This article presents a brief annotated listing of some of the best-loved campfire songs sung in camps around the world.
Going to summer camp brings with it a host of great memories. Fishing with your friends, hiking through the woods, and sitting around a roaring fire singing campfire songs are all things that make camping out some of the best times of our lives. The familiar songs listed in this article will help you rekindle that spirit and start anew with your own children. If these songs do not meet your liking, try out this set of campfire songs instead.
Frere Jaques (Are You Sleeping, Brother John)
Sung as a round, this is one of the best-known campfire songs. The original French words translate fairly closely to English, and only a small bit of rearrangement is done to make the English version fit the original French tune. The origin of the song is debatable, but it appears most likely that it originated as a song to tell the tale of a friar or monk that overslept and forgot to ring the morning bells of prayer.
If I Weren't A Boy Scout (Girl Scout, Girl Guide, Staff Member, etc.)
This song has as many versions as there are summer camps in the world. This campfire song is used in many different ways, from serious to irreverent, but in every case, the song is one of the most entertaining campfire songs ever sung. The tune is simple to sing, and the myriad funny verses that have been dreamed up can keep the song going for hours.
Bazooka Bubble Gum Song
What a great combination. A song that is fun to sing and reminds you of candy! This aged classic of campfires everywhere has even been updated to form the basis of a new ad campaign for the bubble gum company that gave it its name. The original song is still fun to sing and very easy to remember.
Taps
The song of Taps is an old military bugle call that was used to tell the troops to extinguish their lights and go to bed. Taps has a very interesting history, and several fictional accounts of its origins have been perpetrated through the years. In a campfire circle it is often sang at the close of the campfire, to signal a solemn and quiet end to an exciting day of adventures. While the tune is very familiar, the lyrics are often left up to individual interpretations. The most common of the lyrics sung to the song Taps is shown here:
Day is done,
Gone the sun,
From the lake. From the hills. From the sky.
All is well. Safely rest.
God is nigh.
