Nancy Raven’s
Sky Bears
Lyrics
AFRICAN THANKSGIVING — West Africa, Bonny
Take turns singing the verses or the chant in this West African song. Kalimba, chekere.
Now it’s time for Thanksgiving
Now it’s time, now it’s time.
Now it’s time for Thanksgiving
So come with presents presents presents
So come with presents presents presents.
Oyiapu agbame mi late
Oyiapu oyiapu.
Oyiapu agbame mi late
O ye ke sobo sobo sobo
O ye ke sobo sobo sobo.
ALMOST DAY — Leadbelly, Afro-American
Leadbelly captured how excited children feel at Christmas time. Kazoo, dancing dolls, tambourine.
Chillen all gets so happy on a Christmas Day
Chillen all gets so happy on a Christmas Day
Chillen all gets so happy on a Christmas Day
Chillen all gets so happy on a Christmas Day.
Think I heard my mama say it’s Christmas Day
Think I heard my mama say it’s Christmas Day
Think I heard my papa say it’s Christmas Day
Think I heard my papa say it’s Christmas Day.
Chillen get out in the yard and swing on Christmas Day
Chillen get out in the yard and swing on Christmas Day
Everybody gets so happy on a Christmas Day.
Everybody gets so happy on a Christmas Day.
Santa Claus is a movin’ in on Christmas Day
Santa Claus is a movin’ in on Christmas Day
Rooster crows at midnight on a Christmas Day
Rooster crows at midnight on a Christmas Day.
NOCHE BUENA — Mexico
Buñuelos are made from fried flour tortillas, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. They are best when eaten warm. Charango, maracas.
Esta noche es noche buena
Noche de comer buñuelos
Noche de luna
Noche de estrellas
Para los niños buenos.
Tonight is Christmas Eve
A night to eat buñuelos
Night of the moon
Night of the stars
Night for all good children.
LAS POSADAS SONGS — Mexico
Can you hear the stick hitting the piñata and the candy falling on the floor? Zampoña.
See the gay piñata hanging high above you
Swing until you find it, swing and break it open.
Break the gay piñata, send the candy flying
Break the gay piñata, send the candy flying.
Pick up the candy, wrapped in red paper
Fill up the baskets will all kinds of goodies.
Red jelly apples, peanuts, and chestnuts
Pass them around, all eat and have fun now.
Pick up the candy, wrapped in green paper
Fill up the basket with all kinds of goodies
Fresh juicy oranges, almonds, and chewing gum
Pass them around, all eat and have fun now.
MY DREYDL — Israel
Listen to the dreydl spinning on the floor. Penny whistle, dreydl.
I have a little dreydl, I made it out of clay
And when it’s dry and ready then dreydl I will play.
Chorus:
Oh dreydl dreydl dreydl, I made it out of clay
Oh dreydl dreydl dreydl, when ready I will play.
It has a lovely body, with leg so short and thin
And when it is all tired, it drops and then I win.
(chorus)
My dreydl always playful, it loves to dance and spin
A happy game of dreydl, come play now, let’s begin.
(chorus)
OH HANUKAH! — Israel
Let’s dance! Penny whistle, tambourine, doumbeg drum.
Hanukah oh hanukah, let’s light the menorah
Let’s have a party, let’s all dance the hora.
Gather at the table, I’ll give you a treat
Dreydl to play with and latkes to eat.
And as we are dancing, the candles are burning so low.
One for each night, they shed their sweet light
To remind us of days long ago.
One for each night, they shed their sweet light
To remind us of days long ago.
KOLYADA — Russia
Kolyada is the Russian name for Santa Claus. Chimes, ankle bells.
Kolyada, Kolyada, walks about on Christmas Eve
Kolyada, Kolyada, at our window cakes he’ll leave.
Kolyada, Kolyada, come this holy night, we pray
Kolyada, Kolyada, came and brought us Christmas Day.
Kolyada, Kolyada, walks about on Christmas Eve
Kolyada, Kolyada, at our window cakes he’ll leave.
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS — England
Recorder, bells, gong.
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year.
Chorus:
Good tidings we bring
To you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas
Let the New Year come in.
Now bring us a figgy pudding
Now bring us a figgy pudding
Now bring us a figgy pudding
And a cup of good cheer.
For we like a figgy pudding
For we like a figgy pudding
For we like a figgy pudding
And a cup of good cheer.
And we won’t go until we’ve got some
And we won’t go until we’ve got some
And we won’t go until we’ve got some
So bring some out here.
(chorus)
FEAST OF LANTERNS — China
With this song you can make your very own New Year’s parade. Bells, sticks, crinkum-crankums, Chinese drums, gongs, firecrackers.
Tching a ring a ring tching,
Feast of lanterns
What a lot of chopsticks
Bells and gongs
Twenty seven thousand crinkum-crankums
All among the bells and the ding-dongs.
SZ BBEI — Hopei Province, China
Poor Sz Bbei, living far out in the country, doesn’t get to go to the New Year’s parade. He has to work! Gongs.
On New Year’s Day
Sz Bbei has to work
Farmer Sz Bbei has to work, has to work
He carries barrels of water to the cattle
Ya ur yo
He cleans the cattle sheds after breakfast
Yi ur ya ur yo.
ME WAN ME LAMA — Jamaica
Guiro, tortoise shell, bells.
Chorus:
Christmas a come me wan me lama
Christmas a come me wan me lama
Christmas a come me wan me lama
Christmas a come me wan me lama
Christmas a come not a hat to me head (4 times)
Christmas a come not a shoe to me foot (4 times)
Christmas a come not a ring to me ear (4 times)
Christmas a come not a fish to me pot. (4 times)
(chorus)
CHRISTMAS IS HERE — Denmark
This is an old Danish round. Door chimes.
Christmas is here
Best time of year
When we remember all our
Friends far and near.
SLEIGH RIDE — Ukraine
Gallop around the room to this winter sleigh song. Bells, wood blocks, charango.
Pounding hoof and flowing mane
Biting airs that tingle
Out across the snowy plain
The silver sleighbells jingle
Out across the snowy plain
The silver sleighbells jingle.
On, you ponies, hep hep hep
There is naught to bind you
On the steppe beneath the stars
Now leave the wind behind you!
On the steppe beneath the stars
Now leave the wind behind you!
STIRABOUT — (unknown)
Let’s make some plum pudding! Sand blocks.
Into the basin put the plums
Stirabout, stirabout, stirabout!
Next the good white flour comes
Stirabout, stirabout, stirabout!
Sugar and peel and eggs and spice
Stirabout, stirabout, stirabout!
Mix them and fix them and cook them twice
Stirabout, stirabout, stirabout!
COME QUICKLY, NEW YEAR — Japan
Sometimes it seems as if holidays will never come! Random bells.
How many more nights to sleep
’Til the bright New Year?
Flying kite and skinning tops, everyone is gay
Walking at the shrine and greeting friends along the way
Come quickly happy time, oh merry bright New Year!
Mo i-ku-tsu ne-ru to o-sho-o-ga-tsu
O-sho-o-ga tsu ni wa ta-ko a-ge-te
Ko-ma o ma-wa-i-te a-so-bi-ma sho
Ha ya-ku ko-i, ko-i, o-sho-o-ga-tsu.
How many more nights to sleep
’Til the bright New Year?
Battledore and shuttlecock, merrily we play
Bouncing balls and playing cards pass a happy day
Come quickly, happy time, oh merry bright New Year.
RAISINS AND ALMONDS — Israel
A lovely old lullaby. Finger cymbals, charango.
To my little one’s cradle in the night
Comes a new little goat in snowy white
The goat will trot to the market
While mother her watch will keep
To bring you back raisins and almonds
Sleep, my little one sleep.
JINGLE BELLS — J. Pierpont
The most requested holiday song of all. Bells.
Chorus:
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bobtail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
(chorus)
A day or two ago
I thought I’d take a ride
And soon Miss Fannie Bright
Was seated by my side.
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seem’d his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And we, we got upsot!
(chorus)
SKY BEARS — United States
A good song to act out — or go to sleep by. Glass wind chime.
Oh it snowed last night, it snowed last night
The sky bears had a pillow fight.
They tore up every cloud in sight
And tossed down all the feathers bright.
Oh it snowed last night
Snowed last night.
It snowed last night.