songs that can be changed by students

[mjones]

Hello, does anyone know of any good songs where there is a certain format to the verses and the students, using this format, can make up new verses?? Thanks

[Sally Olsen]

Hard to do this without the tune. The one I know is "Throw it Out the Window"/
You sing a nursery rhyme to this tune and then end with the throw it out the window verse.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
Couldn't put him together at all
So
Throw him out the window
The window
The window
We'll throw him out the window
Couldn't put him together at all
So we'll throw him out the window.

Luckily you can't hear me singing this under my breath at the library and I can't think of the popular tune it follows. Sorry.

[Sian]

Coming to this a bit late...

I've done it with
- Tom's Diner (sung by Suzanne Vega)
- Every Breath you Take (sung by the Police).

You might also be able to do it with
- Sailing (sung by Rod Stewart)
- Row, row, row your boat
- If I could turn back time (sung by Cher)

[Lorikeet]

Hard to do this without the tune. The one I know is "Throw it Out the Window"/
You sing a nursery rhyme to this tune and then end with the throw it out the window verse.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
Couldn't put him together at all
So
Throw him out the window
The window
The window
We'll throw him out the window
Couldn't put him together at all
So we'll throw him out the window.

Luckily you can't hear me singing this under my breath at the library and I can't think of the popular tune it follows. Sorry.

Oh, I missed this one before. We used to sing it, but without nursery rhymes. We'd make up our own. (Usually was considered a "camp" [as in girl scout camp] song.

The book I have says English has
a future tense you see...
No matter what you think of that,
Throw it out the window.
The window, the second story window,
No matter what you think of that,
Throw it out the window.

[sanrak]

John Prine's Dear Abby is a fun song to rework with older students. The song's verses are hapless letters to Dear Abby and the chorus is Dear Abby's response. I talk a bit about advice columns to the class then distribute the lyrics and play the song through. One of the verses is very mildly suggestive so, depending on the class, I'll omit it (I play and sing on the guitar). I then have the class group off and write their own outlandish letters to Dear Abby following the basic pattern of the song. At the end, you will have a class in hysterics over the sometimes bizarre lyrics that they themselves have come up with. [/i]

[Senorita Daniels]

Frere Jacques. You might remember the English words for this song.
Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping,
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing,
Ding, dong, ding, Ding, dong, ding.
I sang a version of this in a Russian class.
Ya ne znayu, Ya ne znayu,
Nichevo, Nichevo,
Nichevo ne znayu, Nichevo ne znayu,
Khorosho, Khorosho.
it means- I don't know I don't know, anything, anything, Nothing I know, Nothing I know, Okay, Okay.