sweaty Betty fit a bus inside her
Sweaty Betty lived on a sewage farm
Nearly lost my feckin arm
Even as a 4/5 year old I thought that was crap, I never felt like I drew our audience in, maybe we shoulda done that in a round an all
that the lady in the city
got a hitty on titty
by a hard boiled egg!
Picking their nose and chewing it, chewing it, chewing it
Diarrhoea diarrhoea
Numerous other verses all ended in diarrhoea diarrhoea
The only other one I can remember WaS
I was running up the stairs and it was flying every where
Diarrhoea diarrhoea
I went running into class and it shot straight out My arse
Diarrhoea diarrhoea
Georgie Best, Superstar!
Wears frilly knickers and a Playtex bra.
Strawberries are sweeter than any I've seen
Beetroots purple and onions white
All grow steadily day and night
The apples are ripe and the plums are red
The broadbeans are sleeping in their blankety bed
Blackberries are juicy and rhubards sour
Marrows fattening hour by hour
Gooseberries hairy and lettuces fat
Radishes round and runner beans flat
The apples are ripe and the plums are red
The broadbeans are sleeping in their blankety bed
Orangey carrots and turnips cream
Reddening tomatoes that used to be green
Brown potatoes in little heaps
Down in the darkness where the celery sleeps
The apples are ripe and the plums are red
The broadbeans are sleeping in their blankety bed, Yea!
coming from the heart,
on its journey downwards
is commonly called a fart.
A fart is good for everyone,
it gives everybody ease,
it warms the bed in winter
and is music to the fleas.
Ching Chong chinaman didn't know how
Ching Chong chinaman pressed the wrong tit
Ching Chong chinaman got a face full of shit.
And a smelly old soul was he
He got up in the middle of the night
To go to the lavatory
The lavatory was occupied
And so was was the kitchen sink
It had to be done
It had to be done
So out of the window he stuck his bum
A little old man was walking by
Heard a rumbling in the sky
He looked up, the poo came down
Now they call him Mr Brown