I have one of my former classrooms at The Hope Institute for introducing me to this song. They had heard it on a children’s CD and asked if I could sing it during music therapy, and I happily obliged.
I don’t really have a whole lot to say about this song — other than what I already said in the video! It’s just a fun tune that’s perfect for playing in the summertime, and the possibilities for new verses are endless.
Happy Sunday to you. Mine is off to a busy start, but I’m hoping for some downtime this afternoon so I can just hang out, learn some new songs, and maybe even write one to share with you later in the week.
Last week one of my students’ parents mentioned that her daughter was really into “Day-O” — otherwise known as The Banana Boat Song, by Harry Belafonte. Oh, and my student wondered if there was a version about oranges, too…which of course had my wheels turning immediately.
I’m always looking for ways to incorporate my fruit shaker instruments, so this struck me as the perfect opportunity. I did a little reworking of the original song, and this is what I guess you could call the “fruit” of my labor:
Day-o, Day-ay-ay-o
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Day, me say day, me say day,
Me say day-ay-ay-o
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
It’s six foot, seven foot, eight foot BUNCH!
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot BUNCH!
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me some oranges…
Come, Mister tally man, tally me some apples…
Come, Mister tally man, tally me some lemons…
I’m obviously no Belafonte, but I sure am hopeful that my version meets my student’s approval. I have a feeling that getting out the fruit shakers will help!
With summer in full swing, I thought it would be fun to round up all the songs I’ve written about my favorite season. I’ve been singing them almost nonstop since June, and will be sad to retire them at the end of August. But there’s still plenty of time before that unfortunate day comes, so let’s get to it:
This is the original summer song, written over three years ago! But it still gets plenty of mileage, and I even featured it in a recent Sunday Singalong video.
A song dedicated entirely to the current month. There are still a good couple of weeks left to celebrate July, even though the most exciting day of the month (the 4th, of course) has already passed us by.
This should be our theme song here in central Illinois. It’s been hotter this summer than any other I can remember, but honestly, I’m not complaining too much. I’ll take a heat advisory over a February blizzard any day of the week!
My favorite hangout during the summer months is my parents’ backyard pool (conveniently located just two blocks from my house). And judging from the suntans and damp hair my students often sport when they arrive at my studio, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who enjoys a day at the pool. And that’s exactly why I wrote this song.
Let’s not forget about all the food that just tastes better in the summertime. I could eat watermelon for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and my husband could do the same with ice cream. Singing “Yummy Summer” is a great way to get my students talking about their favorite summer treats.
One last summer tune, which will take us into the 8th month of the year. Even though August signals the start of the school year, it is also full of good things…I personally can’t wait for two weeks of pure vacation following the end of my summer session :)
I’m hoping to squeeze in a few more songs about summer in the upcoming weeks, but these should keep you busy until then. What are your summertime faves?
Once every few months, I write a song to be used with the instrument being played in the picture above: the tone block. These are a staple in my early childhood music classes, because they are excellent for targeting fine motor skills. They also sound nice and are fun to play!
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a tone block.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a bell.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound that ______ makes.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound that ______ makes.
{Repeat for all students}
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a telephone.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound of a school bell.
Ring, ring…that’s the sound that we all make,
But now it’s time, to put our tone blocks away.
Very simple, but great for a group setting since it allows for each student to “solo” on the tone block. Before we begin the song, I ask my students to name different instruments and objects that make a ringing sound. They are more creative than I was when writing this song, that’s for sure :)
I incorporated a few different ways of playing the bells, but there is definitely opportunity for additional verses. Here’s what I came up with:
There was an old lady who played the bell,
Just like you she played the bell,
She played so well.
There was an old lady who played so fast,
Quickly as the time flew past,
Just like you she played the bell,
She played so well.
There was an old lady who played so slow,
On and on and on, she’d go,
And after that, she played so fast,
Quickly as the time flew past,
Just like you she played the bell,
She played so well.
There was an old lady who played up high,
In the air, from morning to night,
And after that, she played so slow,
On and on and on, she’d go,
And after that, she played so fast,
Quickly as the time flew past,
Just like you she played the bell,
She played so well.
I’d love to make a little picture book to go along with this song eventually. Or maybe even an entire series about the old lady who played different kinds of instruments. How fun would that be?!
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
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