These recordings of children talking about their lives and singing playground songs, were made in 1973 by researcher Berit Ostberg. She recorded these songs and rhymes at Quarry Mount and Quarry Street primary schools in Leeds.
See 'Resources' section for the full collection of audio clips in the story.
A group of girls and boys, aged between ten and eleven years old, can be heard on the recordings. The children can then be heard performing singing games, including:
A parody is when a person closely imitates a writer or song, in this case, to provide comic effects. Why do you think the recording of the song Glory Glory Hallelujah is a parody?
Comprehension: playground rhymes and songs
Clapping games and playground rhymes and songs have always been part of school life. The earliest clapping game in Europe, still well known today, was probably the adult and child game, ‘Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake’, which was first written down in 1698.
Often songs, rhymes and clapping games have been passed on from one generation to another. Have you ever asked your parents, grandparents or carers what songs they sang in the playground? You might recognise some of them.
Sometimes a new song is developed because of a big event, for example the Great Fire of London inspired the song London’s Burning and the plague may have influenced the rhyme Ring a Ring o’ Roses.
Playground songs and rhymes are often nonsensical or funny and even rude. Sometimes there are actions that go with the songs or clapping games that can get quite complicated. In different countries the same songs may be sung with different words.
But as time passes and depending on where you are in the world, playground songs and rhymes start to differ. Modern playground rhymes have become more streetwise and take ideas from online games, pop songs and modern life.
Some playground rhymes have even been made into pop songs like The Clapping Song, recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The Clapping Song starts like this, '3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine, the monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line.'
Quarry Mount School and Quarry Street School transcripts of Leeds childhood memories and playground songs in 1973:
Bingo
Key: / = Claps replacing letters
There was a farm that had a dog,
And Bingo was his name oh.
B, I, N, G, O.
B, I, N, G, O.
B, I, N, G, O.
And Bingo was his name oh.
There was a farm that had a dog,
And Bingo was his name oh.
B, I, N, G, /
B, I, N, G, /
B, I, N, G, /
And Bingo was his name oh.
There was a farm that had a dog,
And Bingo was his name oh.
B, I, N, / /
B, I, N, / /
B, I, N, / /
And Bingo was his name oh.
There was a farm that had a dog,
And Bingo was his name oh.
B, I, / / /
B, I, / / /
B, I, / / /
And Bingo was his name oh.
There was a farm that had a dog,
And Bingo was his name oh.
B, / / / /
B, / / / /
B, / / / /
And Bingo was his name oh.
There was a farm that had a dog,
And Bingo was his name oh.
/ / / / /
/ / / / /
/ / / / /
And Bingo was his name oh.
We Break Up, We Break Down
When we break up, we break down
We don't care if the sun falls down
No more English, no more sums
No more teachers smacking our bums
Bananas in Pyjamas
Bananas in pyjamas,
Is coming down the stairs
Bananas in pyjamas,
Eat curly teddy bears
The Farmer’s in his Den
The farmer’s in his den, the farmer’s in his den,
Eeh aye iddy oh, the farmer’s in his den.
The farmer wants a wife, the farmer wants a wife,
Eeh aye iddy oh, the farmer wants a wife.
The wife wants a child, the wife wants a child,
Eeh aye iddy oh, the wife wants a child.
The child wants a nurse, the child wants a nurse,
Eeh aye iddy oh, the child wants a nurse.
The nurse wants a dog, the nurse wants a dog,
Eeh aye iddy oh, the nurse wants a dog.
The dog wants a bone, the dog wants a bone,
Eeh aye iddy oh, the dog wants a bone.
The bone wants a pat, the bone wants a pat,
Eeh aye iddy oh, the bone wants a pat.
He hasn’t had enough, he hasn’t had enough,
Eeh aye iddy oh, he hasn’t had enough.
I’m a Little Dutch Girl
I’m a little Dutch girl,
Dutch girl, Dutch girl
I’m a little Dutch girl,
Dutch girl I am.
I’m a little Dutch boy,
Dutch boy, Dutch boy
I’m a little Dutch boy
Dutch boy I am.
I love you,
l love you, love you
I love you,
Love you I do.
Go away I hate you,
Hate you, I hate you
Go away I hate you,
Hate you I do.
Verse 4 – not transcribed
I’m back I love you,
Love you, love you
I’m back I love you,
Love you I do.
Now we’re getting married,
Married, married,
Now we’re getting married,
Married, married,
Now we’re getting married,
Married we are.
Now we’ve got a baby,
Baby, a baby,
Now we’ve got a baby,
A baby we have.
Now we’ve got a family,
Family, a family,
Now we’ve got a family,
A family we have.
Now we’re getting older,
Older, older,
Now we’re getting older,
Older we are.
Now we’re dead and buried,
Buried, buried,
Now we’re dead and buried,
Buried we are.
Now we’re little angels,
Angels, angels,
Now we’re little angels,
Angels we are.
London Bridge
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
Open the gates and let them through,
Let them through, let them through.
Open the gates and let them through,
My fair lady.
Glory Glory
Glory glory hallelujah,
The teacher hit me with a ruler
The ruler broke in half,
So she hit me with a shoe,
And the waves go marching on.
Glory glory hallelujah,
Glory glory hallelujah,
Glory glory hallelujah,
And the waves go marching on.
Cookie Shop
Who stole the cookies from the cookery shop?
Who me?
Yes you.
Couldn’t be.
Then who?
Number one stole the cookies from the cookery shop?
Who me?
Yes you.
Couldn’t be.
Then who?
Number two stole the cookies from the cookery shop?
Who me?
Yes you.
Couldn’t be.
Then who?
Number three stole the cookies from the cookery shop?
Who me?
Yes you.
Couldn’t be.
Then who?
Number four stole the cookies from the cookery shop?
Who me?
Yes you.
Couldn’t be.
Then who?
Etc. etc.
Boyfriend’s Underpants
My boyfriend gave me an apple,
My boyfriend gave me a pear.
My boyfriend gave me a kiss on the lips,
Then threw me down the stairs.
I gave him back his apple,
I gave him back his pear.
I gave him back his kiss on the lips,
And threw him down the stairs.
Clapping Song
My mother told me, if I was goody.
That she would buy me, a rubber dolly.
My Aunty told her, I kissed a soldier,
Now she won’t buy me a rubber dolly.
Hokey Cokey
Put your right leg in,
Your right leg out.
In out, in out,
You shake it all about.
You do the hokey cokey and you turn around,
That’s what it’s all about.
Oh the hokey cokey,
Oh the hokey cokey,
Oh the hokey cokey,
That’s what it’s all about.
Put your left leg in,
Your left leg out.
In out, in out,
You shake it all about.
You do the hokey cokey and you turn around,
That’s what it’s all about.
Oh the hokey cokey,
Oh the hokey cokey,
Oh the hokey cokey,
That’s what it’s all about.