Have a favorite camp song you want to share?
E-mail suggestions to: kilowan.blog (at) gmail.com
Thanks! -Larken
Graces
Night Songs
A Gift
Beetle’s Song
Dona
Five Hundred Miles
Kilowan
Moon on the Meadow
Odin
On My Honor
On the Loose
Processional
Recessional
Spider’s Web
Today
Voyager
Witchi Tai Tai
Day Songs
Bear in Tennis Shoes
Cookies
Friday Morn
Jell-O Song
Mountain Dew
Riggety Jig
Skeeters and the Bedbugs
Way Up in the Sky
kilowan memories 
I have a little present here for you inside this tiny bottle ,so very small and blue.
please do not uncork it or everyting will get away.
I thought you might like your own summer’s day
to put it on away.
I’d be pleased if you didn’t ask why I gave this gift to you.
Don’t know myself , did it on a whim, as the thought came runnin’ through.
Thought it might make you happy in a summertime sort of way .
And I thought you might like your own summer’s day ,
to put it on away.
Now, can you read the writing on this tiny bottle wall?
I knwo it’s quite small but I can read it all.
It says… she who is a readin’ me and lookin’ at my side, might be interested at what lies inside.
it holds one breath of a butterfly, and
one ray from the sun, and
lots ‘n’ lots of laughter from little children’s fun.
So- don’t you dare uncork me
or everything will get away.
I’d like to hold on to my own summer’s day
……………to put it on away………
I was just surfing the internet and came across this page. I am glad some are trying to keep the memories alive. This time of year is especially piercing as we head into summer. I work at a school and on an over night trip I got to sing some of the old songs to the girls I work with. I look back on my years at camp as some of the best times of my child and young adulthood. I will work on remembering songs. By the way Finnigan, you were my counselor years ago.
can you iggy can you wiggy can you jump back and giggle can you cut can you strut can you do the butt
What happend to the song’s we use to sing on the last night when we would light up “the ferry barges” and send them off into the lake….I think there are some song’s that are still missing.(??)
I forgot about the ferry barges! That was so cool. Love this memory!!
What lake were you sending them off into?
out of my window looking in the night, I can see the barges flickering light!
Ah, I remember it like yesterday- little pieces of wood all decorated with moss and candles then floating them off into the canoe lake. So pretty.
Barges
Out of my window looking in the night
I can see the barges flickering light
silently flows the water to the stream
and the barges too go silently
Barges I would like to go with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue
Barges have you treasures in your hull
do you fight with pirates brave and bold
Enjoy! (This was my favorite camp song)
There was more than that… (corrections in caps)
Chorus:
Barges, I would like to go with you,
I would like to sail the ocean blue.
Barges, have you treasures in your HOLD?
Do you fight with pirates brave and bold?
Out of my window looking in the night,
I can see the barges flickering light.
Silently flows the water to the SEA
and the barges too go silently.
Chorus
Out of my window looking in the night,
I can see the barges flickering light.
Starboard shines green and port is glowing red,
I can see their signals far ahead.
Chorus
How my heart longs to sail away with you,
I would like to sail the ocean blue.
But I must stay beside my window drear,
as I watch you sail away from here.
Chorus
One of our teachers at Outdoor School in the 1970’s, told us this song was written by a child who was in a Hospital and would watch the ships from his window. Don’t know if that’s… but it made for a good story. 🙂
Oh I loved the songs we sang at camp. My favorite all time song was the bear one where we sang in teams, like pete and repete.
The other day
I met a bear
A great big bear
Away out there! (both groups repeat)
He looked at me
I looked at him
He sized up me
I sized up him! (repeat)
He said to me
“Why don’t you run?
I see you ain’t
Got any gun!” (repeat)
And so I ran
Away from there
But right behind
Me was that bear! (repeat)
Ahead of me
There was a tree
A great big tree
Oh, glory be! (repeat)
The nearest branch
Was ten feet up
I’d have to jump
And trust my luck! (repeat)
And so I jumped
Into the air
But I missed that branch
Away up there! (repeat)
Now don’t you fret
Now don’t you frown
‘Cause I caught that branch
On the way back down! (repeat)
That is the end
There ain’t no more
Unless I meet
That bear once more! (repeat)
And so I met
That bear once more
Now he’s a rug
On my bedroom floor! (repeat)
If I am not mistaken, there was a chorus in between each verse – unfortunately I do not for the life of me remember what it was.
The second and third verses to “Barges” (as I recall them):
Out of my window, looking in the night
I can see the barges flickering light
Starboard shines green and port is glowing red
I can see the signals far ahead
(Chorus)
How my heart longs to sail away with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue
But I must stay beside my window drear
as I watch you sail away from here
(Chorus)
LoL, I should have read further down. =)
I remember this one Tiger taught it to us I love this one…
Little ducky duddle
Was swimming in a puddle a puddle a puddle
Quite Small
He said it doesn’t really matter
How much I splash and splatter
I’m only a ducky
Thats all!
Thanks for keeping camp alive. I still sing the songs to my children and tell them the legends and stories from my 10 years as a camper. I will always hold those years close to my heart.
3 Chartreuse Buzzards?
Anyone remember all the words to the song? Use to love it but can’t recall all the verses.
I think I learned that as three majenta flamingoes. Were your buzzards sitting on an fence? Or were they on a branch?
Three chartreuse buzzards, sitting in a dead tree
Oh look, one has flown away….
But that’s all I remember.
Serrina, Thanks so much for the words to the Bear Song!!! I remember that very well!!!! Brings back many memories!
I’m a little pile of tin, nobady knows what shape I’m in. Got four wheels and a runnin’ board, I’m no Chevy, I’m no Ford. Honk, honk, Rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep, Honk, honk, Rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep, Honk, honk, Rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep,
opps ***nobody***
I’m a little acorn brown
Lying on the cold, cold ground.
Everybody steps on me.
I’m a little nut, you see.
I’m a nut (knock, knock)
I’m a nut (knock, knock)
I’m a nut, I’m a nut, I’m a nut (knock, knock)
There were more verses to “I’m just a little pile of tin”. Does anyone remember them all? Trying to teach my grandchildren this song.
Here’s a fun shortie, it’s a round:
Wasn’t it a bit of luck
That I was born a baby duck
With yellow socks and yellow shoes
That I may go wherever I choose
Quack, quack, quack-quack quack!
This one’s a night song, also a round:
Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose
Will I ever see thee wed?
I will marry at thy will, Sire,
At thy will
America, America
How can I tell you how I feel?
You have given me all your treasures
I love you still
Hey, ho, nobody home
Eat, nor drink, nor money have I none
Still I will be happy
Hey, ho nobody home
Descant:
White dove fly
Spread your wings
With unity and brotherhood
For all Mankind
Fun song, great for when you’re sitting around in Teal Lodge,
Chorus:
The window, the window,
The second story window,
With a heave and a ho and a mighty throw,
We threw it out the window.
(Pick a Mother Goose rhyme)
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl
and he (end of rhyme) threw it out the window!
Chorus
(Competing table has to pick a different rhyme)
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells,
she (end of rhyme) threw them out the window!
Chorus
(Game continues until you run out of rhymes!)
The Humpty Dumpty song works the same as the Window song, but different melody, different chorus:
Chorus:
Humpty Dump, Hump Humpty Dumpty Dumpty
Humpty Dump, Hump Humpty Dumpty Dumpty
(Always start with the Humpty Dumpty rhyme)
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a big fall
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men (end of rhyme)
Said, “Whoop, ain’t that funky now!”
Chorus
(Yeah, I’m copying and pasting now, this is a lot of typing!)
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl (end of rhyme)
And said, “Whoop, ain’t that funky now!”
Chorus
(The chorus is rather slow and repetitive, but trust me, you will NEED that time to think of a new rhyme! Also note, the rhyme is spoken, not sung; only the chorus is “musical.”)
A Ram Sam Sam, Goin’ on a Lion Hunt, and Tennessee Wiggle Walk were three of my favorites!
Ohhhhhh….aaaaaa….Swiss boy went yodeling on a mountain so high,
When along came an avalanche (grizzly bear, Saint Bernard, Jersey cow, Swiss Miss, her father) interrupting his cry.
Ohhhhhh, lay, oh, ola-raka-ki, ola-raka-ku, swish (grr, arf arf, squirt squirt, kiss kiss, bang bang)
Hi. I’m trying to find the action song…something with “oh la oh la oooh la pakeeya”. I’m sorry that is all I could remember.
Hawkeye, is it this one?
There are Suitors at My Door
Oh, a laya pakiya,
Six or eight or even more
Oh, a laya pakiya,
And my father wants me wed
Oh, a laya pakiya,
Or at least that’s what he said
Oh, a laya pakiya,
here’s one… A boy and a girl in a little canoe!
And, Flea, flea fly, flea fly flow…
I was a kitchen aide I ever year. dIll
Sing me a rainbow
paint me a dream
show me a world that I’ve never seen
whisper a sunset and when you do
you’ll know how I feel
Yess you’ll know how I feel when I’m with you.
you brought something special to a life that was so plain….
🙂 my memory fades there.
Down on the banks of the hanky tanky.
Down on the banks of the hanky-tanky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
With an eep ip oop op they leap off their Lily’s with an Omm flop.
(Does any one else remember more verses?)
Dave
Does any one remember the words to “Seven Golden Daffodils”? I know it had several verses and the chorus was something like:
Oh seven golden daffodils all shining in the sun
To light the way to evening – when the day is done.
But I can give you morning and a brand new day (I think – then I draw a blank to the next clause)
Oh seven golden daffodils all shining in the sun to light the way to evening when the day is done
And I can give you moon beams and a crust of bread and a pillow of piney bows to rest your head …
I know there are a couple more verses but I don’t remember the order and I’m sure there are holes in what I’ve shared here … So if anybody can help me remember this song from start to finish – I would be eternally grateful. I have grandchildren now and I would dearly love to pass this beautiful song on to them.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.