Opie collection of children's games & songs
Recording of children demonstrating songs and discussing playground games with Iona Opie (part 2 of 2)
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Type
sound
Duration
00:32:10
Shelf mark
C898/73
Subjects
Children's games; Children's songs
Recording date
1975-05
Is part of (Collection)
Opie collection of children's games and songs
Recording locations
Salford, Greater Manchester and Wythenshawe, Manchester, England
Interviewers
Opie, Iona (speaker, female)
Speakers
unidentified (children)
Abstract
Part 2 of 2. [00:00:00 - 00:32:10] This recording continues to record children from North Grecian Junior School, Salford and children from Wythenshawe, Manchester. The Salford recording was made on 14th May 1975 and the Wythenshawe recording on the 15th May, 1975. It is unclear where Iona Opie is throughout this particular track. The recording begins with children singing the ball bouncing rhyme 'I Spy' [00:00:00 - 00:00:38]. They then demonstrate a number of other ball game rhymes such as 'Pontius Pilot, King of the Jews' [00:00:40 - 00:01:34]; 'Have a Cigarette, Sir' [00:01:38 - 00:02:44] and 'I Went to Morecombe for the Day' [00:03:20 - 00:04:00]. Iona asks the children if they know any skipping games. The children suggest and perform 'London Bridge is Falling Down' [00:04:05 - 00:07:36]; 'Somebody's Under the Bench' (a variation of 'There's Somebody Under the Bed') [00:07:39 - 00:08:06]; 'Cowboy Joe of Mexico' [00:08:07 - 00:08:36]; 'Jelly on a Plate' [00:08:38 - 00:09:05]; 'Knees Up Mother Brown' [00:09:06 - 00:11:30] and [00:19:25 - 00:20:43] and 'One Little Elephant' [00:11:31 - 00:12:32]. A number of singing games are sung by the children. They perform: 'In and Out the Scottish Bluebells' (a variation of 'In and Out the Dusty Bluebells') [00:12:33 - 00:13:16]; 'The Wind, the Wind, the Wind Blows High' [00:13:17 - 00:17:06]; 'Up the Mississippi' [00:17:07 - 00:17:37]; 'I Had a Little Match Girl' [00:17:38 - 00:17:53]; 'I Am a Pretty Cowgirl' [00:18:10 - 00:19:03]; 'I'm Shirley Temple' [00:20:45 - 00:21:18]; 'Doctor Knickerbocker Number Nine' [00:21:19 - 00:22:40]; 'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean' [00:31:33 - 00:32:10] and 'The Farmer's in his Den' [00:22:47 - 00:25:37]. One girl performs the song 'B-I-N-G-O' and tells Iona that when she went on holiday to 'Butlins' this song was played 'everywhere' to encourage families to visit the bingo hall [00:30:24 - 00:31:17]. The children also perform the song 'B-A-Y, B-A-Y, B-A-Y-C-I-T-Y', a song about the pop group the Bay City Rollers [00:19:04 - 00:19:24]. Throughout the recording, the children tell Iona a number of jokes. One girl begins by telling the following joke: Patient: 'Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains' Doctor: 'Pull yourself together'. The children then continue to tell Iona 'doctor, doctor' jokes [00:25:40 - 00:27:40]. One girl recites the following racist joke: 'A man went downstairs as he thought he had burglars. He looked in a cupboard and found a 'coloured man' in there. He asked the man why he was there and he replied: 'I'm the gollywog off the jam jar'. Another girl then tells a variation of this joke. [00:27:42 - 00:29:05]. For the remainder of the recording, the children tell other 'doctor, doctor' jokes to Iona [00:29:06 - 00:30:20].
Description
Item notes: Recording of children demonstrating songs and discussing playground games with Iona Opie. Speakers' notes: Group of Salford and Wythenshawe schoolchildren. Recording notes: Slight L/R imbalance, variable throughout. Otherwise, good throughout.
Metadata record: