Calypsos, lullabies, shanties and more to come
This collection has a little place in my heart as in the UK in the late 1960s I taught young children in Handsworth, Birmingham. Many were children of recently arrived immigrants from the West Indies.
They bought with them their music traditions and at this time calypsos could be heard regularly on the BBC TV by the likes of Cy Grant and Harry Belafonte.
BBC Schools ‘Singing Together’ and other similar publications provided us teachers with a wealth of material from that part of the world.
Find out more about musical genres here:
List of Caribbean music genres – Wikipedia
Some of the songs below were played in my classroom and at presentations for parents. Having a guitar was a big help! The singing was always lively and enthusiastic.
Many of these songs appear in my original home ‘Singing games for children’ in various collections but now has its own dedicated page.
Eventually each song will include a PDF plus a YouTube link.
Below you can also find a new Caribbean YouTube playlist:
YouTube playlist: Songs from the Caribbean – YouTube
new indicates a song that can only be found on my ‘River of song’ website.
Let me know if I am mistaken with the origins of any song.
C&R call and response
T&T Trinidad and Tobago
J Jamaica
B Bahamas
Bb Barbados
V Virgin Islands
P Puerto Rico
Love this song: 🧡
Adam in the garden
YouTube PDF Trinidad
Bam chi chi bam Jamaica
YouTube PDF
Banyan tree / Moonshine tonight
YouTube PDF Jamaican folk song / circle game
Bassez down 🧡
YouTube PDF French Creole? circle dance
Caribbean counting rhyme
YouTube PDF number poem
Come-a-look-a-see
YouTube PDF hand play Caribbean
Christmas Eve in Trinidad
YouTube PDF
Clap your tiny hands 💖
YouTube PDF Xmas / lullaby / Jamaica
Crab is better than man
YouTube PDF Bahamas / summer /
Day oh! The banana boat song Jamaica
YouTube PDF
Dumplins J call and response number
YouTube PDF 🧡
El coqui / The tree frog
YouTube PDF Puerto Rico / lullaby / creatures great and small 🧡
Four white horses
YouTube PDF Bb & V clapping game
Go row the boat child lullaby / West Indies
YouTube PDF
Hey liley liley lo Bahamas comic song
YouTube PDF
Hi dee roon
YouTube PDF J Follow my leader
Hill and gully rider J call and response
YouTube PDF
In a castle fine Trinidad and Tobago
YouTube PDF Caribbean circle game / call and response
Island in the sun
YouTube PDF summer / Jamaica / community /
Jamaica Farewell new
YouTube PDF Schools radio / transition / community
Jane and Louisa J
YouTube PDF circle / waltz
Johnny Grotto Trinidad and Tobago
YouTube PDF
Junkanoo new
YouTube PDF J&B festival / Xmas / music making
Keyman, keyman
YouTube PDF Jamaica / story song 🧡
Hush, baby, hush new lullaby Jamaica
YouTube PDF
Limbo like me new T&T call and response
YouTube PDF
Linstead Market Jamaica
YouTube PDF
Manuel Road new
YouTube PDF Jamaica / pebble passing game
Miss Mary Ann
YouTube PDF Summer
Missa Ram goat
YouTube PDF call and response / community / Jamaica
Mama bake the Johnny cake B Xmas
YouTube PDF
Mama lend me your pigeon
YouTube PDF summer / calypso / Bahamas / creatures
Mango walk Jamaica
YouTube PDF Lavender lane
Oh, me Toady
YouTube PDF Jamaican hopping game / creatures / action
Pass the ball / Mawga nanny Jamaica
YouTube PDF
Rocky, rocky road
YouTube PDF West Indies spiritual / Christmas
Sammy’s mango tree
YouTube PDF number rhyme
Shake the papaya down
YouTube PDF
Sweet potato
YouTube PDF Creole / Schools radio / counter melody
The sloop John B.
YouTube PDF community / Bahamas / fplk / BBC radio
The wind blew East
YouTube PDF Bahamas / weather
Time for man go home Trinidad
YouTube PDF shantey / lullaby / transition
Tingalayo
YouTube PDF Caribbean action play
Water come to me eye new Jamaica
YouTube PDF
When I’m on my journey / / Don’t you weep after me new
YouTube PDF folk / Bahamas / community / better earth
Who stole the cookie? 🧡
YouTube PDF new Caribbean call and response
Yellow bird Haitian Creole
YouTube PDF colour