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Sing along (with lyrics)

Top 18 campfire songs

Campfire songs are easy to learn by ear, repeat a lot, and often have actions. These are the ones camp counsellors and scout leaders return to again and again.

Chosen from scout and camp songbooks and checked on Wikipedia; public-domain lyrics printed for songs that are traditional, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.

  1. Kumbaya

    Traditional spiritual · Ages 4-12

    The gentle, slow song everyone knows; it works as a closer.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya, Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya, Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya, Oh Lord, kumbaya.

  2. Bingo

    Traditional · Ages 3-9

    Spell the dog's name, then clap one more letter each round.

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    Words

    There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, And Bingo was his name-o!

  3. Home on the Range

    Brewster Higley and Daniel Kelley · Ages 5-12

    A slow song for the end of the night.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, Where the deer and the antelope play, Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the skies are not cloudy all day. Home, home on the range, Where the deer and the antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the skies are not cloudy all day.

  4. She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain

    Traditional · Ages 3-10

    Add a noise and action each time round.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes, She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes, She'll be comin' 'round the mountain, she'll be comin' 'round the mountain, She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes.

  5. The Bear Went Over the Mountain

    Traditional (tune: For He's a Jolly Good Fellow) · Ages 3-8

    Short and silly; the punch line is that all he saw was the other side.

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    Words

    The bear went over the mountain, The bear went over the mountain, The bear went over the mountain, To see what he could see.

  6. Found a Peanut

    Traditional · Ages 4-10

    A silly song that goes from bad to worse, with groans after each verse.

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    Words

    Found a peanut, found a peanut, Found a peanut just now. Just now I found a peanut, Found a peanut just now.

  7. Do Your Ears Hang Low?

    Traditional · Ages 4-10

    Children flap their ears, tie them in a bow and throw them over the shoulder.

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    Words

    Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Can you throw them over your shoulder Like a continental soldier? Do your ears hang low?

  8. My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

    Traditional (Scottish) · Ages 5-12

    A slow sing-along with a built-in action: stand on 'B' and sit on 'T' words.

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    Words

    My Bonnie lies over the ocean, My Bonnie lies over the sea, My Bonnie lies over the ocean, Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me. Bring back, bring back, Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me; Bring back, bring back, Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

  9. This Old Man

    Traditional · Ages 3-8

    Counting song with a rolling chorus.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    This old man, he played one, He played knick-knack on my thumb; With a knick-knack paddywhack, Give a dog a bone, This old man came rolling home.

  10. Michael, Row the Boat Ashore

    Traditional spiritual · Ages 4-12

    Rowing motions for a circle of singers.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah! Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah!

  11. When the Saints Go Marching In

    Traditional · Ages 3-12

    Easy to harmonize and to clap along to.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    Oh, when the saints go marching in, Oh, when the saints go marching in, Oh, Lord, I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in.

  12. I've Been Working on the Railroad

    Traditional · Ages 4-10

    Good for a group because everyone knows the 'Dinah' part.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    I've been working on the railroad, All the live-long day. I've been working on the railroad, Just to pass the time away. Can't you hear the whistle blowing? Rise up so early in the morn; Can't you hear the captain shouting, "Dinah, blow your horn!"

  13. Waltzing Matilda

    A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson, 1895 · Ages 7-14

    Australia's unofficial anthem, a swagman's tale.

    Watch for: The swagman drowns himself to avoid arrest in later verses.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

    Words

    Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong Under the shade of a coolibah tree, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled, "Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?" Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled, "You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."

  14. On Top of Old Smoky

    Traditional (Appalachian) · Ages 5-12

    A slow mountain song about lost love; the 'on top of spaghetti' parody is a good follow-up.

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    Words

    On top of old Smoky, all covered with snow, I lost my true lover, from courting too slow. For courting's a pleasure, but parting is grief, And a false-hearted lover is worse than a thief.

  15. Taps

    Daniel Butterfield (tune), 1862 · Ages 5-14

    The 24-note bugle call; played at day's end at camp.

    Watch for: Played at military funerals as well as at camp.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

  16. On Top of Spaghetti

    Tom Glazer, 1963 · Ages 4-10

    A parody of 'Old Smoky' about a meatball that rolls away; the words are copyrighted, so not printed.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

  17. The Ants Go Marching

    Traditional, adapted · Ages 3-8

    Counting song with a different tiny rhyme each verse; many versions.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

  18. Kookaburra

    Marion Sinclair, 1932 · Ages 4-12

    A short round about an Australian bird, sung in three parts; the words are copyrighted, so not printed.

    Buy: Apple Music · Spotify

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