Although our whole class loved it, it didn't last long in our case either. We were young, and we soon found another favorite to take its place. It still has a special place in my heart and mind, though.
I remember our 5th grade class. We had a book of songs and from what I remember, it is American. The songs come in with the scale of notes such that my classmates who know how to play piano can play the melody of those songs at home. Some of those good songs have slipped my mind for now but I'm sure I will recall them later. In our grade 2 classroom, this was a hit.... Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.
We were not taught that in school. But mind you, kids in the streets have a version of that. They would be in a circle with one player inside that circle while they are singing with action. The song goes like this... Sasara ang bulaklak, - this means the petals of the flower are closing bubuka ang bulaklak - the petals are now opening Papasok ang reyna - the queen is inside sasayaw-sayaw - the queen is dancing It is child's play that reverberated with that catchy tune. And you know what, a known composer made that into a song and was performed by a popular group which was a hit in the early 2000s. The title is Bulaklak.
Although there is some dispute, the origins of the song has been attributed to the plague, a rosy rash being a symptom of the plague, while posies of herbs were used to ward off the disease, and the ashes a reference to the cremation of the bodies and the burning of the homes of the afflicted. Pretty gruesome stuff.
I had read in one article a long time ago that the folk song London Bridge is about the black plague and that it is falling down means collapsing due to the disease and once dead, the little girl becomes a fair lady. I don't really know the truth of the matter because I also have read an email about the song 12 Days of Christmas that the numbers were codes written by the olden Christians to avoid persecution. That the Partridge is Jesus, the 3 french hens is the Father, Son, Holy Ghost. But then Snopes said that's false, an invention and the song has no meaning at all.
I never heard anything about the origins of "London Bridge". That is so neat. The speculated origins are always my favorite aspect of any song! A song, or bedtime story, or old wives tales almost always have a history thats more interesting than the song itself. Here's an interesting one about the Jack Horner nursery rhyme.
We were taught the song Old McDonald's farm. That song lasted for more than a year, it was still sung in the next year's class. When I became an adult, I was surprised to hear the song, in the same tune but in a different fashion. Our version is the simple one like... Old McDonald had a farm, heeya, heeya, hoo. And on his farm he had some goats, heeya, heeya, hoo. With a mee, mee here and a mee, mee there, With a mee and a mee and a mee, mee, mee. But the real version, I believe, is much different from what we were taught in school.
its been a long time since I thought about that song. I used to sing it to my son when he was 3 or 4. I would replace the animal's name with his name. He always got suck a kick out of that. Same with me getting his name tattooed on my arm. 50 times a day I would have to tell him what the word was. I would tell him its his name, and he would smile from ear to ear.