A cumulative song is a song with a simple verse structure modified by progressive addition so that each verse is longer than the verse before. Cumulative songs are popular for group singing, in part because they require relatively little

memorization Memorization is the process of committing something to memory. It is a mental process undertaken in order to store in memory for later recall visual, auditory, or tactical information. The scientific study of memory is part of cognitive neuros ...

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

, and because remembering the previous verse to concatenate it to form the current verse can become a kind of game.

Structure

Typically, the

take the form of a

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have ei ...

of at least two lines. In each verse, the text of the first line introduces a new item, and the other line uses the words to begin a list which includes items from all the preceding verses. The item is typically a new phrase (simultaneously a group of words and a

musical phrase In music theory, a phrase ( gr, φράση) is a unit of musical meter that has a complete musical sense of its own, built from figures, motifs, and cells, and combining to form melodies, periods and larger sections. Terms such as ''senten ...

) to a

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Art ...

in a previous stanza. The two lines are often separated by

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the v ...

s. Many cumulative songs also have a

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

Example with two-line stanza

One of the most well-known examples of a cumulative song is the

Christmas song Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

" The Twelve Days of Christmas", which uses a two-line stanza, where the second line is cumulative, as follows:

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent (''or "gave"'') to me A partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

and so on until

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five gold(en) rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

The first gift (the partridge) is always sung to a "coda melody" phrase. For the first four verses, the additional gifts are all sung to a repeated standard melodic phrase. In the fifth verse, a different melody, with a change of tempo, is introduced for the five gold(en) rings; and from this point on the first five gifts are always sung to a set of varied melodic phrases (with the partridge retaining its original coda phrase). Thence forward, the wording of each new gift is sung to the original standard melodic phrase before returning to the five gold(en) rings.

Example with refrains

In many songs, an item is introduced in the first line of each stanza and extends the list in another line. An example is

The Barley Mow ''The Barley Mow'' ( Roud 944) is a cumulative song celebrated in the traditions of folk music of England, Ireland, and Scotland. William Chappell transcribed the lyrics in his two-volume work ''The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the O ...

(Roud 944):

Here's good luck to the pint pot, Good luck to the barley mow Jolly good luck to the pint pot, Good luck to the barley mow Oh the pint pot, half a pint, gill pot, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin, and a round bowl Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the barley mow

The second verse substitutes a larger drink measure in the first line. In the second line the new measure heads the list and is sung to the same musical phrase as pint pot.

Here's good luck to the quart pot, Good luck to the barley mow Jolly good luck to the quart pot, Good luck to the barley mow Oh the quart pot, pint pot, half a pint, gill pot, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin, and a round bowl Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the barley mow

One version of the final line and

is:

Oh the company, the brewer, the drayer, the slavey, the daughter, the landlady, the landlord, the barrel, the half-barrel, the gallon, the half-gallon, the quart pot, pint pot, half a pint, gill pot, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin, and a round bowl Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the barley mow

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, s ...

recorded Jack French singing ''The Barley Mow'' at the Blaxhall Ship, a famous singing pub in Suffolk, in 1953. This recording is available online at the Cultural Equity website.

Example with chorus

A chorus (often with its own refrain) may be added to the stanzas as in "

The Rattlin' Bog "The Rattlin' Bog" is an Irish folk song. It is a version of an internationally distributed folk song type. In the Roud Folk Song Index it has the number 129, and carries such titles as "The Everlasting Circle", "The Tree on the Hill", " The Gree ...

" (Roud 129):

Hi ho, the rattlin' bog, The bog down in the valley-o, Hi ho, the rattlin' bog, The bog down in the valley-o. 1. Now in the bog there was a tree, A rare tree, a rattlin' tree, The tree in the bog, And the bog down in the valley-o. Hi ho, the rattlin' bog, The bog down in the valley-o, Hi ho, the rattlin' bog, The bog down in the valley-o. 2. And on that tree there was a branch, A rare branch, a rattlin' branch, The branch on the tree, and the tree in the bog, And the bog down in the valley-o. Hi ho, the rattlin' bog, The bog down in the valley-o, Hi ho, the rattlin' bog, The bog down in the valley-o.

One version of the final line+refrain is:

The feather on the wing, and the wing on the bird, and the bird on the nest, and the nest on the twig, and the twig on the branch, and the branch on the tree, and the tree in the bog, And the bog down in the valley-o.

Each phrase is sung to the same two-note melody. Hamish Henderson recorded William Sinclair Mitchell, Agnes Mitchell and Agnes Mitchell singing ''The Rattling Bog'' in 1979. The recording is available on line on the

Tobar an Dualchais – Kist o Riches Tobar an Dualchais – Kist o Riches () is a project which aims to preserve and digitize material gathered in Scottish Gaelic, Scots and English by the School of Scottish Studies (of the University of Edinburgh), BBC Scotland and the ''Canna Collec ...

website. Jim Carroll and Pat McKenzie recorded Pat McNamara singing ''The Bog Down in the Valley'' in Kilshanny, in 1975. The recording is available online on the Clare County Library website.

Jewish examples

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

contains many prominent examples of cumulative songs, including "?װאָס װעט זײַן אַז משיח װעט קומען" and "מה אספּרה," or "What Will Happen When the Messiah Comes?" and "Who Can Recall" (a Yiddish version of the Passover song " Echad Mi Yodea"). The

Passover seder The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

cumulative songs: Echad Mi Yodea and

Chad Gadya Chad Gadya ''or'' Had Gadya ( Aramaic: חַד גַדְיָא ''chad gadya'', "one little goat, or "one kid"; Hebrew: "גדי אחד ''gedi echad''") is a playful cumulative song in Aramaic and Hebrew. It is sung at the end of the Passover Sede ...

Song examples

* Father Abraham Had Many Sons * " The Twelve Days of Christmas" * "

" * "

" * " Echad Mi Yodea" * " Alouette" * "The Austrian Yodeler (Once An Austrian Went Yodeling)" * "When I Build My House" by Parachute Express" * "Birthday Cake" by Parachute Express * "

Children, Go Where I Send Thee "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" (alternatively "Children, Go Where I Send You" or variations thereof, also known as "The Holy Baby", "Little Bitty Baby", or "Born in Bethlehem") is a traditional African-American spiritual song. Among the many d ...

" * "The Court of King Caractacus" by

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...

* "Don't Be Anything Less Than Anything You Can Be" from the musical ''

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

'' * "

Du Hast "Du hast" () is a song by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released as the second single from their second album ''Sehnsucht'' (1997). It has appeared on numerous soundtracks for films, most notably '' The Matrix: Music from the ...

" is partially cumulative; it's a fairly popular German industrial song, making its cumulative parts somewhat novel * " Eh, Cumpari!" * "Getta Loada Toad" from the musical A Year with Frog and Toad * "Grandmother's Farm" by

Hap Palmer Harlan G. "Hap" Palmer III (born October 28, 1942) is an American children's musician and guitarist from Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the stat ...

on his album ''Witches Brew'' * " The Green Grass Grew All Around" * "

Green Grow the Rushes, O Green Grow the Rushes, O (alternatively "Ho" or "Oh") (also known as "The Twelve Prophets", "The Carol of the Twelve Numbers", "The Teaching Song", "The Dilly Song", or "The Ten Commandments"), is an English folk song (Roud #133). It is sometimes ...

" * "

The Herring Song The Herring Song, also known as ''Bolliton Sands'', ''The Red Herring'' and ''Jolly red herring'' is a folk-song (Roud 128) found in various forms and believed to be associated with the once-thriving herring-fishing industry in the North Sea ...

" (or "Herring's Heads") * "The House at the Top of the Tree" by

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...

on their album '' No!'' * "

I Bought Me a Cat The "Farmyard Song" () is a cumulative song about farm animals, originating in the British Isles and also known in North America. It is known by various titles, such as: * "I Bought Me a Cat" * "I Love My Rooster" * "I Bought Me a Horse" * "My Co ...

", known by various other titles, such as "My Cock Crew" and "Barnyard Song" * "I Am a Fine Musician" from two episodes of the Dick Van Dyke Show * "I Have a Song to Sing, O" from Gilbert & Sullivan's opera '' The Yeomen of the Guard'' * "Katootje" Dutch traditional sung by

Wim Sonneveld Willem "Wim" Sonneveld (; 28 June 1917 – 8 March 1974) was a Dutch cabaret artist and singer. Together with Toon Hermans and Wim Kan, he is considered to be one of the 'Great Three' of Dutch cabaret. Sonneveld is generally viewed as a Dutch c ...

in 1955. * "Most Beautiful Leg of the Mallard", sung by Henry Mitchelmore on

The Voice of the People ''The Voice of the People'' is an anthology of folk songs produced by Topic Records containing recordings of traditional singers and musicians from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The series was first issued in 1998 as 20 CDs, compiled by Dr ...

vol 07 * "

Must Be Santa ''Must Be Santa'' is a 1999 Canadian television film that tells the story of Floyd Court (Arnold Pinnock), who is selected as the successor to Santa Claus. Robert Sherrin produced the film while Brad Turner was director. At the time of its rel ...

", a Christmas song popularized by

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

* My Hand on My Head * Some versions of " Old King Cole" * "

Old McDonald Had a Farm "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (sometimes shortened to Old MacDonald) is a traditional children's song and nursery rhyme about a farmer and the various animals he keeps. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective nois ...

" * "One Little Coyote" by Riders in the Sky on their album '' Harmony Ranch'' * "Pat the Cat" by

Don Spencer Donald Richard Spencer (born 22 March 1941),is an Australian children's television presenter, singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He had a long-running role on ''Play School'' on both the Australian version (1968–99) and the United Kingdom ...

* "Prologue" from ''

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 ''Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812'' (or simply ''The Great Comet'') is a sung-through musical adaptation of a 70-page segment from Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'' written by composer/lyricist Dave Malloy and directed by Rac ...

'' makes use of the format to familiarise the audience with the cast of the musical. * "

" * " Rig-a-Jig-Jig" * " The Schnitzelbank Song" * "Song of Love" from the musical ''

Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was writte ...

'' * "

Star Trekkin' "Star Trekkin' " is a song by British novelty band the Firm. It parodies the first television series of ''Star Trek'', and prominently features comical voice caricatures of the original ''Trek'' characters, provided by members of the band ...

", a 1987 parody song by

The Firm The FIRM (stylized as The FIRM) is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. The original "The FIRM" videos are best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training. History In 1979, Anna Ben ...

* "

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" (alternatively "There Was an Old Lady", "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly", "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" and "I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly") is a children's rhyme and no ...

" * "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" * "Today is Monday" * "White Pyjamas" by

Franciscus Henri Franciscus Henricus Antheunis, professionally known as Franciscus Henri (born 7 August 1947, The Hague, The Netherlands), is a musician and children's entertainer. He has dual Dutch and Australian nationality. In 1970 he gained national promin ...

* " Il Pulcino Pio" and its various language versions * " Alla fiera dell'est", an Italian song by

Angelo Branduardi Angelo Branduardi (born 12 February 1950) is an Italian folk/folk rock singer-songwriter and composer who scored relative success in Italy and European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Greece. Biography Branduardi wa ...

and its English version "Highdown Fair" * "One Man Went To Mow" (

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

143) is an example of a cumulative counting song. * "To Kokoraki" (as sung by

Donald Swann Donald Ibrahim Swann (30 September 1923 – 23 March 1994) was a British composer, musician, singer and entertainer. He was one half of Flanders and Swann, writing and performing comic songs with Michael Flanders. Life Donald Swann was born ...

on Flanders and Swann's "At the Drop of a Hat") is a Greek counting song about animals. * "Oh Sir Jasper!" is the opposite of a cumulative song, in which words are successively omitted from the chorus each time it is sung. * "The Camping Song", from the '' Noddy'' episode "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Goblins" * "Why We Build the Wall" by

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including '' Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),

* "La feria de Cepillín", by the Mexican clown and singer

Cepillín Ricardo González Gutiérrez known as Cepillín () (February 7, 1946 – March 8, 2021) was a Mexican clown as well as a singer, TV host and actor. Career Ricardo was a dentist who started to paint his face so that kids would not be afraid of ...

* "A-benn dilun..." ("On Monday...") also known as "Kokerikero", a Breton folk counting song about animals * "Mountain People" by

Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian Ciar ...

* Got No Beard by

The Longest Johns The Longest Johns are a British folk musical group from Bristol, England, consisting of Andy Yates, Dave Robinson, Jonathan "JD" Darley, and Robbie Sattin. They are known for performing folk music and sea shanties in the English tradition, and ...

References

{{Children's music Poetic forms Song forms