We all have fond memories of sitting around a campfire with friends or family members and passing the evening away by singing campfire songs. This article provides some links and information about some traditional favorites to sing on your next camping trip.
Singing songs around the campfire is often on of the most fond memories that many of us have of our childhood. Most campfire songs have been passed down form generation to generation over dozens or even hundreds of years. This summer as you pack up your family or send your child off to a week of fun at summer camp reviving this fun campfire tradition by dusting off some of your old favorites.
If this list of campfire songs doesn't meet your needs consider checking out my follow-up article on this same topic.
Kum Ba Ya (KumBahYa)
As a campfire song, Kum Ba Ya has to rank right at the top for popularity. Many people assume that the song began as a negro spiritual when in truth it was written by an American minister named Norman Frey in New York City in the 1930's and used the original words "Come By Here, My Lord." The song was taken to Africa by missionaries a few years later and upon their return the song (with the new, Angolan "Kum Ba Ya" lyrics) circulated around the United States. In the 1960's the song became very popular as a part of the civil rights movement and since that time has become a deeply ingrained part of campfire song repertoire all over the United States. The lyrics to the song can be found at many sites on the Internet and the sheet music to the basic melody to Kum Ba Ya is available for many different instruments.
BINGO
This classic campfire song is one of the more fun for children to sing and clap to. In music education it is often used by teachers to illustrate different rhythmic concepts but around the campfire it is simply a fast way to get the blood pumping. This story about a farmer and his dog has a few differing sets of lyrics, but at the ScoutSongs web site you can find the most common version of BINGO's lyrics including an audio recording of the melody.
Yankee Doodle
There probably isn't a child alive in the USA that does not know the words to good old Yankee Doodle (in fact, more people probably know the words to some of these campfire songs than they do to their own National Anthem ). The words are simple, the tune is catchy, and it even teaches a bit about early American history.
Chad Criswell - Chad Criswell is a professional educator and freelance technology writer for numerous online and print publications throughout the United ...
Join the Conversation