Sep 4, 2009

Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching




This is a great song, which has taken several forms over the years. It was first a Civil War song written by George F. Root. It has also taken the form of an Irish anthem (God Save Ireland), a labor song by Joe Hill (Tramp tramp tramp keep on a tramping), and a Sunday school song (Jesus Loves the Little Children), which is where I first learned it. It's also one of the increasingly few tunes my elderly mother recognizes, so I whistle it for her often. That and the Elephant Song, which I sing for her 6 or 8 times a day. It's very short and goes like this:

The elephant carries a great big trunk
He never packs it with clothes
It has no lock and it has no key
But he takes it wherever he goes.

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