Once one person has had a go, they swap for someone else and continue to go around the room until everyone has been able to take part and until every name has been successfully shared.

There are a number of alternative singing games like this that work on improving a child’s working memory whilst keeping them properly entertained and excited. You may also hear this song being referred to as Hickety Tickety Bumblebee which uses all the same lyrics but just swaps the word Pickety for Tickety.

Hickety Pickety Bumblebee Lyrics

Hickety pickety bumblebee,
Can you sing your name for me?
(One child) My name is “…”
(All together) Your name is “…”

As a playground song, it is extremely popular because children often enjoy taboo subjects and references to things that are disgusting! There are some regional variations in the lyrics but they all use alliteration to describe disgusting dishes that the children have eaten.

As you might expect, it is a song that children enjoy singing in the playground or at camp after dinner and is often used in Scouting and Guiding associations to entertain children before they go back to their tents to sleep.

Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts Lyrics

Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
Hairy pickled piggy feet
French fried eyeballs floating in some kerosene
And me without a spoon.

Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts
Scab sandwich, puss on top
Vulture vomit, camel snot
Deep dish boogers soaking in a bowl of fat
And me without a spoon.

Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts
Parrot eyeballs dipped in glue
Petrified porpoise puss
Flaming ear wax bobbing in a bowl of barf
And me without a spoon.

Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts
Dessicated dinosaur dung
Percollated pelican poop
Tortoise turd balls with the little flies inside
And me without a spoon.

The lyrics are credited to Florenz Friedrich Sigismund but the tune used for the modern version of this song was put together by Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller following the Second World War. The classic sound of the melody means that it’s often assumed to be a traditional folk-style song, but that’s not the case. 

Friedrich-Willhelm Möller’s sister, Edith, adapted the original lyrics for a children’s choir. It was later adapted again by Antonia Ridge and this is the version sung today. 

As it is a cheerful tune, many scouts and guiding groups use it to sing around their campfires or when they are out on a hike, extolling the virtues of a life that involves enjoying the beauty of nature and recognizing the simplicity of being outdoors.

The Happy Wanderer Lyrics

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

(chorus)
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.
I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
“Come! Join my happy song!”
I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev’ry green wood tree.
High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o’er the world we roam.
Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God’s clear blue sky!

The song was initially used to indicate the end of the day or to prompt lights out. In more contemporary times it was often played at Scouts camps so the boys knew they had to go to sleep. The alternate name of Taps comes from the Dutch “doe den tap toe” which translates as “turn off the taps”. This refers to the drinking taps being switched off, and soldiers heading to bed. 

The melody can be traced back to the early 19th century but it was adopted by the military in 1862 and is now played regularly to show respect to fallen heroes who have given their lives while defending the freedom and faith of their home country.

Day is Done Gone the Sun Lyrics

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.

Thanks and praise, for our days,
‘Neath the sun, ‘neath the stars, neath the sky;
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.

Sun has set, shadows come,
Time has fled, Scouts must go to their beds
Always true to the promise that they made.

While the light fades from sight,
And the stars gleaming rays softly send,
To thy hands we our souls, Lord, commend.

Make New Friends But Keep The Old

Make new friends,
But keep the old.
One is silver,
And the other, gold.
A circle’s round
It has no end
That’s how long
I’m gonna be your friend.

A fire burns bright,
It warms the heart.
We’ve been friends,
From the very start.
You help me,
And I’ll help you
And together
We will see it through.
The sky is blue
The Earth is green
I can help
To keep it clean.
Across the land
Across the sea
Friends forever
We will always be.