Kids Songs Around the World with English Translations
or French Translations
or Spanish Translations
Mama Lisa's World Blog
English Nursery Rhymes
Mother Goose in French
Wizard of Oz Audiobook
Poetry for Kids
ML Reviews
Mama Lisa's Hub
This is the Halloween Songs Archive Page
Categories
- 1512 (1)
- Arts and Crafts (21)
- Books (56)
- Children's Songs (432)
- Countries & Cultures (912)
- Customs (42)
- Folk Lore (6)
- Folk Songs (76)
- Food & Nutrition (4)
- Games (40)
- Gardens (2)
- History of Nursery Rhymes (8)
- Holiday Calendar (1)
- Holiday Songs (154)
- Holidays Around the World (340)
- Languages (723)
- Learning (37)
- Lullabies (40)
- Mama Lisa (422)
- Movies & TV (23)
- Music (63)
- Nursery Rhymes (161)
- Parenting (72)
- People (18)
- Photos (27)
- Podcasts (29)
- Poetry (96)
- Proverbs (20)
- Questions (309)
- Quotes (7)
- Recipes of the World (74)
- Recommendations (62)
- Recordings of Nursery Rhymes (19)
- Recordings of Songs (101)
- Rhymes by Theme (42)
- Seasonal (29)
- Songs by Theme (69)
- Teaching (41)
- Traditional Songs (2)
- Traveling (35)
- Video (23)
- Words & Phrases (16)
- YouTube (70)
My Tweets
Archive for the 'Halloween Songs' Category
Contents
Posts
Ghost of John – Halloween Song with MP3 Recording
Monday, October 26th, 2009My daughter and her friends Marisa and Melisa taught me this Halloween song, which seems to be traditional American. It’s called Ghost of John. Below are the lyrics and two renditions, one by Marisa and one by Melisa, plus a drawing by Melisa.
But first, here’s Marisa announcing it with a Halloween song about Halloween songs…
Halloween is coming soon,
One, Two Three,
If you want a spooky song,
Call on me.Here’s the Ghost of John song…
MP3 of Ghost of John by Marisa
MP3 of Ghost of John by Melisa
Ghost of John
Have you seen the Ghost of John?
Long white bones and the rest all gone,
Ooh, ooh!
Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on?While the girls would sing the song they would all stand in the mirror, looking for the ghost of John. Of course, someone would see part of the ghost… like his ear, in the mirror. Then they would all scream. Finally, they ended the game because they were freaking each other out. I guess that’s what Halloween is all about… ghosts!
Many thanks to Marisa and Melisa for singing Ghost of John for us and to Melisa for the drawing!
Mama Lisa
There was an Old Woman All Skin and Bones – A Hallowe’en Song and Video
Saturday, October 24th, 2009I’ve posted several versions of this great Halloween song in the past… It’s called There Was an Old Woman All Skin and Bones.
Here’s yet another version below from Matt Vaughan and his friend Pam. They explain how to make it spookier for Halloween!
Here are the chords from Matt…
Am – Dm Am / Am Dm Am – ://There was an old woman all skin and bones
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She lived down by the old graveyard
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
One night she thought she’d take a walk
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She walked down by the old graveyard
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She saw the bones a-laying around
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She went to the closet to get a broom
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She opened the door and…
BOO!Have a spooky-fun Halloween!
Mama Lisa
Listen to What the Jack-o-Lantern Has to Say…
Friday, October 31st, 2008
(Go on, click ‘em on…)
A Couple of Halloween Songs
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Heather sent me these Halloween songs and the following note:
Hi,
When I was little my Mom taught my sisters and me several Halloween songs. You have one on your website called “Five Little Pumpkins” and “Trick or Treat” that we know. Here is some others I thought you might like to add:
The Halloween Song
H, A, double L, O
W, double E, N
Spells HalloweenJack-o’-lantern
Jack-o’-lantern, Jack-o’-lantern
You are such a funny sight.
As you sit there, at the window
Glowing on at the night.You were once a yellow pumpkin
Growing on a sturdy vine.
Now you are a jack-o’-lantern
Glowing on at the night.I am not sure what the titles are, but I have been searching for these songs on the internet and can’t find either of them. But I sing them to my daughter all the time. We are especially fond of Halloween and we like your website.
Thanks!
Heather
The second song sounds like it’s to the tune of Frère Jacques.
Thanks for sharing those wonderful Halloween songs with us Heather! If anyone else would like to post a song for the holiday, feel free to add it in the comments below.
Happy Halloween!
Mama Lisa
P.S. Thanks to Lila for the Halloween drawing! If anyone else would like to share their kid’s drawing with us, please email me. -Lisa
The Three Witches Spell in Macbeth – Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008The Three Witches Spell from Shakespeare’s Macbeth is great to read or listen to for Halloween.
Some of the lines in this speech are offensive to our twenty-first century ears, and I hesitated to print it here, on a site with significant family traffic. But rather than censor the greatest writer in the English language, I think it’s better to present his words honestly, and I encourage my readers with children to use the opportunity to discuss the changes in attitudes that society has gone through in the four hundred years since Shakespeare lived.
Below is The Witches Spell from Act 4, Scene 1, of Macbeth. I’ve added annotations in parentheses below any lines where I thought it’d be helpful for the meaning. I’ve also posted a couple of interesting renditions from YouTube of this scene. One is a “straight” rendition. The other is by David Solomons. He did a very Halloween-like singing rendition of it. At the end, I posted the whole spell as a poem, so you can read it all the way through without distractions.
Enjoy! -Mama Lisa
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Act 4, Scene 1SCENE I. A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron.
Thunder. Enter the three WitchesFirst Witch
Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.
(Brinded means tawny or streaked.)Second Witch
Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.
(A hedge-pig is a hedgehog.)Third Witch
Harpier cries ‘Tis time, ’tis time.
(A harpier is believed to be a harpy which is a Greek and Latin mythological monster – having a woman’s head and body, but with a bird’s wings and claws.)First Witch
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.Second Witch
Fillet of a fenny snake,
(Fenny means coming from a bog)
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
(An adder is a venomous snake)
Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,
(An owlet is a young owl)
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.Third Witch
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf
(Witches’ mummy was a medicinal substance)
(Maw is the stomach, gulf is the throat)
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,
(Ravin’d means ravenous)
Root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
(Gall is bile, slip of yew means a cutting from a yew tree)
Silver’d in the moon’s eclipse,
(Sliver’d means to cut off a piece)
Nose of Turk and Tartar’s lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,
(Drab = whore – these lines mean the baby
was delivered in a ditch by a whore).
Make the gruel thick and slab:
(Slab means viscid/semi-liquid)
Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,
(Chaudron is a coppery color)
For the ingredients of our cauldron.ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.Second Witch
Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.Witches Spell Poem
Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.
Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.Harpier cries ‘Tis time, ’tis time.
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silver’d in the moon’s eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar’s lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
The Hearse Song Animation for Halloween
Saturday, October 18th, 2008I’ve talked in the past about how all the kids in my neighborhood loved The Hearse Song when I was growing up. (We called the song The Worms Crawl In the Worms Crawl Out.) Evidently, we weren’t the only ones who loved this song. I’ve gotten many people writing in about the different versions of The Hearse Song they sang as kids.
Here’s an animation of a vampire singing the song from YouTube, for you to enjoy for Halloween. It’s followed by the lyrics to read along with while watching…
The Hearse Song
Didn’t you ever think, as a hearse goes by,
That you may be the next to die?They wrap you up in a big white sheet,
And bury you down in the 6 feet deep.They put you in a big black box,
And cover you up with dirt and rocks.And all goes well for about a week,
And then the coffin begins to leak.The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,
The worms play pinochle on your snout.They eat your eyes, they eat your nose,
They eat the jelly between your toes.A great big worm with rolling eyes,
Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes.Your stomach turns a slimy green,
And puss pours out like whipping cream.You spread it on a slice of bread,
And that’s what the worms eat, when you are dead.Have a spooky Halloween!
Mama Lisa
A Song about Skeletons in Spanish with an English Translation from Costa Rica
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007Here’s a nice, gently scary song you might like to teach your children or students for Halloween or Day of the Dead. It’s called Los esqueletos or The Skeletons. In Costa Rica it’s used to teach numbers in an exciting way!
My husband and I loosely translated the English version so that you can sing it to the tune. Below you can hear the melody it’s sung to.
Los esqueletos
Cuando el reloj marca la una
los esqueletos salen de su tumba,
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumba.Cuando el reloj marca las dos
dos esqueletos comen arroz
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumba.Cuando el reloj marca las tres
tres esqueletos se vuelven al revés
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumba.Cuando el reloj marca las cuatro
cuatro esqueletos van al teatro
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumba.Cuando el reloj marca las cinco
cinco esqueletos se pegan un gran brinco
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumba.Cuando el reloj marca las seis
seis esqueletos juegan ajedrez
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumba.Cuando el reloj marca las siete
siete esqueletos se montan en cohete
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumba.Cuando el reloj marca las ocho
ocho esqueletos comen bizcocho
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumbaCuando el reloj marca las nueve
nueve esqueletos todos se mueven
tumba, que tumba, que tumba, tumba, tumbaCuando el reloj marca las diez
diez esqueletos se duermen otra vez. (retardando)The Skeletons
When the old clock, we hear it strike one,
Out from their dark tombs, all the skeletons come,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.*When the old clock, we hear it strike two,
White skeletons, two, gobble up rice, it’s true,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike three,
White skeletons, three, turn upside down, you see,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike four,
White skeletons, four, pass the theater door,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike five,
White skeletons, five, jump high into the sky,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike six,
White skeletons, six, play chess as the clock ticks,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike seven,
White skeletons, seven, rocket up to heaven,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike eight,
White skeletons, eight, eat up all the sponge cake,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike nine,
White skeletons, nine, shake their bodies in time,
“Tumba, ke tumba, ke tumba, tumba, tumba”.When the old clock, we hear it strike ten,
White skeletons, ten, lie down sleeping again. (Slow down.)*Literally: “Tomb, which tomb, which tomb, tomb, tomb.”
Many thanks to Lilliana for the tune and for contributing this song provided by Rosa María Solís Marín from Costa Rica. Thanks also to Jason Pomerantz for helping me with the translation.
-Mama Lisa
“There Was a Woman All Skin and Bone” Song with MP3
Sunday, October 29th, 2006I’ve been discussing the origin of the phrase “The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out”.
Yesterday, I posted the old nursery rhyme “There Was a Woman All Skin and Bone”, which contains the phrase.
Here’s another version of There Was a Woman All Skin and Bone, this one a song, (sung by me!). In this case the phrase is “The grubs crawled in, the grubs crawled out”. How and when it changed is a bit of a mystery.
MP3 of There Was a Woman All Skin and Bone
There Was a Woman All Skin and Bone
There was a woman all skin and bone
Oo-oo-oo!
Who lived in a cottage all on her own,
Oo-oo-oo!She thought she’d go to church one day
Oo-oo-oo!
To hear the parson preach and pray,
Oo-oo-oo!When she got to the wooden stile
Oo-oo-oo!
She thought she’d stay and rest a while
Oo-oo-oo!When she reached the old church door
Oo-oo-oo!
A ghastly ghost lay on the floor,
Oo-oo-oo!The grubs crawled in, the grubs crawled out,
Oo-oo-oo!
Of its ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.
Oo-oo-oo!Oh you ghastly ghost, she said,
Oo-oo-oo!
Shall I be like you when I am dead ?
YES!If anyone out there sings it differently, and would like to send other lyrics or a different rendition, I’d be happy to post it.
Happy Halloween Everybody!
Lisa
Old Nursery Rhyme with “The worms crawled out, the worms crawled in”
Saturday, October 28th, 2006Since it’s the Halloween time of year, and I know that a lot of people out there are interested in the line, “The worms crawled in, the worms crawled out”, I’m going to talk a little more about the earliest sightings of this line in print.
In my last blog entry, I mentioned that a similar line was seen in print in 1796, in a ballad called Alonzo the Brave and Fair Imogine, in a novel called The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis.
There was also a nursery rhyme, which can be found in Gammer Gurton’s Garland’s 1810 edition, that has a similar line. It’s hard to tell if the nursery rhyme came before The Monk, and that Lewis took the line from a rhyme he already knew, or vice versa.
Here’s the nursery rhyme…
There Was a Lady All Skin and Bone
There was a lady all skin and bone,
Sure such a lady was never known:
It happened upon a certain day,
This lady went to church to pray.When she came to the church stile,
There she did rest a little while;
When she came to the church yard,
There the bells so loud she heard.When she came to the church door,
She stopped to rest a little more;
When she came to the church within,
The parson prayed ‘gainst pride and sin.On looking up, on looking down,
She saw a dead man on the ground;
And from his nose unto his chin,
The worms crawled out, the worms crawled in.*Then she unto the parson said,
Shall I be so when I am dead?
O yes! O yes! the parson said,
You will be so when you are dead.*The Annotated Mother Goose quotes Gammer Gurton’s Garland, “This line has been adopted in the modern ballad of Alonzo and Fair Imogene.” Which implies that the nursery rhyme came first. Yet, from what I can tell, The Monk has the earliest use of the line in print.
If anyone knows of any earlier sightings of this line, please let us know in the comments below.
***
Here you’ll find other versions of The Hearse Song or The Worms Crawled In, The Worms Crawled Out. Feel free to add the version you know in the comments.Next: The Old Women All Skin and Bones Song
The Origin of The Worms Crawl In, The Worms Crawl Out
Thursday, October 26th, 2006Last year I posted a version of The Hearse Song that I sang as a kid. Many other people also remember this song. If you’re interested, you can read all the versions of The Worms Crawl in, The Worms Crawl Out that people sent me over the past year.
Meanwhile, I found one of the earliest places the line, “The worms, they crept in, and the worms, they crept out” was seen in print. It was in a ballad called Alonzo the Brave and Fair Imogine. The ballad is from a gothic romance novel published in 1796. The novel is called The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis. (At the time it was published, The Monk was banned for its explicit nature.)
The ballad of Alonzo the Brave and Fair Imogine tells the story of a young maiden who vows to love a warrior who’s going into battle. Even if he should die, she promises never to love another. To find out what happens when he does indeed die, read below! Here’s the ballad…
ALONZO THE BRAVE, AND FAIR IMOGINE
A Warrior so bold, and a Virgin so bright
Conversed, as They sat on the green:
They gazed on each other with tender delight;
Alonzo the Brave was the name of the Knight,
The Maid’s was the Fair Imogine.‘And Oh!’ said the Youth, ’since to-morrow I go
To fight in a far distant land,
Your tears for my absence soon leaving to flow,
Some Other will court you, and you will bestow
On a wealthier Suitor your hand.’‘Oh! hush these suspicions,’ Fair Imogine said,
‘Offensive to Love and to me!
For if ye be living, or if ye be dead,
I swear by the Virgin, that none in your stead
Shall Husband of Imogine be.‘If e’er I by lust or by wealth led aside
Forget my Alonzo the Brave,
God grant, that to punish my falsehood and pride
Your Ghost at the Marriage may sit by my side,
May tax me with perjury, claim me as Bride,
And bear me away to the Grave!’To Palestine hastened the Hero so bold;
His Love, She lamented him sore:
But scarce had a twelve-month elapsed, when behold,
A Baron all covered with jewels and gold
Arrived at Fair Imogine’s door.His treasure, his presents, his spacious domain
Soon made her untrue to her vows:
He dazzled her eyes; He bewildered her brain;
He caught her affections so light and so vain,
And carried her home as his Spouse.And now had the Marriage been blest by the Priest;
The revelry now was begun:
The Tables, they groaned with the weight of the Feast;
Nor yet had the laughter and merriment ceased,
When the Bell of the Castle told,–’One!’Then first with amazement Fair Imogine found
That a Stranger was placed by her side: His air was terrific;
He uttered no sound; He spoke not, He moved not,
He looked not around,
But earnestly gazed on the Bride.His vizor was closed, and gigantic his height;
His armour was sable to view:
All pleasure and laughter were hushed at his sight;
The Dogs as They eyed him drew back in affright,
The Lights in the chamber burned blue!His presence all bosoms appeared to dismay;
The Guests sat in silence and fear.
At length spoke the Bride, while She trembled;
‘I pray, Sir Knight, that your Helmet aside you would lay,
And deign to partake of our chear.’The Lady is silent: The Stranger complies.
His vizor lie slowly unclosed:
Oh! God! what a sight met Fair Imogine’s eyes!
What words can express her dismay and surprize,
When a Skeleton’s head was exposed.All present then uttered a terrified shout;
All turned with disgust from the scene.
The worms, They crept in, and the worms, They crept out,
And sported his eyes and his temples about,
While the Spectre addressed Imogine.‘Behold me, Thou false one! Behold me!’ He cried;
‘Remember Alonzo the Brave!
God grants, that to punish thy falsehood and pride
My Ghost at thy marriage should sit by thy side,
Should tax thee with perjury, claim thee as Bride
And bear thee away to the Grave!’Thus saying, his arms round the Lady He wound,
While loudly She shrieked in dismay;
Then sank with his prey through the wide-yawning ground:
Nor ever again was Fair Imogine found,
Or the Spectre who bore her away.Not long lived the Baron; and none since that time
To inhabit the Castle presume:
For Chronicles tell, that by order sublime
There Imogine suffers the pain of her crime,
And mourns her deplorable doom.At midnight four times in each year does her Spright
When Mortals in slumber are bound,
Arrayed in her bridal apparel of white,
Appear in the Hall with the Skeleton-Knight,
And shriek, as He whirls her around.While They drink out of skulls newly torn from the grave,
Dancing round them the Spectres are seen:
Their liquor is blood, and this horrible Stave
They howl.–’To the health of Alonzo the Brave,
And his Consort, the False Imogine!’The whole novel The Monk is available online at Project Gutenberg.
If you’re looking for different versions of The Worms Crawled In check out the links at the top of the page above. Once you’re at those links, look for the Comments. That’s where people submit other versions.
-Lisa
NEXT: I’ll post an old nursery rhyme called There Was a Lady All Skin and Bone that was printed in 1810. It also contains the line “The worms crawl’d out, the worms crawl’d in.”
Five Little Pumpkins with MP3
Thursday, October 19th, 2006I posted 5 Little Pumpkins with a recording last year so you all could hear the tempo of the rhyme.
Just yesterday, my 5 year old daughter came home from kindergarten reciting it. She said they were singing it every day on the bus home from school. I asked her if I could record her singing it, and happily, she agreed. So here’s her rendition, which is slightly different from the words below…
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins (Hold up all 5 fingers)
Sitting on a gate
The first one said,
“Oh, my, it’s getting late!” (Point to wrist like checking the time)
The second one said,
“There are witches in the air!” (Point up and across, like pointing to the witches flying)
The third one said,
“But we don’t care!” (Shake head like saying “no”)
The fourth one said,
“Let’s run and run and run!” (Move arms like you’re running)
The fifth one said,
“I’m ready for some fun!” (A big smile)
OOOOOOOH, went the wind
And OUT went the light (Clap on “out”)
And the five little pumpkins (Hold up five fingers again)
Rolled out of sight. (Roll hands, one over the other)I hope this helps you get in the spirit of Halloween!
Lisa
“The Town Hall Halloween Ball” Song
Monday, October 16th, 2006Here’s a Halloween song Karen Mack sent me, though we could use some help with the tune. Here’s what she wrote…
I learned this Halloween song years ago, but do not know the name of the tune.
The Town Hall Halloween Ball
We’re sip, sip, sippin’ on cider,
And pop, pop, poppin’ our corn.
There’s plenty to share,
All the folks are there,
At The Town Hall Halloween Ball.We’re bob, bob, bobbin’ for apples,
And packin’ in the pumpkin pie,
There’s plenty to share,
All the folks are there,
At The Town Hall Halloween Ball.There are hand gestures that go along with the song. I have the tune committed to memory, but would love to find a recording or sheet music as back up!
Karen Mack
If anyone could send in the sheet music, record the tune, record the song or send in instructions for the hand gestures, please comment below or email me. We’d be happy with any help you could provide!
Thanks!
Lisa
“The Hearse Song” as Sung in North Carolina
Thursday, June 29th, 2006Vicki Winston sent me the following version of The Hearse Song. Although it’s a gruesome song, many people seem to have fond memories of singing it during childhood (including me!).
Vicki wrote:
Here’s the version we sang in North Carolina in the 50’s and 60’s:
Don’t ever laugh when a hearse goes by,
Or you may be the next to die.They wrap you up in a bloody sheet,
And bury you under about six feet.All goes well for a couple of weeks,
But then your coffin begins to leak.The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, The worms play pinochle on your snout.
Your stomach turns a slimy green,
And puss comes out of you like whipped cream.You lap it up with a piece of bread,
And that’s what you eat when you are dead.Thanks Vicki!
Here you’ll find other versions of The Hearse Song. Feel free to add the version you know in the comments.
Lisa
***
Come read about The Origin of The Worms Crawl in the Worms Crawl Out a.k.a. The Hearse Song.
Another Version of “The Hearse Song” (”The Worms Crawl In the Worms Crawl Out”)
Sunday, October 30th, 2005Today we went to a Halloween party and when we got home I happily found this email in my inbox from Tanya…
I bought my kids a dancing skeleton this year and it sings this song and I never knew what it was called but the words go like this:
Did you ever see a hearse go by, who will be the next to die?
They’ll wrap him in a big white sheet;
And bury him down 6 feet deep
The worms crawled in the worms crawled out
the worms play pinochle on your snoutHa, Ha, Ha, Ha!
-Another version of The Hearse Song!
Thanks Tanya!
-Lisa
Here you’ll find other versions of The Hearse Song. Feel free to add the version you know in the comments.
***
Come read about The Origin of The Worms Crawl in the Worms Crawl Out a.k.a. The Hearse Song.
A British Version of The Hearse Song (”The Worms Crawl in, The Worms Crawl Out”)
Saturday, October 29th, 2005Robin Colbourne wrote me…
Hello Mama Lisa,
Whilst trying to find ‘the worms went in and the worms went out’ for a Halloween party tomorrow, I came across your site. I was trying to find the lyrics of the song as we used to sing them at Scout Camp.
The Scout Camp was situated in a clearing, in a wood in Tilford, Surrey, England, behind the 1860’s village church and its churchyard (full of gravestones, of course). You can imagine the effect that this song had on the cubs and scouts there for their first camp, having to walk back to their tents in the dark…
Flying Pigs has the words more or less as I remember them:
A woman stood by the churchyard wall
Ooh__________ Ahh__________
The woman she was gaunt and tall
Ooh__________ Ahh__________
A corpse was being carried in
Ooh__________ Ahh__________
The corpse was very pale and thin
Ooh__________ Ahh__________
The worms crawled in and the worms crawled out
Ooh__________ Ahh__________
In at the nose and out of the snout
Ooh__________ Ahh__________
The woman to the corpse said:
Ooh__________ Ahh__________
“Shall I be like that when I am dead?”
Ooh__________ Ahh__________The corpse answered with a groan: SHRIEK!
(at which point all the scouts who know the song scream their lungs out…)Best wishes
Robin Colbourne
Thanks Robin. Enjoy your party!
- Lisa
Here you’ll find other versions of The Hearse Song. Feel free to add the version you know in the comments.
***
Come read about The Origin of The Worms Crawl in the Worms Crawl Out a.k.a. The Hearse Song.
“The Worms Crawl In, The Worms Crawl Out” or “The Hearse Song”
Wednesday, October 26th, 2005When I was about 3 to about 5 years old there was a large group of neighborhood kids who played together in the field behind my house. I was one of the kids that was always there, with my two big sisters and my older brother.
One of the songs we sang was The Worms Crawl in, The Worms Crawl Out.
We would all hold hands to make a long chain. The person at one end would put their free arm stretched out against a tree. The person at the other end of the chain would arc around and go under the “tree” person’s arm and the whole chain would follow. We would sing, “The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out” while we were doing this.
I’ve been trying to remember the rest of the lyrics we sang, so I could post it as a Halloween song. It seems so fitting! But, try as I might, I couldn’t quite get it all.
Finally, I spoke to my “big” sister Dawn. She’s one of the experts I consult about the songs I sang in my childhood. She recalls them better, since I was so young during that time period (she’s five years older then me). Here’s what she remembers…
The Worms Crawl In, The Worms Crawl Out
The Worms Crawl In,
The Worms Crawl Out,
Into your stomach,
And out your mouth.They eat your intestines,
They scramble your heart.
Now you feel like
You’re all apart.This is how
It is to die
You end up looking
Like apple pie!I’ve since found out that this song is often called The Hearse Song.
Here’s how we sang The Hearse Song (MP3).
There seem to be many other versions. Here’s a link for alternate versions to The Hearse Song.
It seems like this song has been around at least since 1923. Here’s some info on publication of The Hearse Song for anyone who’s interested.
I’d be happy if anyone would like to send me their version of The Hearse Song to post, please write me. I also welcome alternate recordings or midis of the tune!
-Lisa
UPDATE: Here you’ll find other versions of The Hearse Song. Feel free to add the version you know in the comments.
Also, Come read about The Origin of The Worms Crawl in the Worms Crawl Out a.k.a. The Hearse Song.
Five Little Pumpkins with Hand Gestures
Tuesday, October 25th, 2005As promised yesterday, here are the hand motions that go with Five Little Pumpkins…
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins (Hold up all 5 fingers)
Sitting on a gate
The first one said,
“Oh, my, it’s getting late!” (Point to wrist like checking the time)
The second one said,
“There are witches in the air!” (Point up and across, like pointing to the witches flying)
The third one said,
“But we don’t care!” (Shake head like saying “no”)
The fourth one said,
“Let’s run and run and run!” (Move arms like you’re running)
The fifth one said,
“I’m ready for some fun!” (A big smile)
OOOOOOOH, went the wind
And OUT went the light (Clap on “out”)
And the five little pumpkins (Hold up five fingers again)
Rolled out of sight. (Roll hands, one over the other)MP3 Recording of Five Little Pumpkins
As with many children’s songs, there are different hand gestures that can be used. Always feel free to adjust the gestures to suit your needs!
-Lisa
MP3 Recording of Five Little Pumpkins
Monday, October 24th, 2005My previous post included the words to the Five Little Pumpkins Rhyme. Today I recorded it. So here it is…
MP3 Recording of Five Little Pumpkins
Next I’ll write out the hand motions that go with the rhyme.
I’m also in the process of tracking down the words to “The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out…” I remember singing it as a child with a lot of the kids in the neighborhood. It seems fitting for Halloween. If anyone would like to send me their version to post, please write me.
Frightfully yours,
Mama Lisa
Halloween Song – Five Little Pumpkins
Friday, October 21st, 2005Last week I brought my two kids to pick out Halloween costumes. My son’s going to be a zombie, he’s 11. He loves those old fashioned Halloween characters. My four year old daughter has been talking about how she wants to fly. So she chose to be a fairy. I put the costume on her and she asked, “How do you get the wings to flap?” Kids can be very funny at times.
In anticipation of October 31st, here’s a Halloween song…
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins
Sitting on a gate
The first one said,
“Oh, my, it’s getting late!”
The second one said,
“There are witches in the air!”
The third one said,
“But we don’t care!”
The fourth one said,
“Let’s run and run and run!”
The fifth one said,
“I’m ready for some fun!”
OOOOOOOH, went the wind
And OUT went the light (clap on “out”)
And the five little pumpkins
Rolled out of sight.Enjoy the season! Soon it will be winter.
-Lisa
P.S. I’m looking for more Halloween songs, poems, jokes and traditions (from around the world) to post. I’d appreciate it if anyone would like to send me any.
Also, anyone looking for a French translation of Five Little Pumpkins, please visit Mama Lisa’s World en français.
________
Help Support
Mama Lisa's World!
$5, $10, $25
or any amount welcome!
