Nancy Raven’s

The House We Live In, Vol. I

Lyrics

SWEET POTATOES (West Indies)

Have you ever dug up a sweet potato? Guiro, triangle, maracas, tongue-drum, macheté

Soon’s we all cook sweet potatoes,
Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes,
Soon’s we all cook sweet potatoes,
Eat ’em right up.

Soon’s supper’s et, momma hollers,
Momma hollers, momma hollers,
Soon’s suppers et, momma hollers,
Time to go to bed!

Soon’s we touch our heads to the pillow,
To the pillow, to the pillow,
Soon’s we touch our heads to the pillow,
Go to sleep right smart.

Soon’s the rooster crows, in the morning,
In the morning, in the morning,
Soon’s the rooster crows, R-R-RR-RR,
Gotta wash our face.

Soon’s the school bus stops, honk honk!!
Honk honk!
Soon’s the school bus stops, honk honk!!
Gotta get to school.

Soon’s the last bell rings after school’s out,
Ringaling, ringaling,
Soon’s the last bell rings after school’s out,
Gotta get right home.

Soon’s we dig those taters from the garden,
From the garden, from the garden,
Soon’s we dig those taters from the garden,
Gotta wash ’em off.

Soon’s we all cook sweet potatoes,
Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes,
Soon’s we all cook sweet potatoes,
Eat ’em right up.

PRATIES SONG (Ireland)

Praties means potatoes. This was written during the Irish potato famine. Do you eat your potatoes coats (skins) and all? Appalachian dulcimer, harmonica, charango, water phone.

Oh, the praties, they grow small, over here, over here
The praties they grow small over here,
Oh, the praties, they grow small, but we eat them coats and all,
Yes, we eat them coats and all, over here, over here.

I wish that we were geese, night and morn, night an morn,
I wish that we were geese, night and morn,
Oh, I wish that we were geese, and could fly and find our peace,
And could fly and find our peace, eating corn, eating corn.

(repeat first verse)

MOLLY MALONE (Ireland)

In Dublin’s fair city
Where the streets are so pretty
I met a young woman (man) named Molly (Erin) Malone
She (he) wheeled her (his) wheel barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels
Alive alive oh!

Chorus:

Alive alive oh!
Alive alive oh!
Singing cockles and mussels
Alive alive oh!

In Dublin’s fair city
Where the streets are so pretty
I saw those young people, they’re heading for home
They wheeled their wheelbarrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels
Alive alive oh!

(chorus)

CHE CHE KOLE (Ghana)

A good standing in place activity song. Do the actions with the African words.

Chekere, kalimba

Che che kole, che che kole
Che che kafisa, che che kafisa
Kafisa langa, kafisa langa,
Co co shi langa, co shi langa,
Koom ma dye day, koom ma dye day,
Ya!

Hands on your head, hands on your head
Hands on your shoulders, hands on your shoulders
Hands on your hips, hands on your hips
Hands on your knees, hands on your knees
Touch the ground now, touch the ground now
Jump!

JOHN THE RABBIT (Afro-American)

You can take turns being the leader of this song. See if you can fool the others.

Oh, Mister John the Rabbit? (Yes ma’m!)
You got a very bad habit (Yes ma’m!)
Of jumping into my garden (Yes ma’m!)
And cutting down all my cabbage, (Yes ma’m!)
My sweet potatoes, (Yes ma’m!)
My fresh potatoes. (Yes ma’m!)
And if I live (Yes ma’m!)
To see next fall (Yes ma’m!)
I ain’t gonna have (Yes ma’m!)
No cotton at all! (Yes ma’m!)

THE HOUSE WE LIVE IN (United States)

© 1984 Leanne Hinton. Can you fill in the name of the street, town, state, and country of your house?

Well, this is my house, my very own house,
And this is the house we live in.

And my house is on a street, and the street is called ___________
And my street is in a city, and the city’s name is ___________
And it’s just one of many

(chorus)

And my city’s in a state, and the state is ___________
And the state is in a country, and it’s name is ___________
And it’s just one of many

(chorus)

And my country’s in a world, and the world is our mother Earth,
And the Earth goes ’round a star, and that star is our very own Sun,
And it’s just one of many

(chorus)

Ésta es mi casa, mi propia casa,
Y ésta es mi casa en que vivo

Y mi casa está en una calle, y la calle se llama ___________
Y la calle está en una ciudad, y la ciudad se llama ___________
Y es una de muchos

(chorus)

Y mi ciudad está en un estado, y el estado se llama ___________
Y mi estado está en un pais, y el pais se llama ___________
Y es una de muchos

(chorus)

CHOCOLATE (Mexico)

Shake the maracas and spin the molinillo to stir the chocolate while we sing.

Uno dos tres, cho
Uno dos tres, co
Uno dos tres, la
Uno dos tres, te
Chocolate, chocolate,
Bate bate, el chocolate.

One two three, cho
One two three, co
One two three, la
One two three, te
Chocolate, chocolate,
Beat the chocolate.Side B

GIBBERISH (United States)

Older children can do this as a 4-part round. Snare drum.

Can you dig that crazy gibberish?
Can you dig it? Can you dig it?
Can you dig that crazy gibberish?
Can you dig it? Can you dig it?
Oh, look, there’s a chicken, he’s a comin’ down the road,
Oh, look, there’s another one a sittin’ on the fence,
Oh ma! Oh pa! Get that sonofagun offa my tractor!

THREE CRAW (Scotland)

See if you can roll your Rs on this song from Scotland.
Craw = crow
Twa = two
Wa’ = wall
Warna there at a’ = wasn’t there at all
Bodhran

Three craw sat upon a wa’
Sat upon a wa’
Sat upon a wa’
Three craw sat upon a wa’
On a cold an frosty mornin’

The first craw couldna find his ma
Couldna find his ma
Couldna find his ma
The first craw couldna find his ma
On a cold and frosty mornin’

The second craw couldna find his pa
Couldna find his pa
Couldna find his pa
The second craw couldna find his pa
On a cold and frosty mornin’

The third craw ate the other twa
Ate the other twa
Ate the other twa
The third craw ate the other twa
On a cold and frosty mornin’

The fourth craw warna there at a’
Warna there at a’
Warna there at a’
The fourth craw warna there at a’
On a cold and frosty mornin’

And that’s a’ I know about the craw
Know about the craw
Know about the craw
And that’s a’ I know about the craw
On a cold and frosty mornin’

OLD TEXAS (United States)

Here is an old cowboy song you can sing a couple of different ways. Harmonica, wood blocks, cowbells.

I’m going to leave old Texas now.
They’ve got no use for the long-horned cow.
I’ll take my horse, I’ll take my rope,
And hit the trail upon a lope.

Say adios to the Alamo
And turn my head towards Mexico.
The hard hard ground will be my bed,
And my saddle seat will hold my head.

I’m going to leave old Texas now.
They’ve got no use for the long-horned cow.

RED-HAIRED FAMILY (Russia)

Recorder, tabor pipe, tambourine.

Granny’s red-haired, grandad too.
My dad is red-haired, so is mother.
Uncle’s red-haired, auntie too.
My sister’s red-haired, so is brother.
I am red-haired and my wife
Will be red-haired all her life.
I am red-haired and my wife
Will be red-haired all her life.

PLANTING RICE (Phillipines)

If you act this song out you might begin to feel how hard it is to plant rice all day. You can hear the people working in the mud. Jaw harp, sand paper blocks, wet clay.

Planting rice is never fun,
Bending over ’til the set of sun.
Cannot sit, cannot stand,
Plant the seedlings all by hand.

Planting rice is not fun,
Bending over ’til the set of sun.
Cannot sit and cannot stand,
Plant the seedlings all by hand.

Magtanim ay di biro
Maghapon kang nakayuko.
Di naman makaupo
Di naman makatayo.

RICE HARVEST SONG (Vietnam)

After the long hard days of planting rice, the harvest is a happy time. The people sing as they walk along, beating the rice. Pretend you are swinging a bag of rice, hitting it on the ground to get the husks off. Finger cymbals, rice baskets.

Moon shines bright as we pound
Voices sing in the lovely night
We are moved by its sound
As we beat the rice, as we beat the rice.

Walk along, cross the fields
Ears are filled with the lovely song
Join us now, come and sing
In the moonlit night, in the moonlit night.

CHIPPEWA LULLABY (North America)

This song was sung before electricity and flashlights, by a young Chippewa child. Have you ever seen a firefly? Makah drum, bells.

Come with your shining bright light
Come with your shining bright fire.
Firefly come light my way
Come give me light before I sleep.