Piggyback Songs


A piggyback song is one in which original lyrics are set to a familiar tune.
Piggyback songs are ideal for a situation in which a student has already learned to play a familiar tune and needs practice or needs recognition.

do re mi

to the tune of Hot cross buns

1+1
by Jennifer Weir

One plus one, equals two,
No, not three, no, not four, it equals two.

One plus two, equals three,
No, not two, no, not four, it equals three.

One plus three, equals four,
No, not two, no, not three, it equals four.

The above song was found here.

do re mi so

to the tune of Mary had a little lamb

Lily-White Daisies

learned in rural Tennessee

to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb

_____ is his first name,
First name, first name,
_____ is his first name
Among the lily-white daisies.

_____ is his last name, etc.
Choose the one you love the best, etc.
_____ is her first name, etc.
_____ is her last name, etc.
Now poor [boy's first name]'s dead and gone, etc.
Now poor [girls' first name] sits and weeps, etc.
Twenty-four children round her feet, etc.

do re mi so la

to the tune of Oh, Susannah!

Phonics Song

O the C says /k/, the C says /k/,
The C says /k/ /k/ /k/,
O the C says /k/, the C says /k/,
The C says /k/ /k/ /k/.

O the A says ©¡, etc.

O the T says /t/, etc.

do re mi so la do

to the tune of Nari Nari Gaenari
(Lily, Lily, Forsythia)

Little Willy


This Korean folk song happens to fit most Little Willy poems, or humorous poems about a delinquent child.
The best source for these poems seems to be the Rickard (1953) collection.

so do mi so

to the tune of Taps

so do re mi so

can be sung to the tune of The muffin man in Cox 1942: 240

can be sung to the tune of Pinto in Gomme [1894] 1964, vol. 1: 29


  • Farm animals (Warren 1984: 81)
  • Weather song (Warren 1984: 27)
  • How are you today--please (Warren 1984: 58)
  • I know a plural that starts with Bb
  • I am a baseball player
  • The jumping song
  • The Pp word song
  • The Ss blend song
  • The long vowel song
  • The Five Letter Word Song
  • G-E-R-M-S
  • The Weather Song so do re mi so la

    to the tune of The farmer in the dell

  • There ain't no flies on us (Paradology: 23)
  • The helpful zero (Warren 1984: 61)
  • A fly is on my nose (Warren 1984: 61)
  • Flower garden (Warren 1983: 29)
  • Vegetable soup song (Warren 1983: 39)
  • We're ten miles from home (good for teaching subtraction) (Asch 1967)
  • Hurray for Aa!
  • The farmer in the field
  • I am learning letter Gg
  • The jaguar
  • The Oo song
  • The train
  • Let's give a yell for Yy
  • I am learning Zz
  • Line Up at the Door
  • Washing hands
  • Our Greeting Song
  • Come join our circle of friends
  • How do you phone home?
  • The Shape Song
  • A Fall Song
  • The Mitten in the Snow Song
  • The Animals in the Mitten
  • A Winter Song
  • The Garden Song
  • The Plant Part Song
  • Brown
  • Continents of the World
  • We're glad to see you here so la do re mi

    to the tune of Old MacDonald

    Phonics Song

    Old MacDonald had a word, E I E I O,
    And in that word he had a C, E I E I O,
    With a /k/ /k/ here and a /k/ /k/ there,
    Here a /k/, there a /k/, ev'rywhere a /k/ /k/,
    Old MacDonald had a word, E I E I O.

    And in that word he had an A, etc.

    And in that word he had a T, etc.

    to the tune of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

    so la do re mi so la

    to the tune of Auld Lang Syne

    Mary had a little lamb

    Rosewig 1879: 47

    Lowell Mason wrote the well-known tune to Mary Had a Little Lamb in the 1830's.
    Apparently, the tune was not so well-known at the time that this book was published.

    BIBLIOGRAPHY

    Rickard, D. (Day, R. J., illust.) 1953. Little Willie. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

    Warren, J. 1983. Piggyback songs: New songs sung to the tune of childhood favorites. Everett, WA: Totline Press.
    These three books by Jean Warren are collections of new lyrics to familiar songs.
    Some were written by the author, some were submitted by other teachers, day care workers, and recreational leaders. They contain songs for all occasions, including seasons and holidays.
    Each book contains numerous treatments of familiar pentatonic songs.
    For example, this book contains 15 treatments of Mary Had a Little Lamb.
    Barney Dinosaur's closing song was borrowed from this book.

    _____. 1984. More piggyback songs: New songs sung to the tune of childhood favorites. Everett, WA: Totline Press.

    _____. 1985. Piggyback songs for infants and toddlers: New songs sung to the tune of childhood favorites. Everett, WA: Totline Press.
    Although this book is written especially for preschoolers, many of the songs are applicable to older children also.

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    or suggested additions to the collection,
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