Camp Seabow Songbook
A Work in Progress by Ann Clark [formerly Patty Clark]
From my memories at Camp Seabow, @1962 – 1967

Some of the following songs were sang only on the bus or in the dining hall (Noble Duke of York), some were exclusive to Camp Seabow, some were simply old folk songs, and I suspect that some of them came from Mrs. Armand’s childhood. How many do YOU remember?

*

She sat on the veranda and ate chocolates, ate chocolates, ate chocolates,
she sat on the veranda and ate chocolates, ate chocolates.
He sat down beside her and smoked his cigar [repeat etc.]
She sat there beside him and played her guitar…
He told her he loved her but oh how he lied…
She told him she loved him, but she did not lie…
They went to be married, but she up and dies…
He went to the funeral, but just for the ride…
She went up to heaven and flip flop she flied…
He went down below her and sizzled and fried…
The moral of this tale is never to lie…
Or you, too, may perish and sizzle and fry…

Ding ding ding there goes my wagon, my wagon,
I hear the keeper calling me
Ding ding ding ding there goes my wagon, my wagon,
to take me back to the nutty factory.
Like all the little nuts that fall, I’m a little cracked that’s all
Ding ding ding ding there goes my wagon, my kiddy car, my bus, whee!!

*
Oh I stuck my head in a little skunk’s hole…
And the little skunk said well bless my soul
take it out take it out take out, remove it
Well I didn’t take it out and the little skunk said
If you don’t take it out you’ll wish you were dead
Take it out take it out take it out….Psssssssss
I….removed it.

*
In a cabin by the woods, little old man by the window stood
saw a rabbit hopping by, knocking at his door
Help me help me, sir he said
Or the hunter shoot me dead,
come along and live with me, happy we will be.

*
[Chorus]:
Four strong winds that blow slowly
Seven seas that run high
All these things that don’t change come what may
Now our good times are all gone
And I’m bound for moving on
Ill look for you if I’m ever back this way

Guess Ill go out to Alberta
Weather’s good there in the fall
Got some friends that I can go to workin’ for
Still I wish you’d change your mind
If I asked you one more time
But we’ve been through that a hundred times or more
[Repeat chorus]
If I get there before the snow flies
And if things are going good
You could meet me if I send you down the fare
But by then it would be winter
Nothing much for you to do
And the wind sure blows cold way out there
[Repeat chorus]
Yes, Ill look for you if I’m ever back this way

*
Oh he cannibal king with the big nose ring
Fell in love with the dusky maid.
And every night in the pale moon light
Across the lake he came.
He hugged and he kissed this pretty little miss
Under the bamboo tree.
And every night in the pale moon light
It sounded like this to me.
Boom Boom [kiss kiss], Boom Boom [kiss kiss]
Honey won’t you marry me
Boom Boom [kiss kiss] Boom Boom [kiss kiss]
Honey won’t you marry me,
We’ll build a bungalow big enough for two,
Big enough for three my darling, big enough for four
Walla walla walla
And when we’re married how happy we’ll be,
Under the bamboo, underneath the bamboo tree.
If you’ll be m-i-n-e mine I’ll be t-h-i-n-e thine…
And I’ll l-o-v-e love you all the t-i-m-e time.
You are the b-e-s-t best of all the r-e-s-t rest…
And I’ll l-o-v-e love you…all the t-i-m-e rack ‘em up, sack ‘em up,
Any ol’ ti-ime!

*

Use Ajax, boom boom
The foaming cleanser, bluddabluddabludda
Foams the dirt, right down the drain [blbbbllb]
You’ll stop paying the elbow tax
when you start cleaning with Ajax
So use Ajax, boom boom
The foaming cleanser [blblblblbllb]
Foams the dirt, right down the drain
Spoken in high falsetto: [And it smells good, too!]
So…use Ajax…boom boom.

*
Make a face mask each time you sing the words, “Junior Birdmen” by
lacing your fingers. Then, with thumbs under the chin, twist your
hands outwards so that you make goggles for the eyes.

Up in the air junior birdmen
Up in the air pilots too!
Up in the air, Junior Birdmen;
Keep your eyes up in the blue up in the blue
And when you hear the big announcement:
to receive your wings of tin.
Get on the ball you Junior Birdmen, and send your box tops in.
It only takes four
Send your boxtops in
that’s only two more
Send your boxtops i-i-in.

*
Waaaaay up in the sky the little birds fly
while down in the nest the little birds rest
Wiiiiiith a wing on the left and a wing on the right
we watch the dear birdies sleep all through the night
[Shhh they're sleeping!]
The….bright sun comes up and the dew falls away
(in a very high voice) good morning good morning
the little birds say.

*

Oh, I’d rather suck on a lemon drop
Than to trust my luck with a lollipop,
‘Cause I always drop my lollipop,
And it gets all over icky! Oh icky.
I’ve tried, and tried, but never could find
A lollipop that’s halfway refined,
So I’d rather suck on a lemon drop
Than to trust my luck with a lollipop,
‘Cause I always drop my lollipop
And it gets all over icky!

*
Boom Dee Adda, Boom Dee Adda
I love the flowers, I love the daffodils, I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills
I love a fireside when all the lights are low
Boom dee adda boom dee adda boom dee adda boom dee adda
I love you [boom boom boom]

*
Seabow Marching-to-Church Song:

There’s a church in the valley by the wildwood
No lovelier spot in the dale
No place is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale
(Oh, come, come, come, come)
Come to the church by the wildwood
Oh, come to the church in the vale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale
How sweet on a clear Sunday morning
To listen to clear ringing bells
Its tones so sweetly are calling
Oh come to the church in the vale.

*

The noble Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up the hill
And he marched them down again
And when you’re up, you’re up
And when you’re down, you’re down
But when you’re only halfway up
You’re neither up or down.

*
EVENING SONGS [AROUND THE CAMPFIRE]

The Call of the Fire

The call of the fire comes to us through the shadows
That follow the close of the day.
Its flames bring us peace
And a calmness of spirit
That drive all our troubles away.
We are thankful for days
And the joys that they bring us
For nights and the rest that they bring.
May we go on believing
In this love we’re receiving
Just now ’round the fire as we sing….

Tell me why the stars do shine
Tell me why the ivy twines
Tell me why the sky’s so blue
Tell me Camp Seabow, just why I love you
Because God made the stars to shine
Because God made the ivy twine
Because God made the sky’s so blue
Dear Old Camp Seabow, that’s why I love you…

Seabow Prayer

If I have wounded any soul today,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have wanted my own selfish way,
Dear Lord, forgive…
Forgive these sins I have confessed to Thee,
Forgive the secret sins I do not see,
But guide me love me and my Keeper be,
Dear Lord, Amen…

Good night, Mrs. Armand,
Good night to you,
[still seeking lyrics]

Goodnight song

And now it’s time to say good night, time to say good night to you!
We wish you happy dreams dear campers (or campmates?)
May all your dreams come true!
May all your dreams come truu-oo-ooo, Oh, may all your dreams come true.
We wish you happy dreams dear campers, may all your dreams come true.

So run along now and jump into bed,
Say your prayers and cover your head,
The very last thing I say unto you, is
“If you’ll dream of me, then I’ll dream of you-oooooooo!” (rising to a screech)

*
I’ll take the neck from some old bottle
I’ll take the arm from some old chair
I’ll take the legs from some old table
and from a horse I’ll take some hair I’ll take some hair
And then I’ll put them all together
with the aid of string and glue-ue-ue
And I’ll get more loving from that gosh darn dummy
than I ever got from you!
(Get out and walk, don’t slam the door, and you’ll be mine
forever more [forever more!])

*
We’re up at Camp Seabow the land of our dreams
Where the brooklets just trickle and sparkle and stream,
So come along and join us for we are never blue
Be a member of our happy laughing crew, you too!
With burns on our fingers and bells on our toes
Oh we’re the jolly Camp Fire Girls now what do you suppose?
With fancy beds to sleep in and rags to blow our nose
Oh service is the motto of our camp, mmm mmm.

Now don’t get excited when you hear those dishes crash
Our scheme is economical it saves a lot of cash
The cook picks up the pieces and slings them in the hash
Oh service is the motto of our camp, mmm mmm.

[slow, sentimental]

Now when we are leaving…and our eyes are filled with tears
It helps to ease the sorrow if you take some souvenirs: [pick up speed]
Our fancy Western silverware will last throughout the years
Oh service is the motto of our camp, mmm mmm.

*

I don’t want to get married I’m having too much fun
I don’t want to get married to any certain one
I go with all the fellas and treat them all the same,
To marry one and leave the rest would be a dirty shame.
Rickety rick, uh huh! Wanna get hitched? Uh-UH!
I don’t want to get mar-air-eeeeeed….! I’m having too much fun.

*
Swimming, swimming, in the swimming hole
When days are hot when days are cold in the swimming hole,
Sidestroke, breaststroke, fancy diving too!
Oh don’t you wish you didn’t have anything else to do but,
[repeat]

*

Green Stamps

I met my love in a grocery shop
Selling pickles and eggplant and bottles of pop
She asked me to try her asparagus tips
And I fell for the smile on her ruby red lips.

Green stamps was all she gave
Green stamps was all I took
Green stamps was all I saved
And I pasted them all in my green stamp book.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Tongo

Tongo! Tongo!
Jim-diddy-my-o-my-i-oh!
Tongo! Tongo!
Oompy oompy oom pa pa!
Ooompy oompy omm pa pa!
Oooh -uh -lay
Oooh uh lay
Molly moll moll ooh way
Molly moll moll ooh way.

*

Alice

Alice, where are you going?
Upstairs, to take a bath
But Alice, with legs like toothpicks
and a neck like a giraffe-raffe-raffe-raffe- etc.
Alice, get in the bathtub
Pull out the plug
Oh my goodness oh my soul
There goes Alice down that hole!
Alice, where are you going?
Glub glub glub.

*

Walked right into a movie show
Sat myself in the very first row
Put my arms around my waist
Got so fresh I slapped my face
I’m a nut [click click] I’m a nut [click click]
I’m a nut I’m a nut I’m a nut.

*

Did you ever see a [toilet bowl] [match box] etc.
Now you tell me one!
[Call and response]

*

Cookie, cookie,
Listen while we sing to you
Cookie, cookie
you’re a part of Camp Fire too
Anyone can make a bed
Anyone can sweep
But it takes our cookie
To make us things to eat,
Cookie, cookie,
Listen while we sing to you! [Answer]

*

Banua

Won’t you come to me baby? Oh won’t you bring me my bail?
For a drink and a fight on a Saturday night they put me down in the Banua jail,
Chorus: Banua, Banua, Banua oh-oh, Banua, Banua, baby I don’t know.
Didn’t mean to be fightin’ and causin’ you all that shame,
But the tongue of Jonathan Brighton was scandalizin’ your name.
[Repeat chorus ] Banua, Banua etc.
Now the Banua jail is cold and damp and them rats they cover the floor,
Just ten and three is gonna set me free and I’ll be yours forever more.
[Repeat chorus]

*

Ack-GOOM went the little green frog one day
Ack -GOOM went the little green frog,
repeat first
and his eyes went ack-ack-GOOM!

*
Oh Mrs. Armand, come out and play with me
and bring your dolly three, climb up my apple tree,
Call down my rain barrel, slide down my cellar door
and we’ll be jolly friends, forever more – Answer!

*

Mrs. Armand had a dog and Sammy was his name-o,
S-a-m-m-y [etc.]

The Eel [to the tune of The Seine, the chorus of which went: “The Seine, the Seine, when will I again meet her there, greet her there on the moonlit banks of the Seine?”]

The Eel, the Eel, what a rotten deal
I see you there, feel you there on the
washed out banks of the Eel.

*

Oh how I hate to get up in the morning!
Oh how I hate to get out of bed!
For the hardest thing of all is to hear the bugle call:
“You gotta get up you gotta get up you gott get up” in the morning.
Someday I’m gonna murder the bugler
Someday you’re not gonna find her there
For I’ll amputate her reveille and stamp upon it heavily
and spend the rest of my life in bed! [Answer!]
[Usually sung in the Dining Hall to our bugler]

In the Bus:
R-I, R-I, R-I-C-H! M-O-MO-MO-N-D!
R-I-C-H-M-O-N-D, R-I-C-H-M-O-N-D!
Richmond, Richmond, yay, Richmond!

*
[In the bus, on arrival at camp]
Oh here is to the bus driver, the bus driver, the bus driver,
Oh here is to the bus driver, now you tell us one.

*
This is a very fun round in four separate parts. Each group takes one of these parts, sings them individually, and then all four groups sing their parts in unison:

(1)
Fish and chips and vinegar, vinegar, vinegar,
Fish and chips and vinegar, pepper pepper pepper pop.
(2)
One bottle of pop two bottle of pop three bottle of pop four bottle of pop
five bottle of pop six bottle of pop, seven bottles of pop.
(3)
Did you ever see a lassie go this way and that way
Did you ever see a lassie go this way and that?
(4)
Don’t put your dust in my dust pan my dust pan my dust pan
Don’t put your dust in my dust pan, my dust pan’s full.

*
Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them over your shoulder,
Like a continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?

*
And miscellaneous folk standards:
500 Miles
House of the Rising Sun
Dona Dona Dona
Sloop John B
Michael Row the Boat Ashore