Well, the Lord said to Noah

Well, the Lord said to Noah, there's gonna be a floody, floody...

Simple Gifts

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

  'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

  'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

  To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

  Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

Simple gifts

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

  'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

  'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

  To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

  Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

Sound Off!

I don’t know, but I’ve been told. (I don’t know, but I’ve been told.)

Streets of heaven are paved with gold. (Streets of heaven are paved with gold.)

Sound off. (One, two.)  Cadence call. (Three, four). 

Bring it on down, now! (One, two, three, four, one, two, --, three-four!)

We Shall Overcome.

We shall overcome, we shall overcome.

   We shall overcome some-day.

Oh, deep in my heart (I know that)   I  do believe (oh--) 

   We shall overcome someday.

Guests are Coming (finger play)

Guests are Coming

(Hands together, like prayer position.)

"Mami, Mami."                                     (2nd fingers tap)
  "Wot? Wot? Wot?"                             (4th finger)
"Guests are coming."                             (thumb)
  "And so what?"                                   (pinkie)
"Good morning." "Good morning."      (middle fingers bow, alternate sides)
   (kiss, kiss, kiss).                                  (middle fingers tap).

Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther K-I-N-G, Martin Luther King. (2x)

   Justice. Equal rights. Liberty and freedom. He had a dream that "We Shall Overcome!" (2x)

(first line: 33335 33335 33335555 33335)
(second line:  share out, different people speaking each statement.)

Hidey, Hidey, Hidee Ho!

Hidee, hidee hidee ho! 

Wiggly wiggly waggly wo!

Raise your hand up to the sky! 

_______  is passin’ by!

A little louder!

A little higher!

(Call and all repeat)

My Boyfriend's Name is Lucky

My boyfriend’s name is Lucky.

He comes from old Kentucky.

With a pickle on his nose and a cherry on his toes,

And that’s the way my story goes.

My mother gave him peaches.

My sister gave him pears.

My father gave him fifteen cents

And kicked him down the stairs.

Partner handclap game.   R, clap, L, clap, both, clap, lap, clap

source:   Willmar neighborhood and St. Pius X schoolyard late 1950s, early 60s

Dr. Knickerbocker

Circle game, standing.

IT is in the center, doing the song and motions with everyone else.

Dr. Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, Number One,

   He sure got stung by the bumbley bum.

Now let's get the rhythm of the hands (clap clap).

  Now we've got the rhythm of the hands (clap clap).

Now let's get the rhythm of the feet (stamp, stamp).

  Now we've got the rhythm of the feet (stamp, stamp).

Now let's get the rhythm of the hips ("Woo woo!").

  Now we've got the rhythm of the hips ("Woo woo!)"

Now let's get the rhythm of the eyes-----.

  Now we've got the rhythm of the eyes-----.

Now let's get the rhythm of the number five!

On the beginning of the word, "Knickerbocker" everyone starts a touch-clap-touch-clap rhythm (Touch hands of people beside you, fingers pointed up, clapping your palms together.)  

(Be careful at the claps after "let's get the rhythm of the hands," as there will be actually three claps in a row.  )

The other moves are all inserted in the two beats where the rhythm is NOT clapped. 

The "hips" movement is a little bump and grind while saying "Woo woo!"

The "eyes" movement goes with a long-sounding vocal slide on the word (pitch rises).

 I hope this makes sense.  It's easier done than said.

At the end of the song, IT spins around with her eyes closed, pointing outward.

When she stops, the person at whom she is pointing shouts, "Five!"  Then the next person counter-clockwise shouts "Ten," and the next people continue, one at a time, counting by five.

Whoever gets to say "100!" is the new IT, and goes to the center.

"Dollar, dollar, how I wonder. From one hand to the other. 
Is it fair? Is it fair, to keep that pretty girl standing there?"

Circle game, seated on the floor.  IT is in the center, eyes closed.

Someone has a rock. Everyone puts their left hand on their left knee, palm up, fingers cupped.  In rhythm, everyone puts their right hand to their left hand as if picking up an imaginary dollar, then transfers that "dollar" to the cupped hand of the person on the right.   If there really IS a dollar in that hand, you can transfer it to the next person.  Or not.

(I get the movement started by chanting, "Yours, theirs, yours, theirs..." before starting the song.

IT keeps his/her eyes closed during the first rendition of the song, then opens them and tries to spot the dollar moving around the circle.  IT points at someone, they show their hands.  If the dollar is there, that person becomes IT and the game begins again.

Orff bourdon:   1 5 1 5  1 5 1 5  1 5 1 5  5 5 5 5 

Pass the shoe

Everyone, take off your shoes.  Put one in the corner of the room, and keep the other.  Form a circle and sit down with the shoe in front of you.  We are going to sing this song:

We will pass this shoe from me to you, to you.
   We will pass the shoe, and do just what I do.

On the word "pass," take your shoe and set it in front of the person to your right.
On the word "this," reach in front of you and pick up the new shoe that has appeared there.
On the word "shoe," set that shoe in front of the person to your right.
On the word "me," reach in front of you and pick up the new shoe that has appeared there.
Continue this pattern UNTIL the word "do."


On that special word "do,"  DON'T LET GO OF THE SHOE. Tap it in front of that person, take it and tap it in front of yourself on "I," then on the last word, "do," put it in front of the other person and let go.

Start again.  When chaos ensues, stop, everyone get a shoe and start again.