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.
Kumbaya
Traditional spiritual · Ages 4-12
The gentle, slow song everyone knows; it works as a closer.
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Words
Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya, Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya, Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya, Oh Lord, kumbaya.
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!
Home on the Range
Brewster Higley and Daniel Kelley · Ages 5-12
A slow song for the end of the night.
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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.
She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
Traditional · Ages 3-10
Add a noise and action each time round.
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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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
This Old Man
Traditional · Ages 3-8
Counting song with a rolling chorus.
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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.
Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
Traditional spiritual · Ages 4-12
Rowing motions for a circle of singers.
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Words
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah! Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah!
When the Saints Go Marching In
Traditional · Ages 3-12
Easy to harmonize and to clap along to.
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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.
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Traditional · Ages 4-10
Good for a group because everyone knows the 'Dinah' part.
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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!"
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.
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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."
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.
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.
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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.
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The Ants Go Marching
Traditional, adapted · Ages 3-8
Counting song with a different tiny rhyme each verse; many versions.
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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.
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