Children’s songs of the world: songs passed down and sung by children overseas
We’re introducing nursery rhymes and children’s songs that have been sung across countries and regions around the world!
From songs found in Japanese textbooks to tunes actually sung overseas and popular songs used in English education, we’ve gathered a selection from various perspectives.
As you’ll see in this article, there are actually many songs people in Japan think are Japanese that are originally from other countries.
If you want to know “famous foreign nursery rhymes in Japan” or you’d like to sing children’s songs in other languages, be sure to check these out and give them a try!
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World nursery rhymes: Children's songs passed down overseas (31–40)
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
This song is so famous that every American can sing it.
It’s from the musical “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” and Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly sang it in the film.
At baseball games, everyone sings it during the seventh-inning stretch, standing up to loosen up after sitting for so long.
Who Killed Cock Robin
Among the most famous nursery rhymes of Mother Goose, it was adapted into a film by Disney in 1935.
In Japanese, it’s rendered as “Who killed Cock Robin?”, and in Japan it was frequently parodied in Mineo Maya’s blockbuster manga Patalliro!, with the original song “Cock Robin Ondo” becoming a hit when the series was animated.
“Cock Robin” refers to a robin.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
“Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” is a fingerplay and action song loved by children.
It even appears in Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Children sing it while doing choreography that imitates everyday actions—such as pretending to go around a tree in a circle with several people, or miming washing one’s face and brushing one’s teeth.
It’s a good way to warm up on a cold day.
In Japan, it might be comparable to oshikura manju (a game where children huddle and jostle to keep warm).
Another nice aspect is that it helps you learn how to say everyday actions in English.
Ten Little Indians
This is the familiar “Ten Little Indians.” Composed in 1868 by American Septimus Winner, it has continued to be loved as a children’s song in the English-speaking world.
The video is the Beach Boys’ surf version, resulting in a bright arrangement with lovely electric guitar and choral work.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Many people may find the parody song from the Yodobashi Camera commercial stuck in their heads.
This melody has an abundance of parodies: the widely known Japanese “Tomodachi Sanka” and even the 1940 song “Otamajakushi wa Kaeru no Ko” are actually parody versions.
The original is a United States folk and patriotic song that served as a marching tune for the Union Army during the Civil War.
World Nursery Rhymes: Children’s Songs Passed Down Overseas (41–50)
Katyusha
Katyusha is a song that became popular during the Soviet era and has continued to be loved as a Russian folk song.
“Katyusha” is a diminutive nickname for the Russian girl’s name Ekaterina.
In Japan, it’s somewhat like Hisako or Masako being affectionately shortened to Chako-chan.
Mary Had A Little Lamb
It’s one of the most popular and well-known numbers in Mother Goose.
In Japan, it’s familiar as “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The video is a rock-style cover by Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was hugely popular as a master of white blues rock.