Sing Books with Emily, the Blog

Sing the words of the song for the letter S  to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”

Read, Sing, Play ABC Sing-Along
Words Adapted by Teddy Slater
Illustrated by Liisa Chauncy Guida

Sing, Sing, Sing a Song
(Lyrics by Teddy Slater, from book “ABC Sing-Along,” sing to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Sing, sing, sing  a song,
sing a silly song.
Singily, jingily,
ringily, swingily,
won’t you sing along?

The original lyrics, here:

Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Traditional Words and Tune
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Traditional Words and Tune
Additional Words by Iza Trapani
Illustrated by Iza Trapani

Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Heather Collins

Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Annie Kubler

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Row, Row, Row Your Boat (A Teddy Bear Sing-Along Book)
Traditional Words and Music
Illustrated by David Ellwand

This song was written to be sung in a round, where groups of people can sing parts within a song, one section beginning once the previous group has finished a line.  This allows for harmonies and interesting vocal arrangements to occur as the different parts sing together and repeat the tune. It is such joy to sing a round and even the simple “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” becomes a beautiful and engaging experience.

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A description of a musical round, here,
http://www.answers.com/topic/round-music
A round is a musical composition in which two or more voices sing exactly the same melody (and may continue repeating it indefinitely), but with each voice beginning at different times so that different parts of the melody coincide in the different voices, but nevertheless fit harmoniously together. It is one of the easiest forms of part singing, as only one line of melody need be learnt by all parts, and is part of a popular musical tradition.

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A brief song history here,
http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_mmf_music_library_songbook/row-row-row-your-boat-history-and-lyrics.htm
(This site also offers some funny lyric adaptations)
Row, Row, Row Your Boat is an English nursery rhyme that is often sung as a round. The tune was written by Eliphalet Oram Lyte and included in the The Franklin Square Song Collection (1881, New York).

A slightly expanded song history, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Row,_Row,_Row_Your_Boat
(This wiki also offers lots of additional verses as well as motions to perform while singing along)

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Here’s a cool version of the song, played in a round by acoustic guitar, mandolin, and electric guitar,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPiovYRYmmg

I like this version by Super Simple Songs, the animation is lovely and the video showcases the song as a round in the second half:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7otAJa3jui8

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