ScoutBase25 songs for the fire. Search for one, or scroll from the loud ones at the top to the quiet ones at the end.
Tune: “Frère Jacques” · sing it as a three-part round
Campfires burning, campfires burning,
Draw nearer, draw nearer,
In the glowing, in the glowing,
Come sing and be merry.
Split into three groups. The second starts when the first reaches “draw nearer”, the third when the second does.
Tune: traditional — the oldest Scout campfire chant there is
Ging gang gooli gooli gooli gooli watcha,
Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.
Ging gang gooli gooli gooli gooli watcha,
Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.
Heyla, heyla sheyla, heyla sheyla, heyla ho,
Heyla, heyla sheyla, heyla sheyla, heyla ho.
Shalli-walli, shalli-walli, shalli-walli, shalli-walli,
Oompa, oompa, oompa, oompa.
It means nothing at all — that's the point. Once through slowly, then as fast as you can manage.
Tune: “The Girl I Left Behind Me” · point at the other patrol
There ain't no flies on us,
There ain't no flies on us.
There might be flies on some of you guys,
But there ain't no flies on us!
Patrol against patrol — swap “you guys” for the other mob's name.
Tune: “Singin' in the Rain” · add one action each time through
We're singing in the rain, just singing in the rain,
What a glorious feeling, we're happy again.
Hang about!
Thumbs up! (everyone echoes)
A-root-ta-ta, root-ta-ta, root-ta-ta-TA!
By the last verse nobody can sing a word — that's when you stop.
Spoken, not sung — the leader calls each line, everyone repeats it
I said a-boom-chicka-boom,
I said a-boom-chicka-boom,
I said a-boom-chicka-rocka-chicka-rocka-chicka-boom.
Uh-huh! Oh yeah!
One more time, (name a) style!
Then invent your own: underwater, opera, slow-motion, Cub style.
Tune: traditional · count down from five, bump hips on every “boom”
Alice the camel has five humps,
Alice the camel has five humps,
Alice the camel has five humps,
So go, Alice, go — boom, boom, boom!
Repeat with four humps, three, two, one…
Alice the camel has no humps,
Alice the camel has no humps,
Alice the camel has no humps,
'Cos Alice is a horse!
Tune: “On Top of Old Smoky”
On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door.
It rolled in the garden,
And under a bush,
And then my poor meatball,
Was nothing but mush.
The mush was as tasty,
As tasty could be,
And then the next summer,
It grew into a tree.
The tree was all covered,
All covered with moss,
And on it grew meatballs,
And tomato sauce.
So if you eat spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
Hold on to your meatball,
Whenever you sneeze!
Tune: traditional spiritual · slow, soft, one verse at a time
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah,
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah,
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah,
O Lord, kum ba yah.
Someone's crying, Lord, kum ba yah… (×3)
O Lord, kum ba yah.
Someone's singing, Lord, kum ba yah… (×3)
O Lord, kum ba yah.
Someone's praying, Lord, kum ba yah… (×3)
O Lord, kum ba yah.
Tune: traditional marching song · stand on “up”, sit on “down”
Oh, the Grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men,
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
Faster each time round until everyone collapses.
Tune: traditional · one more clap replaces one more letter
There was a dog in my back yard,
And Bingo was his name-o.
B—I—N—G—O,
B—I—N—G—O,
B—I—N—G—O,
And Bingo was his name-o.
Spoken chant · a hand shape for every food
A pizza hut, a pizza hut,
Fried chicken and a pizza hut.
A pizza hut, a pizza hut,
Fried chicken and a pizza hut.
Burger bar, burger bar,
Fried chicken and a pizza hut.
Burger bar, burger bar,
Fried chicken and a pizza hut.
Tune: traditional Australian round · four parts if you're brave
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.
Kookaburra sits on an electric wire,
Jumping up and down with his pants on fire.
Ouch, Kookaburra, ouch, Kookaburra,
How your tail must hurt.
Kookaburra sits on a rusty nail,
Gets a boo-boo in his tail.
Cry, Kookaburra, cry, Kookaburra,
How life can be cruel.
Tune: traditional · lean with every direction, faster each verse
'Twas a sunny day when I went to play,
Down by the sea.
I climbed aboard a pirate ship,
And the captain said to me:
“We're going this way, that way,
Forwards, backwards,
Up and down, up and down,
Over the deep blue sea.”
Finish by singing the captain's lines twice through, as fast as you can.
Tune: “O Tannenbaum” · the last song, sung standing in a circle
Softly falls the light of day,
While our campfire fades away.
Silently each Scout should ask,
“Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honour bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Have I done and have I dared
In everything to be prepared?”
Listen, Lord, oh listen, Lord,
As I whisper soft and low.
Bless my mum and bless my dad,
There is something they should know.
I have kept my honour bright,
The Promise and Law have been my guide.
Mum and Dad, this you should know,
Deep in my heart I love you so.
Tune: traditional camp version · alligator hands, one bite per line
Baby shark, dut-do dut-dut-dut-do,
Baby shark, dut-do dut-dut-dut-do,
Baby shark, dut-do dut-dut-dut-do,
Baby shark… UHHHHH!
Spoken · the leader says each line, everyone echoes it back
Goin' on a bear hunt,
I'm not afraid!
It's a beautiful day,
The sun is shining,
The birds are singing,
The bees are buzzing.
What's that? Tall grass!
Sweep your arms, swish-swish-swish.
What's that? A tall tree!
Climb all the way up, then back down.
What's that? Ohh, it's mud!
March through it — slosh, slosh, slosh.
What's that? It's a river!
We're going to have to swim.
Swim hard across it.
What's that? Ohh, it's a dark cave…
Drop to a whisper here.
I can't see anything.
I can feel something.
I can hear something.
We'd better take out our torches.
Click it on.
Oh — it's a bear. RUN!
Chant “I'm not afraid!” between every obstacle. Then back through the cave, the river, the mud, the tree, the grass — in reverse, at top speed.
Tune: traditional Australian · chorus after every verse
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
“You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.”
ChorusWaltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
“You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.”
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
“You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.”
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
“Whose that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.”
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
“You'll never catch me alive,” said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
“You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.”
Tune: traditional marching song · chorus after every verse
There was cheese, cheese, wobbling in the breeze,
In the store, in the store.
There was cheese, cheese, wobbling in the breeze,
In the Quartermaster's store.
ChorusMy eyes are dim, I cannot see,
I have not brought my specs with me,
I have not brought my specs with me.
Shouted echo · leader calls, everyone answers louder
Everywhere we go-o, (echo)
People want to know-o, (echo)
Who we a-are, (echo)
So we tell them! (echo)
We are (your group), (echo)
Mighty, mighty (your group)! (echo)
And if they can't hear you — round again, a little louder.
Tune: traditional · everyone takes a turn inventing the last line
Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow,
Back to my home, I dare not go.
For if I do, my mother will say:
“Did you ever see a goose, kissing a moose,
Down by the bay?”
Tune: traditional · a little faster every single time
There was an old man named Michael Finnegan,
He grew whiskers on his chinnegan,
The wind came out and blew them in again,
Poor old Michael Finnegan —
begin again!
There is no last verse. Somebody has to be brave enough to stop it.
Tune: traditional · three-part round, one group in every four beats
Black socks, they never get dirty,
The longer you wear them the stronger they get.
Sometimes I think I should wash them,
But something keeps telling me: don't do it yet,
Not yet, not yet, not yet…
Tune: “Frère Jacques” · drop one word for an action each round
Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his ear,
Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his ear,
Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his ear,
And he flicked it till it flew away.
Round two: no “rabbit” — two fingers up for ears instead. Round three: no “fly” — buzz your finger. Round four: no “flicked” — flick your ear.
Tune: “Taps” · almost a whisper, as the coals go orange
Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.
Fading light dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh,
Falls the night.
Echo song · leader calls, everyone repeats
I met the littlest worm,
That I had ever seen.
He was sitting on my thumb,
And chewing bubble gum.
ChorusI sat there and I cried,
Until the worm had died.
keep the call and answer going until nobody can keep a straight face.