[Camp Songs] Classic camping songs. Campfire songs you can play along with
When you think of outdoor activities, the first thing that comes to mind is camping, right?
Many kids experience it through school events, family trips, or the Boy Scouts.
In this article, we’ll introduce camp songs and recreation songs that are perfect for camping.
We’ve also gathered lots of classic campfire songs—the highlight of any camp—so try learning them before the day and have fun together.
Camping is a valuable opportunity to feel the earth and the blessings of nature with your children or friends.
If you’re thinking, “I absolutely want to make it a great time!”, be sure to check this out!
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[Camp Songs] Classic camping songs. Playable campfire songs (61–70)
The railroad tracks go on forever.
“Senro wa tsuzuku yo doko made mo,” a staple at kindergartens and daycare centers, is also a classic for camps and train trips.
In fact, this song was originally created as a work song for the laborers who built the railways.
The original lyrics are said to have described the harsh working conditions of constructing the transcontinental railroad.
While it later became famous with lyrics that evoke a cheerful train journey, it has a unique background—so why not share this bit of trivia during a spare moment?
Old MacDonald Had a FarmSakushi: Kobayashi Mikiharu / Sakkyoku: Amerika min’yō
Yukai na Bokujō (Cheerful Farm) is a children’s song with Japanese lyrics by Kanji Kobayashi set to the American folk tune Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
Its bright, cheerful melody makes you feel happy when you sing it.
Because the lyrics change little by little as the song goes on, it’s easy for children to follow and always a hit with them.
How about using it for group singing or recreation at camp, incorporating hand motions and other actions?
camp cooking
It’s a song originally composed by the Boy Scouts of America, to which the Boy Scouts of Japan added Japanese lyrics.
It covers everything from cooking rice and making curry to what to do with leftover rice, all the way through breaking camp, and it even has ten verses.
If you sing this, you might have camp cooking down pat!
Oh, the pastures are green
This song is originally a folk tune that has long been loved in the rural regions of Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
It later spread to the United States through immigrants, and during the Taishō era a Japanese pastor studying abroad, Nakata Ugo, heard it and wrote Japanese lyrics.
In Japan, after the war—when the singing movement became popular—it was often sung at singing cafés.
This song really comes alive when sung by a large group, and given its nature-filled lyrics, it would be perfect for campfire singing.
Incidentally, the lyrics sung in Slovakia and the Czech Republic were not nearly as cheerful as these.
Oklahoma Mixer
When it comes to folk dance songs well known in Japan, this one likely comes to mind.
Some of you may even remember the thrill of this dance, where partners change one after another.
In Japan, the song used in this dance is recognized as “Turkey in the Straw,” but in actual Oklahoma Mixers in the United States, other folk songs are also used and the choreography differs.
If you do a folk dance around a campfire, you’ll create unforgettable memories filled with nostalgia and fun.