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Centuries of Song

How do some songs survive for hundreds of years? How do they change over time as people pass them down? How do they remain meaningful in new times and places? We will study folk songs, spirituals, and popular songs in the public domain. We will learn about songcatchers and their collections. We will all have a chance to suggest songs or poems to include in the discussion. Recommended songbook: Rise Up Singing by Peter Blood and Annie Patterson.

Timeline | Resources | Inertia

Songcatchers

Periods

  • Prehistoric
  • Ancient
  • Medieval
  • Modern

Oldtime

(Faith, Freedom, Gospel, Spirituals)

  • How Can I Keep From Singing? (Eb) 43
  • Old Hundreth (Eb) 46
  • Gift to Be Simple (Eb) 47
  • Go Down Moses (em) 59
  • O Mary Don’t You Weep (G) 63
  • Daniel in the Lion’s Den (G) 94
  • Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho (Em) 210
  • Old Time Religion (Eb) 211
  • Rock My Soul (d) 212
  • Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (d) 212
  • We Sat and Wept (Em)

Rebirth

(Ballads, Dreams)

  • Barbara Allen (C) 7
  • Black is the Color (C#m) 8
  • Brennan on the Moor (D) 8
  • The Great Silkie (Gmix d) 10
  • Green Grow the Rushes (g) 11
  • I Know Where I’m Goin (c) 11
  • John Barleycorn (am) 12
  • The Keeper (c) 12
  • Star of the County Down 14
  • The Water is Wide (d) 15
  • Wraggle Taggle Gypsies (Am) 16
  • Lavender’s Blue (c) 29

Romance

(Dreams, Golden, Hard, Love)

  • Believe Me (c) 77
  • You Are My Sunshine (d) 83
  • Banks of the Ohio (d) 99
  • Frankie and Johnny (c) 100
  • Annie Laurie (A) 121
  • Coming Through the Rye (d) 122
  • Danny Boy (Bb) 122
  • Down By the Sally Gardens (Bb) 123
  • Down in the Valley (d) 123
  • Red is the Rose (D) 127
  • Spanish Is the Loving Tongue (c) 128
  • Loch Lomond (D) 153
  • On Top of Old Smokey (D) 175

Roots

(Dreams, Farm, Golden, Good, Lullabies, Outdoors, Play, Rich)

  • Over the Rainbow (c) 31
  • Buffalo Gals (d) 49
  • Get Along Little Dogies (D) 53
  • Home on the Range (d) 53
  • I Ride an Old Paint (g) 53
  • Red River Valley (e) 56
  • Streets of Laredo (e) 57
  • I Get a Kick Out of You + (em) 79
  • My Favorite Things (em) 88
  • Summertime (em) 135
  • Edelweiss (g) 152
  • If I Only Had a Brain (d) 172
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime (am) 180
  • Drill Ye Tarriers Drill (Bm) 254

War

(America, Freedom, Peace, Struggle, Women)

Travel

(Freedom, Good, Seas, Traveling)

  • New River Train (d) 89
  • A-Rovin’ (Eb) 198
  • Blow the Man Down (c) 199
  • Drunken Sailor (Dm) 201
  • Farewell to Tarwathie (Eb) 201
  • The Golden Vanity (g) 201
  • Haul Away Joe (Am) 202
  • Jamaica Farewell (c) 203
  • The John B. Sails (Eb) 203
  • Shenandoah (c) 206
  • Ship Titanic (Eb) 206
  • City of New Orleans (c) 230
  • The Erie Canal (Cm) 232
  • Five Hundred Miles (Eb) 232
  • The Wabash Cannonball (Eb) 236

Home

(Farm, Home, Lullabies)

Time

(City, Farm, Gospel, Play, Time)

Play

(Lullabies, Mountain, Outdoors, Play, Rounds)

  • Go Tell Aunt Rhody (d) 131
  • Hush Little Baby (d) 133
  • Riddle Song (d) 135
  • Old Dan Tucker (g) 148
  • Crawdad (e) 151
  • Alouette (d) 166
  • Boom Boom (g) 167
  • Frog Went A-Courting (d) 168
  • Old MacDonald (d) 175
  • This Old Man (d) 178
  • Down At the Station (d) 189
  • Kookaburra (c) 190
  • One Bottle of Pop (f) 191
  • Sumer Is Icumen In (c) 192
  • Little Bird

Carols

(Ballads, Faith, Good Times, Spirituals)

  • The Cherry Tree Carol (x) 9
  • The Coventry Carol (em) 10
  • The Holly and the Ivy (x) 11
  • The Holly Bears a Berry (d) 11
  • Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella (D) 40
  • The Friendly Beasts (d) 42
  • I Wonder As I Wander (Em) 43
  • O Come Emmanuel (em) 46
  • The Boar’s Head Carol 84
  • Twelve Days of Christmas 91
  • Lo How a Rose (c) 117
  • Go Tell It on the Mountain (d) 209
  • Wexford Carol

Contrafact

(hymns, recycling, parodies)

  • Buffalo Gals 49
  • Greensleeves, What Child
  • Rosin the Beau 89
  • On Top of Spaghetti 175
  • Blue Moon, Heart and Soul
  • Twinkle, Baa Baa
  • Pig in the Parlor
  • Fitzgerald