Category Archives: Annoying Songs

Sing A Silly Song For Groundhog’s Day

phil is too cuteDo you love doing tongue-twisters and silly songs with your child?  Then this new song is a perfect choice for celebrating Groundhog’s Day.

Sing this song and you may discover not only how much wood could a woodchuck chuck and how much ground can a groundhog grind as well as – how much sap a sapsucker can suck!  I dare you to sing it and now collapse in giggles!

But, before you do, here are some groundhog and groundhogs day FAQ’s.

When is Groundhog’s Day?     February 2nd.

Where is the official groundhog prediction?  The official celebration is in Punxatawney, Pennsylvania where our good pal; Punxatawney Phil, gets up early and gives us his prediction of when winter will end.

Where does Phil see his shadow? The special celebration of Groundhog’s day happens on a spot called Gobbler’s Knob, right in the center of the town of Punxatawney.

What does it mean if he sees his shadow?  If the groundhog sees his shadow, 6 more weeks of winter are predicted. Not seeing a shadow means an earlier Spring (hooray!)

Is Groundhog’s Day an American holiday?  Yes, but it comes from a German custom and there are many different types of ways that animals are predictors of the weather around the world. This is a great topic to research!

What are Groundhog Lodges?  In Pennsylvania Dutch tradition there gatherings where there is food, entertainment and skits or plays at this time of year.  All who attend must speak only in Pennsylvania Dutch dialect or they are fined a nickel, a dime or a quarter for speaking English!

Are there great books about groundhogs and groundhog’s day?  Yes!  Check out our list below and “Go To Sleep, Groundhog” is a funny, cute and truly adorable pick for any home or classroom library!

Daria_GroundhogCover_WebGroundhog’s Day Song – Free Lyric Sheet https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhogs-Day-Song-Lyric-Sheet-2357681

Groundhog’s Day Song and Pop-up Puppet Activity

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhogs-Day-Song-and-Pop-Up-Groundhog-Puppet-Activity-484374

Add This Song To Your Favorite Playlist

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/4kfEtW5B0FT5JvYN5hF8td

AppleMusic – https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-groundhog-song-how-much/id385842751

Great Books About Groundhog’s Day

Go To Sleep, Groundhog! by Judy Cox/Paul Meisel (Illustrator)
Screen shot 2017-02-01 at 4.54.38 PMA groundhog can’t seem to fall asleep when it’s time to hibernate and has a tough time getting up when his own special holiday comes.

Ten Grouchy Groundhogs By Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook
A cute counting book for young children with some good groundhog facts sprinkled in!

Groundhog Gets a Say By Pamela Curtis Swallow/Denise Brunkus (Illustrator)
A groundhog thinks his holiday should last more then one day. His animal friends help make his case for the world to know more about groundhogs.
Groundhog Day! By Gail Gibbons
Wonderful fun and great facts about groundhogs and the Groundhog’s Day celebration.

The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun By Wendie C. Old/Paige Billin-Frye (Illustrator)
A sampler of groundhog facts and a good description of the special day in Punxatawny, PA.

Groundhog Weather School By Joan Holub/Kristin Sorra (Illustrator)
A groundhog is encouraged to open a weather school everyone gets to learn more about hibernation, groundhogs and the holiday.

A happy Groundhog’s Day to all!

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Silly Songs For Kids – Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Adorable girl hearingSinging or learning a silly song with your child is a great tension reliever, a fun way to play with language and creates great family memories.

I bet you know the first part of this classic silly kids song.  But, do you know all the verses?  How about these two?

Do your ears hang wide?
Do they flap from side to side?
Do they wave in the breeze
With the slightest little sneeze?
Can you soar above the nation?
With a feeling of elation?
Do your ears hang wide?

Do your ears fall off?
Does it happen when you cough?
Do they lie there on the ground?
Or bounce around at every sound?
Can you stick them in your pocket
Like a little Davey Crockett?
Do your ears fall off?

The lyric sheet below has the six most popular verses and – I warn you – they are not the easiest thing to sing. Try the words and the hand motions and see if you don’t end up laughing hysterically at how hard this simple little song can be!

What About The Hand Motions?

Naturally, lots of popular kids songs are also action rhymes.  These types of songs are prefect for learning coordination and motor skills – at any age!

I’ve seen quite a few sets of hand motions for this song.  The most popular set of boy scout hand motions are described here:   http://www.scoutorama.com/do-your-ears-hang-low-song

Go Ahead, You Can Sing It!

Some moms, dads and caregivers feel a bit ashamed about singing out loud.   They tell me they don’t have the best voices or can’t carry a tune in a bucket.  No worries.  Most people can manage to hear a tune and most kids will not behave like judges on American Idol… they just want to have fun with you!

And; by the way, the sweetest thing a child will ever hear if a loved one’s voice – so go ahead and belt it out!

A Cute Video Version

Versions of This Song To Avoid

After performing this song for years, I’ve been informed that there are profoundly colorful versions from the US military and one set of off-color lyrics sung by English rugby players.  If you’re looking this song up for your child, you may wish to avoid any of these.

Links and Resources

Find the complete lyrics sheet and printable PDF here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Do-Your-Ears-Hang-Low-Lyric-Sheet-2566376

A Family-Friendly Version of La Cucaracha!

La Cucaracha 2 screensnapCheck out  DARIA’s version of this adorable song in both Spanish and English at the Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora links below to listen free! 

I recently received an e-mail from Sweden asking about the Mexican folksong, “La Cucaracha”.  The writer wondered how this song could be so familiar so far away from it’s Latin American roots. The answer is simple, some songs are just that catchy, simple and have a certain magic about them.  “La Cucarcha” seems to be one of those songs.

So, what is this popular little globe-trotting song all about?

Let’s start with the basics.  The Spanish word “cucaracha” means cockroach and there are multiple verses to the song, many of which are silly or nonsensical.  Although most frequently associated with Mexican culture, the song actually dates back to a Spanish “corrido” song.  And, no one really knows how old “La Cucaracha” is but at least one version appears in a songbook that dates back to 1492!

Is there a standard set of lyrics?  No!  If you check out the wikipedia page below you’ll see lots of verses including many with historical or cultural references.  And, naturally,  there are the clever or silly ones, as well:

cucaracha poster(Spanish) Cuando uno quiere a una
y esta una no lo quiere,
es lo mismo que si un calvo
en la calle encuentra un peine

(English) When a man loves a woman
but she doesn’t love him back
it’s like a bald man
finding a comb in the street.

A Kid-Friendly Version

Although this is a great little song, I never sang it in public because one of the verses referred to marijuana.  It just didn’t fit my definition of a family-friendly tune.  However, while performing a concert for a group of nuns in South American, one Sister sang me her own version of the song.  It was cute and sweet and left out the “offending” verse.

Her version totally inspired me to not only sing the song, but to add some silly English lyrics, preserving the “everyone adds their own touch” approach to adapting folksongs.  In my bilingual version, the little cockroach likes to play traditional Mexican instruments.  And with 6 legs, wouldn’t any cockroach make a fine percussionist?

Below is a free lyric sheet to this bilingual version, plus the popular Youtube video.  And if a little cockroach who plays both guiros and maracas inspires you, you can make your own version of  these instruments to play in class or at home.  Just check out the links below for the DIY instructions.

Here’s hoping this song makes you laugh and smile, learn a bit of Spanish and share a song with someone you love!

Links and Resources

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/57s2qPe2YT69GoenDQD1Kf
Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-have-a-dream/id49532398
Pandora: www.pandora.com/artist/daria-childrens/i-have-a-dream/la-cucaracha-spanish-english/TRlz4b72vkflZ4w

Free Lyric Sheet from TPT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/La-Cucaracha-Lyric-Sheet-Bilingual-Version-2863996

Wikipedia’s Full History of La Cucaracha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cucaracha

MYO Guiro from TeachersPayTeachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Latin-American-Guiro-1230266

MYO Maracas from TeachersPayTeachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Maracas-1428029

La Cucaracha from Amazon mp3
http://amzn.com/B0013PIZ9O

More Annoying Songs To Sing (Or Avoid)!

Screen shot 2014-07-07 at 1.00.10 PMHere are more of our reader’s top choices for songs they love to hate!  Silly, repetitive and definitely earworms, these songs might be fun to share during a ride in the car – or not!

Both of these are “infinite loop” songs. The first one comes from a reader in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where they have plenty of bears and mountains.

The Bear Went Over The Mountain

The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
And what do you think he saw?

He saw another mountain
He saw another mountain
He saw another mountain
And what do you think he did?

Back to… verse 1

And who could forget that not-so-merry old kind of England?

Henry The 8th

I’m Henry The 8th, I am
Henry the 8th, I am I am
I got married to the widow next door
She’s been married 7 times before
And everyone was a Hen- er – y
Wouldn’t be a Willy or a Sam (oh no!)

I’m an 8th old man, I’m Henry
Henry the 8th, I am I am
Henry the 8th, I am I am

(Spoken: Second verse, same as the first
A little bit louder and a little bit worse)

That last part really says it all!

And although these songs are not “infinite loops”, here are two more songs that kept coming up in our readers comments.  The first was  Magdalena, Hagdalena- or one of her many incarnations.  You can read about all of them, right here:

http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/family-fun-2/magdalena-hagdalena-and-her-many-aliases/

And “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” and it’s many, many verses.  You can find a post about that one, here:

http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/babies-and-music/silly-songs-for-kids-do-your-ears-hang-low/

And,  let us know if we’ve missed any of your favorites…!

Kids Road Trip Music – Oh No, Not That Song!

Screen shot 2014-07-11 at 3.21.28 PM

It’s true – there are songs that parents love to hate. And kids love to sing because they are annoying beyond belief. So consider this post part summer songfest and part warning. These songs are funny and cute but they are also infectious earworms and some of them go on and on and on… just like a bad car ride!

100 Bottle Of Pop On The Wall

Okay, I am old enough to remember singing this song as 100 bottles of beer on the wall with my older brother pretending he was drunker after each bottle was counted down. Later versions use bottles of pop (soda), milk, juice or perhaps you can find another liquid to insert in this never-ending song

The lyrics are really simple.

100 bottles of pop on the wall, 100 bottles of pop

You take one down

And pass it around

99 bottles of pop on the wall!

(And so forth until you can’t stand it any longer.)

Redeeming value of this song? You do learn to count backwards. And to develop patience!

Screen shot 2014-07-11 at 3.20.39 PMI Know A Song That Gets On Everybody’s Nerve

And, boy – does it! This short, repeating song is sung to the tune of “Glory Hallelujia”, but you’ll only say “Glory Hallelujia” once it’s over.

Here’s the lyrics:

I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves

I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves

I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves

And this is how it goes

(Back to the first line)

You can find a very annoying version of that song here:

http://www.dariamusic.com/sillysongs.php

The Song That Never Ends

Similar to “Everybody’s Nerves”, this infinite loop of a song has a bit more of a story and a few more words. I’m not sure it that makes it better – or worse!
This is the song that never ends,

yes it goes on and on my friend.

Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was,

and they’ll continue singing it forever just because…

(Back to the first line)

We’re also pretty sure we’ve located the most annoying video of this song ever – right here:

Aren’t There More Annoying Songs? 

You bet there are!

In a few days we’ll add the next few songs which rose to the top of our parent’s lists of annoying road trip songs – including “The Bear Went Over The Mountain” and “There’s A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea”.

But do you have a particular favorite? Please comment below or drop me a line at dariamusic at yahoo dot com so I can add it here, too.  Thanks – and enjoy your next road trip, either with or without these classic kids songs!

Magdalena, Hagdalena …And Her Many Aliases!

Want to hear it? Listen free on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/track/1DxQ0RXQe1a1gy5mlfrgiZ    or Apple Music:  https://music.apple.com/lu/album/jadda-jadda-jing-jing-jing/474677341

Do you recognize this very silly song?

When I recorded my first children’s music CD many moons ago, I included a hysterical little summer camp song called “Magdalena Hagdalena”.  I learned the song from my sister-in-law who had sung it during her girls scout years in the Philadelphia area.  Little did I know that as I took that song around, I would find out that good old Magdalena had a host of aliases and lots of rather odd and unusual traits.  In fact, it’s one of the songs that people talk about most, because they’ve always heard a slightly different version.  I just love that aspect of certain folksongs… everyone recognizes the song, but each one has their own twist or lyric change that makes it more personal, memorable or unique for them.

If you haven’t heard Magdalena Hagdalena, it’s a song that folklorists call a “nonesuch”.  You know… something that can’t possibly happen, like the old rhyme that starts…

“One dark night in the middle of the day
Three dead boys came out to play
Back to back
they faced each other”
(Complete rhyme below)

In this case, Magdalena was an interesting character with several hairs on her head, strange dental irregularities and two feet like bathroom mats.  In short, it’s just a silly song that makes you smile with how the sounds in the song fit together and by imagining what the impossible lyrics might really be describing.

The best part of this tongue-twisting tune is the many names that folks have Screen shot 2018-11-05 at 8.35.54 PMcreated for good old Magdalena.  In fact, there were apparently so many that one author named Tedd Arnold collected them in a wildly illustrated book he calls:
Catalina Magdalena Hoopenstiener Wellendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name.

Tedd’s book lists a host of choruses that I had heard for our likable character and some that I had never imagined including:
Madalina Catalina, Whoopastina Wilamina
Oopsy Doopsy Woopsy was her name
Aggalina Maggalina Whoops Now Whoops Now
Ooga Booga Booga was her name
Madalina Catalina, Rupesteena Wanna Donna
Hoko poko poko was her name

The lyrics I learned and recorded can be found in the freebie lyric sheet below.  But, whichever version you are familiar with, it’s nice to share silly songs with your child.  It lets them hear you play with language and also fires up their brain to think out why something might be impossible or ridiculous and still funny at the same time.  If Magdalena, Hagdalena or one of her incarnations is part of your past, you can also talk to them about where you learned it and what other songs are part of your life story and why. Were you at summer camp? Did your parents or siblings teach it to you?  Were you jumping rope or did you sing it on the bus to school to drive the bus driver crazy?  And what were your favorites songs way back when?

Sharing these kinds of seemingly simple experiences helps kids answer important questions about where you come from. Mom (or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa) what were things like when you were my age?   You know, in the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth … along with silly little girls named Magdalena!

Links and Resources

Magdalena Hagdalena Printable lyric page

Tedd Arnold’s Book:
Catalina Magdalena Hoopenstiener Wellendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name. http://amzn.com/B000JGWDS

One Dark Night


One dark night in the middle of the day
Three dead boys came out to play

Back to back They faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other

If you don’t believe what I’m telling you is true.
Go ask the blind man…he saw it , too!