A PRESENTATION ABOUT FOLK MUSIC

“Folk Music” refers to music of “the folks.”  The common people. Music that is passed on in the “oral tradition.”  The words aren’t necessarily written down anywhere. The music melodies are not scored and orchestrated. Their structure is simple. Their chord patterns are not complicated or tricky. The melodies themselves are sometimes borrowed or stolen from hundreds of years ot tradition. Some of our most favored Christmas songs are old English drinking songs, for example. If you find anything written down, it will be the words (lyrics) and maybe chords above them for some accompaniment instrument.

Folk Music communicates from generation to generation stories about how things were, or might have been, or could be in the future. It is “accessible music,” meaning that you don’t have to have a college degree to understand it, don’t have to be a musician to play it or sing it. You can create it if you can tell a story. If you can play three chords on an instrument, you can accompany most folk songs ever written. But if you don’t have an instrument, a-capella is always a fine option.

If you don't spend evenings at home singing songs, you don't have the "oral tradition" established. So now your singing becomes an extension of "family reading night."

At this blog - 23 songs with their lyrics and chords, and a video you can listen to if you're desperate to sing along, or you don't remember how the melody goes. Enjoy these songs. And for an extra challenge, learn to play a musical instrument to accompany them!

Let’s start with one you all know:

ALPHABET SONG (to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle)     Key C

C                F      C   

A  B  C  D  E  F  G

G7    C      G7             C

 H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P

C      F  C     G7

Q  R  S  T  U  V

C   F   C         G7

W  X   Y  and  Z

C                       F   C

Now I know my ABC’s. 

G7           C             G7           C

Next time won’t you sing with me.

Mother Goose poem Baa Baa Black Sheep

A Mother Goose poem, set to a very familiar melody, in the same key.

Read the poem, then sing the song.

BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP             Key C

C                                  F                    C          

Baa Baa Black sheep, have you any wool?    

G7         C         G7             C

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full

C                F                  C                G7              

One for the master, and one for the dame,

        C                F                  C                      G7

And one for the little boy who lives down the lane

C                                  F                    C            

Baa Baa Black sheep, have you any wool?

G7         C         G7             C

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

And now another childrens’ poem, set to a familiar melody.

Read the poem, then sing the song.

TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR                    Key C

C                       F      C     G7     C          G7           C

Twinkle, twinkle little star; how I wonder what you are.

C     F            C             G7    C       F           C        G7

Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.

C                       F      C     G7     C          G7           C

Twinkle, twinkle little star; how I wonder what you are.

VERSE 2

C                            F           C       G7           C          G7         C

When the blazing sun has gone, when he doesn’t shine upon

C              F              C     G7    C          F          C       G7

Then you show your little light, twinkle twinkle all the night.

C                         F      C     G7     C          G7           C

Twinkle, twinkle little star; how I wonder what you are.

The Puffin Song - a poem before it was a song

Let me read this poem to you by Florence Jacques. It has been set to music many times. You can find it on You Tube in various versions. Here is my melody:

Read poem, then sing song.

THE PUFFIN SONG               Key D

                D                                         Em

Oh there once was a puffin just the shape of a muffin

             A7                                    D

And he lived on an island in the deep blue sea.

      D                                       Em

He ate little fishes that were most delicious

              A7                                                                 D

And he had them for supper and he had them for tea.

              D                              Em

But this poor little puffin, he couldn’t play nothin’.

            A7                           D

For he hadn’t anybody to play with at all.

           D                                       Em

So he sat on his island and he cried for a while.

             A7                                              D

And he felt very lonely and he felt very small.

           D                                                   Em

Then along came the fishes, and they said “If you wishes,

               A7                                    D

You can have us for playmates instead of for tea!

              D                                Em

So they now play together in all sorts of weather,

              A7                                                             D

And the puffin eats pancakes like you and like me.

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly

Here is a story book illustrated by Pam Adams in 1973. I’m not sure where the words or lyrics come from, but I think I knew this song when I was young, which was long before 1973.  Read the book. Then sing the song.

THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY    Key G

               G                                                             A                                 D7

(1)There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

     D7               G

Perhaps she’ll die.

               G                                                                           A7                                     D7

(2)There was an old lady who swallowed a spider that wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.

        G                                                                  A                                  D7

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, but I don’t know why she swallowed the fly.

     D7               G

Perhaps she’ll die.

                G                                                                A7                     D7

(3)There was an old lady who swallowed a bird. How absurd to swallow a bird.

         G                                                                     A7

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider that wiggled  Etc.

                G                                                             A7                       D7

(4)There was an old lady who swallowed a cat. Fancy that, she swallowed a cat.

        G                                                                                                                                          A7

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, she swallowed the bird to catch the spider that wiggled Etc.

                G                                                               A7                      D7

(5)There was an old lady who swallowed a dog. What a hog, to swallow a dog.

         G

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat, she swallowed the cat to catch the bird,  Etc.

                G                                                                         A7                                  D7

(6)There was an old lady who swallowed a goat. Just opened her throat and swallowed the goat.

         G

She swallowed the goat to catch the dog, she swallowed the dog to catch the cat, Etc

                 G                                                               A7                                D7

 (7)There was an old lady who swallowed a cow. I don’t know how she swallowed the cow.

        G

She swallowed the cow to catch the goat, she swallowed the goat to catch the dog, Etc.

 

                 G                                                                              D7         G

 (8)There was an old lady who swallowed a horse. She’s dead, of course!

Oh Suzanna - with a banjo, of course

OH SUZANNA                    Key C

             C                                                                 G7

1.  Oh I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee

              C                                                G7    C

And I’m going to Louisiana my true love for to see

   C                                                                         G7

It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry,

       C                                                            G7          C

The sun’s so hot I froze to death, Suzanna don’t you cry.

Chorus:

F                    C                       G7

Oh Suzanna, don’t you cry for me

      C                                                  G7      C

I’ve come to Alabama with my banjo on my knee.

2.  I had a dream the other night, when everything was still.

I thought I saw Suzanna, a-coming down the hill.

The buckwheat cake was in her mouth, a tear was in her eye.

Says I, I’m coming from the South, Suzanna don’t you cry.

3.  I soon will be in New Orleans, and then I’ll look around.

And when I find Suzanna, I’ll fall upon the ground.

But if I do not find her, then I will surely die,

and when I’m dead and buried, Suzanna don’t you cry.

Old Dan Tucker

OLD DAN TUCKER                     Key G

     G

1.  Old Dan Tucker was a mighty man,

                                       D7

He washed his face in a frying pan.

G

Combed his hair with a wagon wheel.

                                               D7

And he died with a toothache in his heel.  So

Chorus:

G                        C                         D7                       G

Get out the way, old Dan Tucker.  You’re too late to stay for supper.

G                     C                              D7                             G

Supper’s over, breakfast’s cooking. Old Dan Tucker just stands there looking.

2.  Old Dan Tucker he came to town,

riding a billy goat, leading a hound.

Hound dog barked, billy goat jumped,

Landed Dan Tucker on top of a stump.  So

3.  Old Dan Tucker he came to town,

swinging the ladies round and round.

First to the right and then to the left.

And then to the one that he loves best.  So

4.  Old Dan Tucker he got drunk.

Fell in the fire and kicked up a chunk.

Red hot coal got in his shoe,

and oh, my Lord, how the ashes flew.  So

You Are My Sunshine

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE                 Key E

Chorus:

                   E

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

                      A                                E

You make me happy when skies are gray,

                    A                                  E 

You’ll never know dear how much I love you

                     E          B7            E

Please don’t take my sunshine away.

1.  The other night dear as I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms.

When I awoke dear I was mistaken

And I hung my head and cried

Row Row Row Your Boat

And if you don’t play an instrument, a-capella is always good! Let’s do this one of many “rounds.”

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT             Key C

C

Row, row, row your boat

C

Gently down the stream

C

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

G7               C

Life is but a dream.

This song can be sung as a “round”, a group starting line 1, then another group starting line 1 as the first group continues with line 2 – up to four groups simultaneously.  Musicians – when doing this song as a round, do not use the G7 in line 4 – just use C.

The Bear Song - call and response

If you go back hundreds of years, two things were very different: 1-Written materials were more labor intensive to produce, and the literacy rate was much lower than it is now. So “Call and Response” singing was a useful tool in sharing cultural stories. Here’s a fun one, just follow me and repeat everything I do after I do it.

THE BEAR SONG             Key C

                C

The other day (the other day)

           C

I saw a bear  (I saw a bear)

                  G7

A great big bear (a great big bear)

                C

A-way up there (a-way up there)

                C                 F

The other day I saw a bear,

                  G7                   C

A great big bear a-way up there.

2 He looked at me (he looked at me)  I looked at him (I looked at him)

He sized up me (he sized up me)   I sized up him (I sized up him)

He looked at me, I looked at him; He sized up me I sized up him.

3 He said to me      Why don’t you run?

I see you ain’t        got any gun.

He said to me why don’t you run?  I see you ain’t got any gun.

4 And so I ran     away from there.

And right behind       me was that bear

And so I ran away from there, and right behind me was that bear.

5 In front of me     there was a tree

A great big tree,    Oh glory be!

In front of me there was a tree, a great big tree Oh glory be!

6 The nearest branch    was ten feet up.

I had to jump       and trust to luck

The nearest branch was ten feet up; I had to jump and trust to luck.

7 And so I jumped      into the air.

And missed that branch      away up there

And so I jumped into the air, and missed that branch away up there.

8 Now don’t you fret       and don’t you frown

I caught that branch       on the way back down.

Now don’t you fret and don’t you frown; I caught that branch on the way back down.

9 That’s all there is . . . there ain’t no more.

Until I meet       that bear once more.

That’s all there is; there ain’t no more, until I meet that bear once more.

Home on the Range - our western heritage

How about the Kansas State Song – you all know it – may not have seen it in print:

HOME ON THE RANGE               Key E

      E                                        A

Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam

             E                                 B7

And the deer and the antelope play

           E                               A

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

             E                  B7             E

And the skies are not cloudy all day.

E        B7                 E

Home, home on the range

                 E                                 B7

Where the deer and the antelope play

           E                               A

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

             E                   B7            E

And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Down by the Riverside - a negro spiritual resurrected in the 60's

Not only is folk music the story of the settling of our nation, but every culture has a story that they tell through the music that they pass down through the generations. Many of the songs that we think of as “patriotic” songs would fit into the genre of “folk music.” The stories of the settling of the US, the heroes, the battles, the trials and tribulations of the people – blues, jazz, bluegrass – music coming to our ears from the bottom up – from the masses of the people – not top down from composers and music companies and being promoted for sale for profit.

In 1960’s America, we had a groundswell of folk music that resurrected songs about two struggles going on at that time – civil rights and war.

Here’s a negro spiritual that was sung around many campfires and at many rallies in the ‘60’s:

DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE           Key E

     E

I’m gonna lay down my sword and shield

E                                   B7                                  E

Down by the riverside.  Down by the riverside   Down by the riverside

                E

I’m gonna lay down my sword and shield

E

Down by the riverside

B7                       E

Down by the riverside

CHORUS1

                    A

I ain’t gonna study war no more

                    E

I ain’t gonna study war no more

                    B7                 E

I ain’t gonna study war no more

                    A

I ain’t gonna study war no more

                    E

I ain’t gonna study war no more

                    B7                 E

I ain’t gonna study war no more

2. I’m gonna walk with the Prince of Peace

Down by the riverside, etc.

3. I’m gonna shake hands around the world,

Down by the riverside, etc.