• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Traditional Songs we sang at school

I was in the choir too, we got to sing at Stoke St Michaels in Coventry at Christmas. To our mums if they turned up. My mum worked and she used to come sometimes, and my nan and some dinner ladies. And Mrs Pritchard always came she worked on the petrol pumps at Boons Garage and the lollypop lady Mrs. Ablewhite. When my voice got deeper I went in to the senior choir there was only 4 boys in it. We got an outing in Leamington to sing in the festival and time off lessons for choir practice, never after school.
AT church there was not enough pew space for the senior choir so the girl in front of me had to get a chair out for me after she had got in, one Carol service it caught the big hassock on the alter rail and it was waving all over the place during the service. Another time I was the other end next to the guest preacher's pulpit, He had a pronounced lisp and we were in agony trying not to laugh. He spthat all over me when he sang We with you a merry Chrithmath etc. Happy Days. Bet they don't have services now.?
 
Yes I remeber Lord Dismiss us with Thy Blessing.

I always thought the last verse would be very moving for the leavers, yet at my last assembly I am not sure how I felt.

Let Thy father-hand be shielding, All who here shall meet no more, May their seed-time past be yielding, Year by year a richer store, Those returning, those returning, Make more faithful than before.

I got a little emotional typing those lines even after 50 years since I last sang them.

The other half in our hymn book was the hymn we sang at the beginning of term. Lord behold us with Thy Blessing, Once again assembled here.


;

 
We used to get at Harry Lucas an ensemble come to play and once they played Bolero by Ravel. I had never heard of this before, but the teacher at the side, in one part sang 'like a squashed tomato' and ever since then whenever I hear Bolero I always sing 'like a squashed tomato' when that part of the music plays.
 
Hi David Grain: At my school "Lord Dismiss us With Thy Blessing" was always played at the last assembly of the term when girls were leaving. There were always tears when the words you posted were sung.
 
I remember this song but cant think of the ending, I am sure someone on the forum will.

Theres a party on the hill, will you come
Bring your own bread and butter and a bun
Bring you own knife and fork


thats all I remember, please help.
 
I think it used to go 'Will you come to my party, will you come?
Bring your own bread and butter and a bun,
(your name here) will be there, kissing (boyfriend) on a chair,
Will you come to my party will you come.

Gosh it's been a long time since I heard that one Carolina.
 
Maggs I would never have known the following lines.

Do you remember the rounds we used to sing such as Londons Burning, Londons Burning, Fetch the engines, Fetch the engines, Fire fire, Fire fire, Pour on water, Pour on water. They used to go on for ages with up to 4 different groups singing
 
Yes Carolina we did used to sing that one at school, again I had forgotten all about it.
 
maggs said:
I think it used to go 'Will you come to my party, will you come?
Bring your own bread and butter and a bun,
(your name here) will be there, kissing (boyfriend) on a chair,
Will you come to my party will you come.

Gosh it's been a long time since I heard that one Carolina.
Click to expand...


O.K.I'll come....see you in Bedford next Thursday.Wont be bringing bread,butter or a bun though,but joining you in a nice carvery will be my pleasure.
 
Ok Ray, we will enjoy the carvery too and look forward to seeing you., so no problem about the bread and butter and a bun.
Yes Jean, you can come too if you wish. Clicked have we Carolina?
 
i was remebering Soldier , Soldier, wont you marry me, with your musket , fife and drum and realising that there was never any discussion on the fact that these were social comments on the times
 
I remember many of those old song's,its sad if they are not sung nowaday's.I also sang at the town hall,was on a friday evening in 1965 i think.
Though i remember many of the song's,there is one i cannot recall the name of,but i remember a line about a dark eyed girl,that has alway's stayed with me all through the year's,anyone have any idea what it's called?.
 
oldroddy said:
I remember many of those old song's,its sad if they are not sung nowaday's.I also sang at the town hall,was on a friday evening in 1965 i think.
Though i remember many of the song's,there is one i cannot recall the name of,but i remember a line about a dark eyed girl,that has alway's stayed with me all through the year's,anyone have any idea what it's called?.
Click to expand...

Hello OldRoddy

I remember a song off the radio or maybe the Black & White Minstrels sang it, I am not sure but it went Yo Ho Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie, but I think it was referring to the Black Eyes Susan which is a flower, not a folk song from Britian I would think. Used to go to a folk singing pubs in Cov. Brummie Bands used to play , i.e. Slip Jig and Mulliners Rough, who sang The Lakes of Ponchartrain, with a creole girl with dark ringlets falling over her shoulders or the Maid of Mulabar , lovely dark eyed maiden.
As you have made me think back to 1965 again, do you or anyone remember Lucky Numbers chocolate, and Five Boys Chcolate, no one I know seems to and did Cadburys make them? Oh and how to I get to Northfield from Cov now they have messed up the roads? Last time I tried they were changing it and I went the wrong way on the wrong side side on a dirt road I shouldn't have been on,! Thanks Nico
 
DavidGrain said:
Nico

Five Boys chocolate was made by Fry's of Bristol which later became part of Cadbury's.. I believe Cadbury's revived it for a short time a few yeara ago as a limited edition. Have a look at this website https://www.cadbury.co.uk/ourproducts/yesterday/Pages/Yesterday.aspx for old Cadbury's products
Click to expand...
Thanks David, I remember most of those old brands. And the adverts that promoted them. I bought 2 pictures in jigsaw form from a charity shop, depicting really old adverts and gave them to friends is France as they collect English memorabilia especially those with adverts on. They love Cadbury's chocolate too. They also like our shortbread, tea and savoury pastries. Nico
 
Old songs at school .....jerusalem....heart of oak.....the windmill......men of harlech .....to name a few......i remember singing the windmill in the school choir at the town hall ....
 
I also remember singing The Blacksmith, I still love it it goes up and the down the scales and we sang it in relays, (I know there's a name for that type of singing which has beaten my fuddled brain for now).
That's George that I hear,
he swings the big hammer,
the clang and the clamour
keep time with his swinging,
as bells were a ringing through
aaaaa - alley and square

Nico
 
I've just remembered "The Happy Wanderer", (I love to go a-wandering) I can't get "Fal de ree, fal de raa, out of my head!!
We did Music and Movement to "Peter and the Wolf"
rosie.
 
My mum belonged to a concert party the Coventry Variety company some of them were good, some of them were not so good, one chap dressed up as a bunny girl he resembled Stanley Baxter as a woman in drag, he changed the words to The Happy Wanderer,
I love to be a bunny girl and wear those bunny clothes
and show them all just what I've got
when wearing stretched tight hose, Val der ree etc,
the old girls loved it anyway, he sang under the guise of Miss Daphne Bush. He was a Brummie I believe.
He also did Joyce Grenfell's Dancing Bust To Bust, I preferred that one
I played the grandad in the class's Peter and the Wolf mime, I always got the old git parts, at least I got a part I suppose
Nico
 
I loved Joyce Grenfell, that song is called "Stately as a Galleon". Our teachers used to do "The Nursery School" at the end of school year. George, don't do that!!
rosie.
 
I loved Joyce Grenfell as well. Stately as 2 galleons we sailed across the shore, doing the military two step as in the days afore.
 
My partner's Mrs Tiverton, she wheels me round and round,
Although she manouvers me very well I never get off the ground
or something like that
My mate Steve loves that song, he is a Wooly Back
He would like to get a copy of a song
Two flies crawled up the winder, his dad used sing it.
Steve's aunty and uncle (the stage doorman) put Paul Robeson up when he played in Leicester as no one had seen a black man before.
But I digress as usual
Love old man river too
My nan, from Stourbridge used to sing a music hall sing, I'm silly Dick, Up a stick
Nico
 
Thanks Sandracoley, but descant is the higher part, treble is the middle, then there are lower ones, I meant when you sing a phrase then someone else repeats it, some songs will work sung like that as in Three Blind Mice, and Frere Jacques, and London's Burning, I am thinking of rondelet but I don;t think it's the right word? Who is Chico?
Nico
 
whats the time ten to nine,hang your knickers on the line.when there dry bring them in. who on earth would want to keep there draws in a biscuit tin? lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top