Row, Row, Row Your Boat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nursery rhyme | |
| Published | 1852 |
| Songwriter(s) | Eliphalet Oram Lyte |
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is a very well-known English nursery rhyme. It is also a popular children's song. Sometimes, people sing it while acting out rowing a boat. They sit facing each other and move their joined hands back and forth.
The famous singer Bing Crosby included this song in one of his albums. He also sang it as a round with his family during a concert in London.
Singing the Song
The most common way to sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is as a round. In a round, different groups of singers start the same song at different times. This creates a cool layered sound. For example, one group starts, then another group begins the same song a few words later.
How a Round Works
Here is how the song can be sung as a round with four groups of voices:
| Soprano | Alto | Tenor | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row, row, row your boat, | |||
| Gently down the stream. | Row, row, row your boat, | ||
| Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, | Gently down the stream. | Row, row, row your boat, | |
| Life is but a dream. | Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, | Gently down the stream. | Row, row, row your boat, |
| Life is but a dream. | Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, | Gently down the stream. | |
| Life is but a dream. | Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, | ||
| Life is but a dream. |
The song is usually sung many times in a row. This lets the different voices mix together. It creates what is called four-part harmony.
The Song's History
The song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" has been around for a long time. Some people think it might have come from American minstrel shows. These were popular entertainment shows in the 1800s.
The first time the song's words were printed was in 1852. The lyrics were similar to what we sing today. However, the tune was very different back then. The song was printed again two years later with a different tune. The tune we know today was first written down with the lyrics in 1881. It mentioned Eliphalet Oram Lyte, but it's not fully clear if he wrote the music or just helped adapt it.
Fun New Verses
People often like to make up their own new verses for "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." This is a fun part of children's street culture. These new verses can make the song longer or just make it funny. They often change the original, innocent meaning into something silly.
Here are some examples of other verses people sing:
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
If you see a crocodile,
Don't forget to scream.
Or this one:
Row, row, row your boat,
Underneath the stream.
Ha Ha! I fooled you,
I'm a submarine!
And sometimes:
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Throw your teacher overboard
And listen to her scream.
Another funny one is:
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Try to make it back to shore
Before your boat sinks.
