Friday, October 15, 2010

An Aussie Song - Home Among The Gum Trees

We have loved listening to and learning the songs that Mrs Yollis and Mr Salsich have posted over the past week.
Here in Australia we have a famous folk song that contains lots of different words and things to do with our country. It is called "Home Among the Gum Trees". Our Music teacher Mr Stribley recorded 2KM and 2KJ singing the song last week.
Here is the chorus and check out the actions we do!

Give me a home among the gum trees,

With lots of plum trees.

A sheep or two and a kangaroo,

A clothesline out the back.

Verrandah out the front,

And an old rocking chair.



If you would like to sing along with us, you can download the lyrics to our song below...



What did you think of our song?

Did you notice any Australian things mentioned in the song?


17 comments:

Mr. Salsich said...

Dear Australian friends,

I loved your singing of Home Among The Gum Trees! I just heard this song for the first time when it was posted on one of your student blogs, and I think you did a fantastic job. I enjoyed watching the movements that went along with the words.

I know this is a folk song, but I'm wondering if it is still accurate about Australian life? Do a lot of people still have clotheslines, verandas, and rocking chairs?

When I was young my music teacher taught me an easier song about gum trees: "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree. Merry, merry king of the bush is he..." Do you know that song?

Your friend,
Mr. Salsich

Unknown said...

@ Mr Salsich,

Thank you for your great comment! We loved singing this song!

You're right, it is a folk song.

To answer your questions...

★ Yes pretty much everyone has a clothesline. Don't you? Where do you hang your clothes to dry?

★ Verandahs are very popular. Sometimes they are also called a deck, balcony or pergola.

★ Rocking chairs are not so popular anymore. The only people I know who have a rocking chair are people with babies.

The kookaburra song that you mentioned is very popular too! It is fun to sing it as a round. That means, some people start singing from the start and then a bit later another group of people start singing from the start. That might not make sense. It is hard to explain! Maybe we'll sing it for you sometime!

Your friend,
Miss McGeady

Mrs McKenzie and class B4 said...

Dear 2KM and 2KJ
We loved your great singing and enthusiastic actions. I had heard the song before and I really like the catchy lines in the chorus.
I also know the Kookaburra song, in fact I learned it when I was at school, and we used to sing it as a round too. I will teach it to the B4 children.

Most homes in New Zealand also have clotheslines, and many homes have a veranda or a deck or balcony. We would usually use the word balcony to describe a deck off an upstairs room. But we don't have kangaroos hopping around!

from Mrs McKenzie

Mr. Salsich said...

@ Miss McGeady,

Thanks for your reply.
No, I don't have a clothesline anymore. When I was young I grew up in the countryside and we always had a clothesline, but now I live in town and there isn't much space to hang clothes up. I think most people have switched to using dryers, which is too bad because I love the smell and feel of clothes that have been dried in the sun. I will ask the class how many of them use clotheslines in the summer.

I do have a small verandah at my house, but here everyone calls it a porch or deck. When I lived in Belize, every house had a verandah (and a clothesline!), but no rocking chairs.

When I learned the Kookaburra song in primary school I always thought a kookaburra was a special type of koala, and I thought it was cool that he got to sit in a tree full of chewing gum! I didn't find out it was a bird in a eucalyptus tree until I was much older.

Your friend,
Mr. Salsich

J★den said...

Dear 2KM and 2KJ,

I think your song was great. I noticed that you said vegemite in your song. We recently read a book that you sent last year and it said vegemite. What is vegemite? Do you like it?

Are you going to post more songs?

Sincerely,
Jaden★★★★★★★★

Alexa said...

Dear UGP,

Wow! I can't believe your video. I thought that your video was very good because the gum tree song had great music. I also thought that your narration was good because your voice was loud and not to low.

We are going to do a walk to raise money for a playground. I am very happy to do it.

I think the song of the gum trees
is cool because our class might sing the song while we are walking.

I have a question for you?
Do you think the song is hard to sing?

From,
Alexa(Mrs.Yollis' student)

Ileanna said...

Dear 2Km and 2Kj,

I love the song Home Among The Gum Trees! My favorite part was the chorus! What was your favorite part?

From,
Ileanna in Mrs.yollis' class

Iman said...

Dear 2KM and 2KJ,

I think your song was fantastic. I liked the great song. It is now one of my favorite folk songs. My favorite folk song is She'll be Coming Around the Mountain when she Comes. Have you heard about it?

From,
Im★n

Anonymous said...

Dear 2KM and 2KJ,

The song Home Among The Gum Tree is a great song! I love the chorus and the beat to the song. We are going to be singing that song in a cul-de-sac.

I have a question:

What is a gum tree?

Warmly,

Grace
(Mrs. Yollis' student)

Mikayla said...

Dear 2KM and 2KJ,
I love your song! I really liked when you did the motions to a kangaroo. I think you did a great job on your song. I also liked when you did the motions to a rocking chair.

I love to sing. Our music teacher's name is Mr.B. We are now learning "Rock Around the Christmas Tree."

Your Friend,
Mikayla (Mrs. Ranney's student)

Jazmin said...

Dear lleanna,

Hi I am Jazmin in 2KJ at Leopold Primary School, Australia.
Thank you for your comment on the Ugandan Global Project!

I'm glad that you liked the song (Gimme A Home Among The Gum Trees)!
My favourite part of the song was the chorus as well gimme a home among...

From Jazmin.

Millie! said...

Dear Grace,

G'day and thanks for the great comment! I'm Millie from 2KJ. I'm glad you liked our 'Home Among the Gum Trees' song. The chours and the beat is pretty catchy.

I'm sure you will sing that song very well in a cul-de-sac. We call a cul-de-sac a court.

Talk soon,
Millie! :lol:

Anonymous said...

@ J★den,
Thanks for the great comment!!
Vegemite is a food that you can put on your toast.
I love Vegemite soooooooooo much.
I'm not that sure about posting any more song on the Ugandan blog.
From Zoe

Anonymous said...

Dear Mrs McKenzie,

I am Olivia from 2KJ, next door to 2KM.

Thank you for your terrific comment.We all loved singing this terrific song!

It was great that you had heard it before. The chorus is my favourite part of the song.

From Olivia

Anonymous said...

Dear Alexa,

Thank you for you fantastic comment!
It was so nice!

Yes, you are right, it is good that our voices were loud and not low.
I am happy to do the walk/run, too.

You asked a question, here is the answer...
The song 'Home Among the Gum Tree's' is not hard to sing.
Have you tried to sing it?

You blogging buddy,
Sophie

Anonymous said...

Dear Mikaylla,


Thank you for your comment. I really like the song to. I like when I did the kagaroo and the sheep bit. What is your favorite song ever?

From
Clancy
and
Tom.

Mrs. Ranney said...

Dear 2KM and 2KJ,
What a delightful song! We certainly enjoyed your singing of the folksong "Home Among the Gum Tree." My favorite movement was the kangaroo!
I, like Mr. Salsich, learned "Kookaburra" when I was in grade school, and we sang it often as a round. I sang it for my class the same day that we listened to your song.
We are all looking forward to our walk and doing some singing on the way!
Good luck as you lead the way as our first walkers!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ranney

 
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