Saturday 15 September 2007

Making music

After catching the latest music video on MTV, I'm shocked. Surely this is not the kind of musical influence we'd like our children to grow up on?

Sigh..call me a prude but I can't help but reflect on the wholesome and innocent musical fare that BBGSians grew up on.

Remember our school assemblies? Everytime we had a couple of minutes to spare, Ms Yeap would encourage us to sing her favourite song about a pomeranian pup (did you know why? - she owns one!)

If my memory serves me, the song went something like this...

One man went to mow
Went to mow a meadow
One man and his pet pomeranian pup
And a bottle of pop
And a sausage roll
Went to mow a meadow


(Repeat until you reach no. 10 and increase the speed of singing until everyone bursts into laughter!)

or what about this one....

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, Clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever

and another canine-theme song

How much is that doggy in the window (woof! woof!)
The one with the waggerly tail
How much is that doggy in the window
I do hope that doggy's for sale
I must take a trip to California
And leave my poor sweetheart alone
If he had a dog he won't be lonesome
And the doggy will have a good home

A dear reader just reminded me of 2 songs that we used to sing in rounds...here goes

Kookabura sits on the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh Kookabura laugh
Kookabura gay your life must be

Row row row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily
Life is but a dream

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hhmmm, was just telling my friends yesterday about singing sessions during assemblies ... memories of such sessions, like memories of other BBGS quirks, do run deep. Somehow, they couldn't get round to the idea of a whole hall of teenage girls singing the Kookobara song and enjoying it... Neither could i now, come to think of it. But enjoy it we did.

I think there was even the occasional "Row, row, row your boat".

Unknown said...

I don't think the kookaburra song was sung by the time I went to school. My mum is an alumni and I think she used to sing that to me when I was a kid.

Rayhana said...

There was also:
"Sweetly sings the donkey at the break of day..
If you do not feed him, This is what he'll say:
Hee haw.. Hee haw.. Hee haw hee haw hee haw.."

I sing this to my son and he loves it!

Also..
"Birds fly over the rolling sea..
Bright and gay as can be...
They can see very far away..
Till the end of day...

How I wish I were a little bird that flies..
Over land and sea and in the bright blue skies..
..."

And I can't remember.. the next line, and it ends with
"They all look like little toys to me.."

We also used to have the different singing parts!

Anonymous said...

Joanna, I applaud your efforts and written flair in keeping up the BBGS spirit and memories.

Going through the various list of songs, another popped into my head which goes something like this:

" ...She sat by the window and played the guitar
Played the guitar, played the guitar
She sat by the window and played the guitar
Played the guitar, played the guitar
Plaaaayyyeed the guitar hahaha.

He sat down beside her and....(missing lyrics)

He told her he loved her but oh how he lied
Oh how he lied, oh how he lied
He told her he loved her but oh how he lied
Oh how he lied, oh how he lied
Ohhhh how he lied hahaha ..."

I don't think I can remember the rest and I'm sure there was something amiss in the middle.

Best regards
Chui Yen, 5Sc4 (1993)

(To my ex-classmates, remember the "Monitor"?)

Anonymous said...

How about:

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese.
I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table, it rolled on the floor,
And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door.

It rolled in the garden and under a bush,
And then my poor meatball was nothing but mush.

The mush was as tasty as tasty could be,
And early next summer it grew to a tree.

The tree was all covered with beautiful moss.
It grew great big meatballs and tomato sauce.

So if you eat spaghetti all covered with cheese,
Hold on to your meatball and don't ever sneeze.


Mrs Abraham made us sing this one... and also sing Row Row Row Your Boat, Are You Sleeping Brother John and Mow A Meadow ...all at once!

It sounded good!