Children's Songs
free
88 old children's songs with the complete words — and a search that finds the half-remembered line from the third verse.
View the songsNo sign-up. No ads. No tracking. If you like, you can support the project voluntarily.
What is it?
The tune is in your head, but the third verse is gone. That is exactly what this app is for: 88 old children's songs with the complete words, to look up and to sing.
Many songs come with the movement written out: the knee-ride for “Hoppe, hoppe Reiter”, the arch game for “London Bridge”, the circle for “Ring a Ring o' Roses”. That is usually half the fun, and it is in hardly any songbook.
How it works
- Search — not only by title but by every single line of text. A half-remembered line is enough.
- Or browse: by occasion, by language, by age.
- One button switches to the singing view: very large text, nothing else, and the screen stays on.
- A second one leads to a YouTube search, in case the tune will not come after all.
Who is it for?
For parents and grandparents at bedtime, for kindergarten and primary school, for long car journeys.
And for anyone raising children in more than one language: a quarter of the songs are English, and thirteen are Italian.
What you get
- German and Austrian50 songs
- English25 songs
- Italian13 songs
- Verses263, complete rather than only the first
- Movements describedfor 31 songs
Why only old songs
Because only old songs are in the public domain. A song was included only if its lyricist died more than 70 years ago, or the text is demonstrably in print from before 1900. The evidence is given with every song.
That costs a few well-known pieces. “Wie schön, dass du geboren bist” is from 1981 and is therefore missing; so is “The Wheels on the Bus”. And some things that feel ancient are not: “This Old Man” was first written down in 1906, and for “Pop Goes the Weasel” it is the most famous verse of all that is only attested from 1905.
Privacy and technology
Runs entirely in your browser. Songs you mark stay on your device and are sent nowhere — no account, no sign-up, no ads, no tracking. The share menu puts the app on your home screen; after that it works without an internet connection as well. Only the YouTube button needs one.
Your marked list can be saved as a file under More and loaded again on another device.
Common questions
Are there scores or tunes?
No — words only. A button leads to a YouTube search for the tune. Storing recordings would be a legally very different matter from public-domain texts.
Why is the song I want missing?
Probably because it is still in copyright. Only what is demonstrably in the public domain goes in — in case of doubt, a song stays out. The evidence is given with every song.
How do I find a song whose title I don't know?
Through the search. It looks through every single line of text, not just the titles. Half a line from the third verse is usually enough.
What is the singing view for?
For the moment when you are holding the phone in one hand and a child in the other: very large text, no controls, and the screen does not go dark.
View the songsSomething missing? Something wrong?
If you notice anything — a mistake, a suggestion, or a tool that is not here yet — write to me. I am glad about every message, though I cannot always reply straight away.
Support
This app is free and stays free. If it has been useful to you, a voluntary contribution helps build the next one.
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