Mr Meeseeks 51 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 When attending Greencroft Junior School in the 50's an often sung song was "Pauls Little Hen". Cannot remember all the words but it was about a guy called Paul who had a little hen (Ahhhh). The hen ran out of the farm yard, down the road and met its demise. One suspects it was confronted by a fox. The fox saw the hen as a food source. Then the words went something like this.... Cluck, Cluck Cluck, cried the poor little creature, Cluck Cluck Cluck it cried in vain . (Very descriptive) Then it went on Paul tried to save her but failed etc, etc. Apparently it was a Norwegian folk song. Any one remember this or know any school songs of this ilk that would cause a national out cry if sung in schools today? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MargieH 7,600 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Never sang that song at our Junior school - sounds bit sad .... In the very early 1950s, we sang patriotic songs like "Hearts of oak are our ships" and "The British Grenadiers". I suppose WW2 was still fresh in the minds of our teachers at that time. I also remember singing "Linden Lea" and "The Ash Grove". There were other songs - perhaps Phil who was in my class will remember more? Where are you, @philmayfield ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,134 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Those are exactly the songs I remember Margie. I think we also sang Cockles and Mussels and Kitty of Coleraine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MargieH 7,600 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Phil, I can't remember the 'Kitty' song but can remember "Molly Malone". Paul's just told me that he sang "What shall we do with a drunken sailor". Did we sing that as well? He also said that he was in a junior choir and they sang "Come into the garden Maud". Sounds a bit of a dodgy song to me .... I'll have to look up the lyrics! Come into the garden, Maud, For the black bat, Night, has flown; Come into the garden, Maud, I am here at the gate alone. I am here at the gate alone. And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad, And the musk of the roses blown, For a breeze of morning moves, And the planet of love is on high, Beginning to faint in the light that she loves, On a bed of daffodil sky, To faint in the light of the sun she loves, To faint in his light, and to die. Come! come! Come into the garden, Maud, For the black bat, Night, is flown; Come into the garden, Maud, I am here at the gate alone. I am here at the gate alone. I am here at the gate alone. Queen Rose of the rosebud, Garden of girls, Come hither, the dances are done; In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls, Queen, lily, and rose, in one. Shine out little head, sunning over with curls, To the flowers, and be their sun. Shine out! Shine out! Come into the garden, Maud, For the black bat, Night, is flown; Come into the garden, Maud, I am here at the gate alone. I am here at the gate alone. I am here at the gate alone. Writer/s: Michael Balfe, Alfred Lord Tennyson Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,134 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 When beautiful Kitty one morning was tripping with a pitcher of milk to the fair at Coleraine......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MargieH 7,600 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Still can't remember Kitty - perhaps I was poorly and off school that day! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brew 5,417 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Paul's little hen flew away from the farmyard, ran down the hillside and into the dale. Paul hurried after but down in the brambles, there sat a fox with a great bushy tail. Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cried the poor little creature. Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! But she cried in vain. Paul made a spring but could not save her. "Now I shall never dare go home again." 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brew 5,417 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 1 hour ago, MargieH said: I also remember singing "Linden Lea 'Within the woodland flowery gladed......' Me too Margie, hated it with a passion. Our music teacher, in hindsight a gentle old soul, was passionate about playing the recorder and traditional songs. Now had she gone with Bill Haley...... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dodie 51 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Some of the songs we did, Who is Sylvia, Silent Worship, Bless this house, Shenandoŕ, Early one morning and Yeomen of England. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brew 5,417 Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 The Skye Boat song? Clementine? Early one morning?, like that one one, Greensleeves and not a school song but loved it when my Mam sang 'My grandfathers clock' for me 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Willow wilson 894 Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 We sang this in my school in the early 50s. It captured my imagination then and remained with me ever since although the school words were quite different the sentiment was the same. I can't find an English translation exactly similar to the one I learned but the tune is pure longing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MargieH 7,600 Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 9 hours ago, Dodie said: Some of the songs we did, Who is Sylvia, Silent Worship, Bless this house, Shenandoŕ, Early one morning and Yeomen of England. I remember Bless this House, Shenandoah and Early one morning. I find it amazing that I can remember so many of the words of those childhood songs even after not thinking about them for nearly 70 years! I suppose young brains soak up information more efficiently than they do now.. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Meeseeks 51 Posted March 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 Hated singing about Bobby Shafto gone to sea with silver buckles on his knee,. Cockles and Mussels wasn't too bad, loved a good sea shanty though, What shall we do with the drunken sailor, etc. I don't think the singing lessons were about musical harmony, more an exercise in expanding the lungs. Any ex Greencrofters out there who can remember Syd Richards? (circa 1958-60) His piano playing was something to behold. The force that he hit the keys with really inspired a good sea shanty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
denshaw 2,872 Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 Pauls little hen is on YouTube.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,466 Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 13 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said: Any ex Greencrofters out there who can remember Syd Richards? (circa 1958-60) His piano playing was something to behold. The force that he hit the keys with really inspired a good sea shanty. I remember him but was never in his class. There are a number of photos of him on a Facebook Clifton page (I might copy one across here - unless you're the person who originally posted them !). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Meeseeks 51 Posted March 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 On 3/23/2019 at 10:06 AM, Cliff Ton said: I remember him but was never in his class. There are a number of photos of him on a Facebook Clifton page (I might copy one across here - unless you're the person who originally posted them !). Thanks for info Cliff Ton It was not I who posted those on Facebook. Not a subscriber to Facebook. No class photo for that year, so never had a photo of him, had to pair up with another person in class for a joint mugshot that year. I learnt a lot in his class, the one thats never been forgotten....Going up to 20,000ft in a Tiger moth biplane would cure Whooping cough. Never caught whooping cough so could never prove theory. He would hand out sweets in class to the House with the most points for the month. Also, for that time in my education I learnt a word in French,"Vignt" (20), I'd have struggled if I was No 19 or 21, he liked you to call your number out in French when calling the register. No idea why. Great last year at Greencroft. Certainly taught me two things. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brew 5,417 Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 19 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said: Going up to 20,000ft in a Tiger moth biplane would cure Whooping cough It would cure something, they could only climb to 18000... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Meeseeks 51 Posted March 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 On 3/24/2019 at 8:07 PM, Brew said: It would cure something, they could only climb to 18000... Glad I didn't catch whooping cough. Ta for feed back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alisoncc 379 Posted March 15, 2020 Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 Remember Dilly, Dilly. Lavender blue dilly dilly, lavender green. You'll be my King dilly dilly, I'll be your Queen. Who told you so Dilly Dilly....... And the school choir singing "Nymphs and Shepherds". Run away, run away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AfferGorritt 868 Posted April 5, 2020 Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 I wonder if we were in the same class at Mundella, Alison? I’ve just been looking at old Mundella posts and noticed you mentioned Mr. Hawkesworth, “Hawkeye”, and 5LS. I was in 5LS (well, when I was there!) in 1963. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alisoncc 379 Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 AG, by 1959 I was sitting entrance exams at RAF Cardington to join Aunty Betty's flying circus - successfully. Did eight years as a regular. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
grahamoxxx 3 Posted November 15, 2021 Report Share Posted November 15, 2021 Some great old songs here. Was Linden Lea the tune of Love Me Tender? I always felt sad that my kids didnt have the same amount of singing in school. We had the radio on at 11am for Singing Together (late 50s/early 60s) and there was a new book for each season of the year, and you can still buy them in car boot sales and on eBay! I still remember a lot of the songs even now, including lots of those above. - The Mermaid (while the raging seas did roar, etc), The Drummer and the Cook (with one eye on the pot and the other up the chimney), Donkey Riding, A-Roving, The Garden Where the Praties Grow, The Boatie Rows, Jamaican Farewell (wont be back for many a day), etc. What is ironic is that we were encouraged to embrace the cultures of the lands where the songs originated; the opposite of today's diversity. We were made to sing songs in the vernacular. ie. Scottish songs in a Scottish accent, calypsos in a West Indian, etc. I wonder how that would go down today! 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oztalgian 3,292 Posted November 15, 2021 Report Share Posted November 15, 2021 Graham, Welcome to the site. Those songs brought back some long forgotten memories of music classes at both junior and secondary school back in the 50s and 60s. You can't beat a sea shanty for a good singalong Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,305 Posted November 15, 2021 Report Share Posted November 15, 2021 Welcome, Graham. Linden Lea was set to music by Ralph Vaughan-Williams, one of my favourite composers of the relatively modern age. It's a song that is very special to me and evokes almost visual memories of a time long past. School singing, in general, I wasn't terribly keen on, even though I studied music and love singing. It always seemed to be the same thing, week in, week out: The Vicar of Bray, The Minstrel Boy, Nellie the Elephant! Oh, Soldier, Soldier, etc. I preferred the much older songs such as: Now is the month of Maying, It Was A Lover and his Lass, Never Weather Beaten Sail, etc. I taught those songs to my pupils when I was teaching, along with Tudor dances from the same age. Songs are history in music, so we must keep them alive. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
katyjay 5,091 Posted November 15, 2021 Report Share Posted November 15, 2021 I don't think anyone has mentioned yet, Dashing away with the smoothing iron. And also Barbara Allen. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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