Short Songs, Silly Songs and Chants

        Here are some short songs, some silly songs and some songs that are really chants. Some of these have come from summer camp, some from other Scouters. Please send me your favorites and I'll include them here.

Table of Contents

Mary Had a Swarm of Bees

Mary had a swarm of bees
Swarm of bees, swarm of bees
Mary had a swarm of bees
and they to save their lives
had to go where Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went.
Had to go where Mary went
'Cause Mary had the hives.

Tree Toad

Tune: Auld Lang Syne

A tree toad loved a fair she toad
That lived up in a tree;
She was a fair three-toed tree toad
But a two-toed toad was he.
The two-toed tree toad tried to win
The she toad's friendly nod;
For the two-toed tree toad loved the ground
That the three-toed tree toad trod.

Now three-toed tree toads have no care
For two-toed tree toad love,
But the two-toed tree toad fain would share
A tree home up above.
In vain the two-toed tree toad tried;
He couldn't please her whim.
In her tree toad bower with veto power,
The she toad vetoed him!

Two Little Fleas

Tune: Auld Lang Syne

Two little fleas together sat
They cried when one flea said;
"I've had no place to lay my head,
Since my old dog is dead.
I've traveled far from place to place
And farther will I roam.
But the next old dog that shows his face
Will be my home sweet home."

Arizona Star

I'm an Arizona, Arizona, Arizona star
And I come from the west where the Cowgirls are
I can ride 'em, I can rope 'em
I can show how its done,
I'm a rootin' tootin' cowgirl with my six-shooting gun
Bumbadadum, bang bang!

At The Boarding House

To the old tune of Silver Threads Among the Gold

At the boarding house where I live
Everything is growing old,
Silver hairs are on the butter,
Cheese is growing green with mold.

When the dog died we had hot dogs,
When the cat died, catnip tea.
When the landlord died, I left there.
Spareribs were to much for me!

(In harmony)
Toooo much foooor meeeeeee!

-- Thanks to Kat Jensen, Texas, USA

Big Nose Billy Blue's Famous Booger Stew

Out west I met an outlaw, name of Big Nose Billy Blue.
He was big & mean & nasty & known to've killed a man or two.
When asked to stay for vittles I said, "I'd love to Billy Blue".
He pushed a bowl at me and growled, "eat up it's booger stew".

Booger stewwwww
Booooooger stewwwww

I bit my lip and the tears welled up not wont'in to be rude.
I gulped "what's in it Billy"? He grinned, "it's just a treat for you".
His nostrils flared like cannons he said, "it's just my secret brew".
Then he pulled his six gun and I knew what I'd have to do.

Booger stewwwww
Booooooger stewwwww

I grit my teeth and held my nose and sipped it while I cried.
It tasted good I told him, but my blood ran cold inside.
"Now how'd you make it taste so good", I asked him to confide.
"Chopped beef, you know, hambooger", he said.
And I sat right down and cried.

Booger stewwwww
Booooooger stewwwww

-- Thanks to E. Owen Head

Three Blind Jellyfish

(to the tune of Three Blind Mice)

Three blind jellyfish
Three blind jellyfish
Three blind jellyfish
Sitting on a rock!

But a wave hits and knocks off a jellyfish from the rock! Oh no!

Two blind jellyfish
Two blind jellyfish
Two blind jellyfish
Sitting on a rock!

But a wave hits and knocks off another jellyfish! Oh no!

Two blind jellyfish
Two blind jellyfish
Two blind jellyfish
Sitting on a rock!

But a wave hits and knocks off the last jellyfish off the rock! Oh no!

No blind jellyfish
No blind jellyfish
No blind jellyfish
Sitting on a rock!

And a wave comes in, and we get a jellyfish back! Yeah!

(continue with song, usually until 4 or 5 jellyfish are on the rock)

Movements: for number, hold up that many fingers Blind- hold hands over eyes, with elbows going out to the sides Jellyfish- take hands from eyes and spread like you are doing the breaststroke, and wiggle fingers. When you loose a jellyfish, have one go back in line. Likewise, when you get a jellyfish, have it come from the line to the "rock". This is a good one for summer camp, because you can get many more jellyfish on the rock than you could at a meeting.

The Camp Counselor Song

Sung to the tune of Mr. Sandman

Camp director, bring us a dream
Please bring us children who never scream,
Please make them listen and make them polite
And put them right to sleep when we turn out the light

Camp director, I'm never alone,
ain't got no bedroom to call my own
so please turn on your flashlight beam
camp director, bring us a dream.

Camp director, I've had enough
I'm going crazy, I need a day off
We've had two tick bites and lots of mosquitos
And I can't get these kids to change their clothes

Camp director, one wet the bed
Another one's sick with a pain in her head.
One's got poison ivy, one wants to go home
And this one's hair really needs a comb

Camp director (yessssss),
The tents are a mess
These kids are horrors and they want my address
I'd send them all home if I could
Tut they love it here in the woods

I'm Only Small

[Tune: Wonderwall by Oasis]

Today is gonna be the day
That you've gotta do the washing-up
By now you should have washed those plates
And then started on those cups
I don't believe you've washed those Billies
The way I asked you to Ð SO DO IT NOW!

Chorus:
And all the paths we hike they keep on winding
And all the torches shining they are blinding
And even when the leaders nag
They are trying to help you Ð to get you through
I think maybe, they're only trying to save me

And after all, I'm only small.
Backbeat, the word is on the street
That the cooking fire has gone out
Everyone starts to panic
And then starts to run about
Get some paper, and some matches
And cut some kindling too Ð THAT'S WHAT TO DO!

Chorus
And all the paths we hike they keep on winding
And all the torches shining they are blinding
And even when the leaders nag
They are trying to help you Ð to get you through
I think maybe, they're only trying to save me
And after all, I'm only small.
I'm only small,
I'M ONLY SMALL.

My Old Man's a Sailor

I was a Girl Scout camp counselor this summer at Camp Tik-A-Witha in Van Vleet, MS. This was my absolute favorite camp song. I remember it from when I was at camp as a child. You sing the song over and over, each time replacing the word "sailor" with another occupation.

My old man's a sailor
now what do you think about that?
He wears a sailor's collar,
he wears a sailor's hat.
He wears a sailor's raincoat,
he wears a sailor's shoe.
And every Saturday evening,
he reads the sailor's news.
And someday, if I can,
I'm gonna be a sailor,
just like my old man.

-- Thanks to Brandy Burnette, Columbus, MS

Pizza!

A repeat after me chant

Pizza!
Sauce!
Sauce and cheese
Sauce and cheese and anchovies
Eat-a-lotta, eat-a-lotta, eat-a lotta pizza
Oh, no! Don't drop the pizza!
If you drop the pizza then nobody eatsa
Pizza and Coke are srump-dili-icious
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble BURP!

-- Thanks to Curt Abbott -- Pack 183, Warwick, RI

Tarzan

The leader leads it, and every line is repeated.

Tarzan!
Swinging from a rubber band
Crashed into a frying pan
Now Tarzan has a tan

Jane!
Was flying in an aeroplane
Crashed into a freeway lane
Now Jane's got a pain
Now Tarzan's got a tan

Cheetah!
Was walking down the street-a
Moving to the beat-a
Now Cheetah is Velveeta
Now Jane's got a pain
Now Tarzan's got a tan

Shamu!
Was swimming in the ocean blue
Crashed into a big canoe
Now Shamu's gonna sue
Now Cheetah is Velveeta
Now Jane's got a pain
Now Tarzan's got a tan

Charlie!
Was riding on his Harley
Crashed into Bob Marley
Now Charlie's not so gnarly
Now Shamu's gonna sue
Now Cheetah is Velveeta
Now Jane's got a pain
Now Tarzan's got a tan
Now my friends that is the end.

-- Thanks to Katrina Paruch, Brownie leader, British Columbia, Canada

Ghost Chickens In The Sky

Sung to tune "Ghost Riders in the Sky"

The chicken farmer he went out - one dark and dreary day.
He rested by the chicken coop as he went on his way.
When all at once a rotten egg smacked him in the eye.
It was the sight that he dreaded, . . . Ghost chickens in the sky!

CHORUS
Brrraawwkk, Brraawwkk, Brraawwkk, Brrrrrrraaaaaaawwwwwkkkk
Brrraawwkk, Brraawwkk, Brraawwkk, Brrrrrrraaaaaaawwwwwkkkk
Ghost chickens, . . . Ghost chickens in the sky!

The farmer had been raising foul, since he was twenty-four.
Workin' for the Colonel, for thirty years or more.
Killing all those chickens, and sending them to fry,
Now they wanted their revenge, . . . Ghost chickens in the sky!

<<chorus>>

Their feet were black and shiny, and their eyes were burning red.
They had no meat or feathers, these chickens were his dead!
They plucked the farmer off his feet, and he died by their claw.
They cooked him extra crispy, . . . And ate him with Cole slaw!

<<chorus>>

The Peanut's Surprise

Sung to tune "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

A peanut sat on the railroad track,
His heart was all a flutter,
And round the bend came Number 10.
(short pause) Egad! He's peanut butter.

{Counter Verse}

Chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga,
K-thump, K-thump, K-thump
Too-oot, too-oot, too-oot, too-oot.
(spoken) Squiiiiiissssshhhh!
Egad! He's peanut butter.

Mama's Soup Surprise

Sung to tune "Supercalifragilisticexpialodocious"

Oh, chicken lips and lizard hips and alligator eyes,
Monkey legs and buzzard eggs, and salamander thighs,
Rabbit ears and camel rears, and tasty toenail pies,
Stir them altogether and its Mama's soup surprise!

Greeting Song

Sung to tune "Auld Lang Syne"

We're here for fun right from the start so drop your dignity,
Just laugh and sing with all your heart and show your loyalty.
May all your troubles be forgot, Let this night be the best.
Join in the songs we sing tonight, Be happy with the rest.

Galoomph Went the Little Green Frog

Galoomph went the little green frog one day
Galoomph went the litle green frog one day.
Galoomph went the little green frog one day,
and his eyes went Galoomph, too.

Honk! honk! went the big Mack truck one day.
Squish squash went the little green frog
And his eyes couldn't go Galoomph anymore
Cause he got eaten up by a dog. Roof! Roof!

Road Kill Stew

Tune: Three Blind Mice

Road Kill stew,
Road Kill stew,
Tases so good,
Just like it should.

First you go down to the Interstate
You wait for the critter to meet it's fate.
You take it home and you make it great!
Road Kill stew,
Road Kill stew.

-- Thanks to Chuck Bramlet

Oni Woni

For the next round (same words always), you tap your own knees, then the knees of the guy to your right, then your own, then those of the guy to your left, and so on. This is easy.

For your 'brown belt' of Oni Woni, you fold your arms - one forearm just lying on top of the other. Now try to follow me on this one - its tricky. An arm moves in line with the beat of the chant, bending only at the elbow, so only the forearm moves, thus:

Start both folded.
Right arm out (pointing forwards)
Left arm out
Right arm in
Left arm in
Right arm up (pointing up)
Left arm up
Right arm down
left arm down
now back to right arm out again, etc.

For the black belt of Oni Woni, you grip your right ear with your left hand, and your middle nose with the other hand. Then swap, completely over: Left ear with right hand, nose with left hand. Try it a few times. It's tricky. Then repeat with the chant.

Hope everyone's laughing by now! With a bit of practice, you can move swiftly on from one movement to the next.

As a finale (Black Belt, 1st Dan) you can double the speed. I guess you could try going in reverse, although I've never tried it! !!

-- Thanks to Chris Boardman, Cub Scout Leader, 1st Bournville Panther Cub Scouts, Birmingham UK

Hello

[Tunes: Coca Cola's I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing or Auld Lang Syne (first 3 verses only)]

I love to hear the word Hello,
Wherever I may go.
It's full of friendship
And good cheer
And warms the heart up so.

Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello,
Hello, Hello, Hello.

When e'er we meet
Like friends let's greet
Each other with Hello.

Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello,
Hello, Hello, Hello.

When e'er we meet
Like friends let's greet
Each other with Hello.

-- Thanks to Laura Humphrey

Bug Juice

(Tune: On Top of Old Smokey)

-- Thanks to Robert J. Fisher

Calamine Lotion

(Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)

-- Thanks to Robert J. Fisher

Something in My Pocket

(Tune: Brownie Smile Song)

-- Thanks to Robert J. Fisher

The Billboard

As I was walking down the street one dark and dreary day,
I came upon a billboard, and much to my dismay,
The sign was torn and tattered from a storm the night before.
The wind and rain had done its job and this is what I saw:

Smooooooke, Coca-Cola Cigarettes
Chew Wrigley's Spearmint Beer
Ken-L-Ration Dog Food Makes Your Complexion Clear
Simonize Your Baby With A Hersey's Candy Bar
And Texacola Beauty Cream Is Used By All The Stars

Soooooo Take You Next Vacation In A Brand New Fridgidaire
Learn To Play Piano In Your Winter Underwear
Doctors Say That Babies Should Smoke Until They're Three
And People Over Sixty-five Should Bathe In Lipton Tea...

With Flow Thru Bags!
--Thanks to Heather Clemens

An Annoying Song

I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves
I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves
I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves
- And this is how it goes:

Repeat indefinately!

Or --

This is the song that never ends,
It goes around and round again.
This is the song that never ends,
It goes around and round again...

Or --

The cow went up the hill. The cow went up the hill.
Next verse, same as the first, it never gets better, it only gets worse.
(repeat)

-- Thanks to Signe Rogers, John Pannell

The Life of a Dog is for Me

( Words Copyright 1996 Cub Resources)

Scout Socks

-- Thanks to Jim Lindberg

Crabs Walk Sideways

Crabs walk sideways and lobsters welk straight,
And you can't take a crab for your mate.

-- Thanks to Brenda Desormeaux

Horse and Flea (Boom Boom)

"A horse and a flea and three blind mice,
Sat on a kerbstone shooting dice,
The horse slipped and fell on the flea,
The flea said whoops there's a horse on me.

Boom Boom aint it grand to be crazy
Boom Boom aint it grand to be crazy
Giddy and foolish all day long
Boom Bomm aint it grand to be crazy"


There are actions --
A horse -- make large round in air with arms
A flea -- little as between finger and thumb
3 -- as 3 fingers
blind mice -- hands over eyes
Sat on kerbstone -- left arm across chest
Shooting dice -- right hand 'shooting dice' across left arm
The horse -- same again
slipped -- shooting action with right arm
and fell on the flea -- same as last time
the flea -- ditto
theres a horse -- same again
on me -- clap on hand down on other hand.

Boom Boom -- clap hands
Aint it grand to be crazy -- wave arms wildly around
repeat
Giddy & foolish all day long -- hug arms round oneself
B -B a i g t b crazy - as before.

-- Thanks to Eileen Kermode, Maghull, Liverpool, England

Three Little Elephants Went to Play

-- Thanks to Eileen Kermode

Honorsorarius

-- Thanks to Eileen Kermode

My Aunt Greet

-- Thanks to Eileen Kermode, Maghull, Liverpool, England

There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea

-- Thanks to Eileen Kermode, Maghull, Liverpool, England

Be Kind to Your Web Footed Friends

Be kind to your web-footed friends
For a duck may be somebody's brother
Ducks are the demons of the swamp
Where the weather is dark and damp

Now you may think this is the end
Well it is!

The Camp Shirts Chant

Camp Shirts, they never get dirty...
They longer you wear them the stronger you get...
Sometimes I think we should wash them,
But something inside me keeps saying.. not yet not yet not yet

Our Honored Guests Are Here!

Sung to the tune, "Farmer in the Dell"

Chorus:
"Our honored guests are here!
Our honored guests are here!
So stand up now and take a bow,
Our honored guests are here!"

Other groups to name, in no particular order:

Mothers
Brothers
Sisters
Aunts
Uncles
Cousins
Grandfathers
Grandmothers
Rovers
Cub Scouts
Boy Scouts
Commissioners
Girl Guides
Mayor

-- Thanks to Rodger Morris, Scoutmaster, Troop 852, Ventura County Council

Bugs

Tune: Row, row, row your boat

Catch, catch, catch a bug.
Put it in a jar.
Sometimes they fly, sometimes they die,
but most get squashed on your car.

-- Thanks to Cathy Porter, Pack 987 and Troop 424

The Fungus that I Grew

Tune: Clementine

This here is a story of a fungus that I grew,
It was homework done for science but it quickly went askew
Had I known then what would happen
When I mixed some Spam with glue
I never would have started, on the fungus that I grew!

-- Thanks to Nancy, Assistant Cub Master Pack 3506, Salt Lake City

Singin' in the Rain

-- Thanks to Ted Marconi Allegheny Highlands Council, BSA, Smethport, PA

Mind Your Own Business

Everywhere we go,
People always ask us,
Who we are,
And where we come from,
So we tell them,

Mind your own business,
Get your nose out of it,
Bucket on your head,
And toast down your trousers,
And if they can't hear us,
We'll say it very posh

Every where one goes,
People are always inquiring of one,
Asking who one is,
And where one's abode is situated,
And so one always informs them,
In the politest possible wayÉ

Mind your own business
Get your nose out of it,
Bucket on your head,
And toast down your trousers,
And if they can't hear us,
We'll say it like a hippie man É

Every where I go man,
People are always hassling me,
Asking who I am inside,
And where my roots are,
And so I always meditate to them
In the calmest possible way É

Mind your own business
Get your nose out of it,
Bucket on your head,
And toast down your trousers,
And if they can't hear us,
We'll say it like a Valley Girl.

Everywhere I drive,
People are always phoning me,
Asking what my Daddy does
And where my clothes come from,
And so I always gossip to them,
On my mobile phone É

Mind your own business
Get your nose out of it,
Bucket on your head,
And toast down your trousers,
And if they can't hear us,
They must be deaf!

-- Thanks to Rachel

I'm a Little Piece of Tin

I'm a little piece of tin,
Nobody knows what shape I'm in.
I've got four wheels,
And a running board.
I'm not a Chevy and
I'm not a Ford.
Honk! Honk!
Rattle, rattle, rattle,
Crash! Beep! Beep!
Honk! Honk!
Rattle, rattle, rattle,
Crash! Beep! Beep!
Honk, Honk.

-- Thanks to Catherine M. Cory, Chesapeake, VA

My Dream

(tune: Home on the Range)

Oh, give me a suit that an astronaut wears,
And a ship that he flys to the moon.
And if I study the stars and the planets out there,
My dreams will surely come true.
Oh, how I dream of the stars
And the sky and the planets and moon.
I know if I dream just as hard as an astronaut does,
Then I'll be an astronaut too.

Moon Walk

(Tune: La Cucaracha)

I have a spaceship,
I have a spaceship,
and I will fly it to the moon.
I have a spaceship,
I have a space ship,
and I will go there very soon.

And when I get there,
and when I get there,
I will walk upon the moon.
And I will see it,
and I will like it.
Oh it will be so very cool!

Stars and Planets

(Tune: Swanee River)

Way up among the stars and planets,
Far, far in space.
That's where we'll find the life and knowledge,
To live out there some day.
If you search the Milky Way,
You may find life there.
Way up among the stars and planets,
Far out in Outer Space.

The Astronaut's Plea

(Tune: My Bonnie Lies...)

I went for a ride in my space ship,
The moon and the planets to see.
I went for a ride in my space ship,
Now listen what happen to me.

Chorus:
Bring back, bring back, Oh bring back my spaceship tome, to me.
Bring back, bring back, Oh bring back my spaceship to me.

I went for a ride in a spaceship,
The capsule was crowded and I,
Developed a cramp in my muscles,
So I decided to walk in the sky. (Chorus)

I went for a walk in my spacesuit.
The ship was controlled from the ground,
And someone in charge down at NASA,
Forgot I was walking around. (Chorus)

Little Red Wagon

You can't ride in my little red wagon
Backseat's broken and the axles draggen
You can't ride in my little red wagon
Maybe tomorrow, but NOT TODAY!
Second verse, same as the first,
A whole lot louder and a whole lot worse. etc.

After about four or five verses, no words can be made out in the din that results.

-- Thanks to Nathan Beauheim, 1997 Scoutcraft Director, Camp Frank Rand Chimayo, NM, Great Southwest Council

3 Cheers for the Bus Driver

(Sung to "Did You Ever See a Lassie?")

My favorite all time song for the end of the field trip

3 Cheers for the Bus Driver, the bus driver, the bus driver
3 Cheers for the Bus Driver, the bus driver today.

He's married, he's jolly, he's built like a trolley
3 Cheers for the Bus Driver, the bus driver today
God bless him - HE NEEDS IT!
God bless him- HE NEEDS IT!
3 Cheers for the Bus Driver, the bus driver today

Sailing, Sailing

Words by Prof. Evona York, UABC - Mexico (for Las Colinas District Cub Day Camp (CA) 1999)

Sailing, sailing -
Sure wish we had a boat
Instead of this leaky old guitar
So we could stay afloat!
Sailing, Sailing,
Hoping the sharks don't bite!
If a big octopus
Does not swaller us,
We may get home tonight!

Sailing, sailing -
Hoping it doesn't rain,
Because if it does,
A terrible fuzz
Will grow on our ears again.
Sailing, sailing
Trying to hitch a ride!
If you ride on a whale
Hold onto his tail
Or you may end up inside!

Sailing, sailing -
Paddling like a frog,
You play a kazoo,
And holler "Wahoo!"
While splashing through the fog.
Sailing, sailing,
What if you cannot swim?
Just find a seahorse,
With a saddle, of course,
And you can ride home on him!

Green Socks

Green socks they never get dirty
the longer you wear them the stronger they get.
Sometimes I think I might wash them
but something inside me keeps saying
Not Yet Not Yet Not Yet NOT YET!!!!

Worms

The worms crawl in
The worms crawl out
The ants play pinochle
on your snout

Your guts turn green
Like vaseline
Your pus runs out
Like whipping cream

Never laugh
When a hearse goes by
Or you may be
The next to die

They'll wrap you up
In a bloody sheet
And throw you down
About sixty feet

The worms crawl in.....

WEE WEE

Wee Wee , Wee Wee, Wee Wee Wee Wee Wee, Wee Wee
When I was a Wee Wee tot
They took me off my Wee Wee cot
And put me on my Wee Wee pot
To see if I could Wee or not

Wee Wee, Wee Wee, Wee Wee Wee Wee, Wee Wee

And when they saw that I could not
They took me off my Wee Wee pot
And put me on my Wee Wee cot
And there I gave it all I've Got!

Wee Wee, Wee Wee, Wee Wee Wee Wee, Wee Wee