Here’s a song about helping kids know what to do if they get lost. We believe it was popular in the 1940’s…
Remember Your Name and Address
Remember your name and address
And telephone number, too
And if, someday, you lose your way
You know just what to do,
Walk up to the kind policeman
The very first one you meet
And simply say, "I’ve lost my way,
I cannot find my street,
But I know my name and address
And telephone number too."
Then he’ll be kind
And help you to find
The dear ones who wait for you.
You can hear this song here by Tiny Tim.
Here you can hear Richard Stark singing Remember Your Name and Address. His rendition feels more authentic to me since he grew up in the 1940’s in New York singing it.
Many thanks to Carol Woodier for helping us find the lyrics to this song and to Richard Stark for singing it for us!
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Update: You can listen to more Safety Songs here.
This article was posted on Thursday, June 30th, 2011 at 11:35 am and is filed under American Kids Songs, Children's Songs, English, English Children's Songs, Languages, Remember Your Name and Address, Safety Songs, Songs by Theme. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
29 Responses to “Kids Safety Song: Remember Your Name and Address and Telephone Number too!”
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July 1st, 2011 at 8:51 am
After I posted this song, Carole Woodier wrote:
Lisa,
I’m glad you wrote back because not only do I know all the words now, but I just sent you the song! In case Amazon doesn’t send it, here’s the link.
There’s another version by Tiny Tim, which sounds inauthentic to me. The version in the link is by Mady Kaye and she sounds a lot more like my kindergarten teacher than Tiny Tim does (probably a very good thing.)
The words are:
Remember your name and address
And telephone number, too
So if, someday, you lose your way
You’ll know just what to do
Walk up to that kind policeman
The very first one you meet
And simply say I’ve lost my way
And cannot find my street
But I know my name and address
And telephone number too
Then he’ll be kind
And help you find
The dear ones who wait for you.
Thanks Carole! -Mama Lisa
July 25th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Lisa, what incredible synchronicity. My parents visited last week & my Mom was talking about this song…I can’t believe I found this post tonight!
July 26th, 2011 at 12:05 am
That’s neat Robin! This is our parents’ version of Schoolhouse Rock! I just wrote about the whole series today. Check out the link for more info about it. Also, Richard Stark from NY sent me other recordings of these song. If you’d like, I can email them to you for your Mom to hear.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:00 am
Thankyou for putting this children’s song on your website. I learned this song in the first grade in 1941. I remember most of the lyrics but not all. It has been drivivg me crazy for years trying to remember them all.
January 28th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
I remember the song as “I know my name and address” Does any one recall the radio show that it was on? My mind says Bobby Riggs and Mary Lou.But I am sure that is not right.
I remember the song as well of “Lets Pretend” and the Cream of Wheat song.
September 7th, 2013 at 8:41 am
Anyone know all the words for a child’s safety song “Don’t go onto the rail road tracks, for that’s no place to play. Trains go fast when they go past…..???????
Teacher got it from a book “Safety Songs for Children”.
November 10th, 2013 at 1:42 am
I have been singing this song to my grandchildren and they are amazed I still remember it from kindergarten. I am 79 years old. I also sing the Thanksgiving song about ‘Mr. Duck calling on Mr. Turkey. Can you help with the lyrics?
May 10th, 2014 at 6:16 am
never go by the railroad tracks
that isn’t the place to play
cause trains go fast
when they go past
and you might be in the way
June 7th, 2014 at 11:14 pm
As we recall the verse, the railroad tracks song goes:
A boy stood on the railroad tracks
And didn’t hear the bell
I’d like to tell you the end of the tale
But it’s too sad to tell, so
Stay away from the railroad tracks
It isn’t the place to play
For trains go fast
As they go past
And you might be in the way
And here’s another song we remember:
Johnny go right and Johnny go wrong
Two little Johnnies, walking along
Johnny go right he keeps to the right
Never gets into trouble
Johnny go wrong when he walks along
Seems to double trouble
So keep to the right like Johnny go right
And follow this merry song
And you’ll never get jumped on, stepped on, bumped on
Like little Johnny go wrong.
December 17th, 2014 at 1:37 pm
Some schools in Cleveland, Ohio were teaching this as recently as the late 1960s! That’s when I learned it. In fact, Ohio Bell (now defunct telephone company) had little kids actually reciting this for a commercial back in the day. Wow…what a different attitude towards the police then than now, eh?
January 6th, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Here’s an mp3 recording of Stay Away from the Railroad Tracks by one of our readers.
January 7th, 2015 at 4:21 am
For june pasini: My mom used to sing that song to us with gestures. I have taught it to my grandchildren, who love it.
“Mister duck went to visit mister turkey with a wobble wobble wobble wobble.
Mister turkey went to visit mister ducky with a gobble gobble gobble gobble.
Mister turkey said how do you do. Mister ducky said I’m very fine too.
Mister duck went to visit mister turkey with a wobble wobble wobble wobble.”
Another one from my mom:
Way up high in the apple tree, two little apples smiled at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could. (gesture of shaking a tree)
And then DOWN came the apples
And mm-mmm (rub hand on tummy) were they good!
Judy at dearmrsp@aol.com
May 19th, 2015 at 8:21 pm
How do I find the piano/vocal book of all those songs:
Stay Away from the Railroad Tracks
The policeman, the fireman, the mail man too..
Talking to the driver…
July 17th, 2015 at 9:06 pm
It was written in 3/4, but Tiny Tim does it in a four beat pattern. That’s why it feels different.
July 11th, 2016 at 9:05 pm
I’m looking for the original rights to the song with the lyrics posted below, along with various recordings thereof. Does anyone have info in either regard?
A boy stood on the railroad tracks
And didn’t hear the bell
I’d like to tell you the end of the tale
But it’s too sad to tell, so
Stay away from the railroad tracks
It isn’t the place to play
For trains go fast
As they go past
And you might be in the way
Thanks!
June 19th, 2017 at 4:38 am
This and the other safety songs were composed by the late Irving Caesar, who put together a book of
children’s safety songs long ago. Mr. Caesar also wrote several popular songs in the thirties and forties such as “Tea for Two” and “Swanee” and “I Want to Be Happy.”
My late husband was a music professor and introduced Irving Caesar’s songs to me during our courtship and I remember them fondly to this day.
You can find out about Irving Caesar by Google-ing him. Dear man.
February 4th, 2018 at 2:27 pm
I know a young woman whose 24 year old brother was just killed by a train accident. He and his buddies were riding dirt motorcycles along train tracks. It came up behind them and he did not hear it, nor understood why all his friends were peeling off the track. She tells me his mom used to sing that song to him when he was little.hearing her weep on the phone is heartbreaking. Wanting to look up the song brought me here. Thank you all
February 4th, 2018 at 3:07 pm
Sorry for your loss David.
June 2nd, 2020 at 2:52 am
I went to elementary school in the 50’s.
I remember singing safety songs with my classmates and teachers. I have remembered parts of the lyrics to the
Remember your name and address song.
I would sing to friends “ walk up to a kind policeman, the very first one you meet. And simply say I’ve lost my way………”
Today I typed those lyrics into my phone.
I was so surprised to find your website and the complete lyrics to the song, plus Tiny Tim singing them!!!!
This was a joyous moment.
Thank you for posting it.
This was a gentle time in our nation.
I have such happy memories of my elementary school experiences.
I’m glad that your school is reminiscent of my elementary school days.
June 13th, 2020 at 3:47 pm
Yes, I remember this song from early childhood; my sister and I had it on a 45 rpm record of safety songs, with an accompanying book with illustrations. We sang and memorized them … still remember the lyrics. It shaped my childhood view of police; as Joanne Fossatti wrote, “This was a gentle time in our nation” — things are so different now!
Another song from that record (with a scary illustration in the book) that’s etched in memory goes like this:
Ice skating is nice skating,
But here’s some advice about ice skating.
Never go where the ice is thin,
For thin ice will crack and you’ll fall right in,
And come up with icicles under your chin,
If you skate where the ice is thin.
July 20th, 2021 at 5:41 pm
My grandpa’s best friend Gerald Marks wrote this song as well as many other safety songs ( and All of me). Grew up with him teaching them to us. Always the best show on earth.
July 20th, 2021 at 5:54 pm
Yes Irving Caeser and Gerald Marks wrote these songs together.
They were quite the duo. I’ll never forget them influencing me on my music career.
July 24th, 2021 at 12:32 pm
I remember the “Name & Address” song being taught in school. That would have been in the late 40’s-early 50’s. I was wondering if they still do that?
January 18th, 2022 at 5:39 pm
Remember your title and address
And phone numbers, too
But when it does, you know what to do, and you know what to do.
Visit the nearest police station
The first time you meet
But I was lost and I could not find my way
But I know the name and the address
On the phone number
Then it will be fine
And help you find
Those who love you are waiting for you
February 8th, 2022 at 4:25 am
Thank you for giving us access to Richard Stark’s version of “Remember Your Name and Address”. I learned the song in kindergarten in 1956 and remembered most of the words. Hearing it again made my day.
March 18th, 2023 at 12:24 am
I remember singing that song in the first grade of Waverly Avenue school in Newark New Jersey in 1953. I still remember all the words and sing it to my grandkids. Although I lived at over 25 addresses in my life I remember all the addresses and telephone numbers and I credit that to that song. I guess today all you have to do is teach your kids how to use their cell phones.
April 22nd, 2023 at 8:05 am
I have been searching for the Policeman song for a long time now, and decided I was not going to stop looking tonight until I found it. Ah, the sweet taste of success. I was born in 1952 and entered kindergarten in 1957, where I learned it in grade school. I remembered 95% of the words. It was a much simpler time back then. We’ve just had four shootings in one week based on simple errors ~ going up a wrong driveway, a little girl’s ball in a neighbor’s yard, tiny things. How in just under a century could this happen?
December 2nd, 2023 at 5:13 pm
To Ben: I’m Joan Saphire. I went to Waverly Ave. School Newark also and remember singing that song with Mildred Maul at the piano. Please mail me back or respond somehow. Happy Holidays.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:33 pm
Hi Joan, my stay at Waverly Ave. school was only for 1 year. My 2nd grade was at Avon Ave. School, only about 1/2 mile away when we moved to Hunterdon St.