The story and legend camp songs often sung around a crackling campfire bring an enchantment to the outdoor setting.
Legendary songs seem to draw all present into the bygone days of the past. Here are the lyrics to some of our favorite story-telling songs.
Waltzing Matilda
Once a jolly swagman camped beside a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Chorus:
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Down came a jumpbuck to drink at the billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he stowed that jumback in his tuckerbag,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Up came the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred
Down came the troopers - one, two, three,
"Where's that jolly jumpbuck you've got in your tuckerbag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me"
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
"You'll never take me alive!", said he.
And his ghost may be heard as you pass beside that billabong,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider.
That wiggled and jiggled and tickled insider her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
I guess she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird.
How absurd! To swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wiggled and jiggled and tickled insider her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
I guess she'll die.
Continue adding on verses:
Cat . . . Imagine that! She swallowed a cat.
Dog . . . What a hog! She swallowed a dog.
Goat . . . She opened her throat and in walked a goat.
Cow . . . I don't know how she swallowed that cow.
There was an old lady, she swallowed a horse. She DIED of course!
Clementine
In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine,
Lived a miner, forty-niner, and his daughter Clementine.
Chorus:
Oh my darling, Oh my darling,
Oh my darling Clementine,
You are lost and gone forever,
dreadful sorry, Clementine.
Light she was, and like a fairy,
and her shoes were number nine,
Herring boxes without topses,
sandals were for Clementine.
Drove she ducklings to the water
every morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter,
fell into the foaming brine.
Ruby lips above the water,
blowing bubbles soft and fine,
Alas for me! I was no swimmer,
so I lost my Clementine.
In a churchyard near the canyon,
where the myrtle doth entwine,
There grow roses and other posies,
fertilized by Clementine.
Then the miner, forty-niner,
soon began to peak and pine,
Thought he oughter join his daughter,
now he's with his Clementine.
In my dreams she still doth haunt me,
robed in garments soaked in brine,
While in life I used to hug her,
now she's dead I draw the line.
How I missed her, how I missed her,
how I missed my Clementine,
Until I kissed her little sister,
and forgot my Clementine.
IMPORTANT: We do not claim to have written any of these camp song lyrics. It’s very difficult to track the origin of the traditional camp songs. Many of the older songs are part of the public domain and we are unable to know if any are copyrighted. If you feel a song included here has infringed on a copyright, please let us know.
Visit the
Camper's Corner Camping Forums
Read stories, tips and advice from other campers. You can even share your own personal experiences, recipes, and gear reviews.
