The place for nostalgia:
“Singing can have a major impact on the health and wellbeing of older people”
There are many benefit of singing for those of all ages but for those of a certain age many of the songs here from times past will bring back precious and happy memories especially of those who have gone before us.
Singing offers significant mental, physical and social rewards improving communication, stimulating cognitive function, reducing stress and anxiety, and boosting overall well-being. Singing with others fosters a sense of community and belonging and especially for the elderly combats feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Here you will find:
- songs from times gone by
- the ‘good’ old days
- favourites from my childhood
- folk songs
- schools radio and T.V.
- school assembly
- story songs
- community sing-a-longs
When any song collection on this page reaches the
!MAGIC NUMBER 21! or more it will be rewarded with
a dedicated homepage! (I need to get moving here!)
YouTube playlist: Lavender Lane – YouTube
YouTube playlist: School’s radio and TV – YouTube
YouTube playlist: Story songs – YouTube
YouTube playlist: Community sing-alongs – YouTube
‘Singing games for children’ website pages:
In the lists below you will soon find links to:
‘River of song’ website pages for each song including lyrics, sheet music and chords plus a YouTube link to each song.
More links will be added as time permits especially where they are absent from my old website. Let me know if I need to give priority to music that you would appreciate. In the meantime use the links taking you to Singing Games for Children.
Contents
Vintage favourites
Love this song: 💖 but love most of these from the past!!
A bushel and a peck
YouTube PDF lullaby
A frog he would a-wooing go
YouTube PDF folk song / BBC Schools radio
A windmill in old Amsterdam
YouTube PDF
Aiken Drum
YouTube PDF
Babes in the wood 💖
YouTube PDF lullaby / story song
Beautiful dreamer
YouTube PDF lullaby / Lavender lane
By the light of the silvery moon
YouTube PDF
Catch a falling star 💖
YouTube PDF hand play / Lavender lane
Chick, chick, chick, chick, chicken
YouTube PDF
Daisy, Daisy/She was one of the early birds 💖
YouTube PDF music hall / worm / Lavender lane
Dashing away with a smoothing iron
YouTube PDF
Donkey riding
YouTube PDF
Donkey riding (alternative version)
YouTube PDF
Down in Demerara
YouTube PDF
Edelweiss
YouTube PDF
English country garden
YouTube PDF
Gobbolino the witches cat 💖
YouTube PDF story song
Goodnight, Irene
YouTube PDF community / folk
Hey! Little hen!
YouTube PDF
How much is that doggie in the window?
YouTube PDF
Lavender Lane I-R
I do like to be beside the seaside
YouTube PDF Summer
I know a little cupboard Walter de la Mare 💖
YouTube PDF poem / food
I know an old lady who swallowed a fly
YouTube PDF a comic cumulative song
I know where I’m going
YouTube PDF
I’m only a poor little sparrow
YouTube PDF
Inchworm
YouTube PDF BBC radio /doubling numbers / bugs
Kentucky Babe
YouTube PDF lullaby
Knees up Mother Brown
YouTube PDF comic / dance / Lavender Lane
Let me call you sweetheart
YouTube PDF lullaby
Let’s all sing like the birdies sing
YouTube PDF
Little boy fishing
YouTube PDF
Little brown jug new
YouTube PDF Lavender lane / comic / community
Little white duck
YouTube PDF
Mairi’s wedding
YouTube PDF Scottish / nostalgia / Schools radio
Mairzy doats 💖
YouTube PDF Lavender lane / comic / community
Molly Malone / Cockles and mussels new
YouTube PDF Irish
Messing about on the river new
YouTube PDF summer / nostalgia / boats
My grandfather’s clock
YouTube PDF
My old man said follow the van
YouTube PDF
Nellie the elephant
YouTube PDF nostalgia / story
Oh, Susannah
YouTube PDF
One potato, two potato
YouTube PDF Summer garden song
Que sera, sera
YouTube PDF
Run rabbit, run rabbit 💖
YouTube PDF
Lavender Lane S-Z
S
She sat ‘neath the lilacs
YouTube PDFcampfire community / comic song / story
She’ll be coming round the mountain
YouTube PDF
Side by side
YouTube PDF community /songs for a better world
Strawberry Fair
YouTube PDF
T
That’s an Irish lullaby
YouTube PDF a lullaby
The Golden Vanity School’s radio
YouTube PDF
The mermaid
YouTube PDF
The oak and the ash
YouTube PDFfolk song
The Owl and the Pussycat 💖
YouTube PDF Edward Lear poem / BBC Children’s radio
In the quartermaster store
YouTube PDF community / comic songs
The runaway train
YouTube PDF
The Skye boat song
YouTube PDF lullaby / Scottish
The smoke goes up the chimney
YouTube PDF
The sun has got his hat on
YouTube PDF Summer weather
The teddy bears’ picnic 💖
YouTube PDF BBC radio Children’s favourites / summer
The trout / Die Forelle Schubert
YouTube PDF Germany / folk song / BBC Schools radio
The worm song
YouTube PDF creatures / School’s TV
There was an old lady
YouTube PDF
Three little fishes 💖
YouTube PDF number / BBC Children’s radio
V
Vive la compagnie
YouTube PDF community / folk / better world / call and response
W
We’ve come a-cob-coaling 💖
YouTube PDF Wassailing / late Autumn
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
YouTube PDF
When Irish eyes are smiling
YouTube PDF
Wiggly Woo
YouTube PDF community / Lavender Lane / comic songs
Y
You are my sunshine
YouTube PDF
Folkways
The place for traditional and more recent folk songs now has its own homepage: Folkways | River of song
You can also find others spread through out the website, in particular: Songs from many lands | River of song and here at community songs
Find Irish folk songs here: Irish songs and rhymes | River of song
Schools radio and T.V.
The place for nostalgia from schooldays past
School assembly
Many will remember these community songs with affection and smiles.
CB Carey Bonner’s ‘Child Songs’ published in 1908
A Alleluya! ‘77 Songs for thinking people’ published in 1980 by A&C Black
All things bright and beautiful
YouTube PDF better world / creatures / community
Bring me a rose new A
YouTube PDF winter / folk song for a better world
“Good morning!” said the shining sun CB
YouTube PDF transition / summer
Harvest new
YouTube PDF poem / seasonal
Little drops of water / Little things
YouTube PDF new poem / hymn / better world
Morning has broken Eleanor Farjeon
YouTube PDF school assembly / Spring / poem
One more step Sydney Carter
YouTube PDF better world / transition
Paintbox or Cauliflower fluffy
YouTube PDF school assembly / Autumn / colour
The family of man songs for a better world
YouTube PDF
The moon shines bright
YouTube PDF new year / better world
This little light of mine
YouTube PDF
Wade in the water
YouTube PDF
When I needed a neighbour new
YouTube PDF
Community sing-alongs
The place for coach and car journeys, scouting, campfire, family and other get-togethers, after school clubs etc.
Now has a homepage of its own . You can also find more songs for this section spread through out the website, in particular: Songs from many lands | River of song and here at Folkways.
Will pull them together as time permits.
YouTube playlist: Community sing-alongs – YouTube
Story songs
YouTube playlist: Story songs – YouTube
Find Wassails and traditional door to door songs here: Seasonal | River of song
Snail, snail