Ted Power
English Language Learning and Teaching

Songs for discussion

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FOLK SONGS BY LEVEL, TOPIC & THEME
with themes suitable for discussion
SONG TOPIC LEVEL THEMES
It's a long way to Tipperary NOSTALGIA places 1 HOMES & HABITATS
My bonnie LOVE separation 1 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Hello Goodbye LOVE troubles 1 UPS & DOWNS
Sailing NOSTALGIA sailing 1 UPS & DOWNS
Kum Ba Yah SPIRITUAL do right now 1 UPS & DOWNS
Michael row SPIRITUAL do right now 1 UPS & DOWNS
This old man WARMUP counting 1 UPS & DOWNS
Animals went in two by two WARMUP counting 1 UPS & DOWNS
One man went to mow WARMUP counting 1 UPS & DOWNS
Ten green bottles WARMUP counting 1 UPS & DOWNS
Ten in a bed WARMUP counting 1 UPS & DOWNS
One man's hands PROTEST 2 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
What did you learn in school? PROTEST 2 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Where have all the flowers gone? PROTEST fraternity 2 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Ebony & Ivory PROTEST fraternity 2 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Red river valley NOSTALGIA places 2 HOMES & HABITATS
Little Boxes PROTEST freedom 2 HOMES & HABITATS
When I first came to this land TROUBLES solutions 2 HOMES & HABITATS
Leaving on a jet plane GOODBYE love 2 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Where are you going my pretty maid? LOVE courting women 2 LOVE & MARRIAGE
And I love her LOVE loving women 2 LOVE & MARRIAGE
All my loving LOVE separation 2 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Yesterday NOSTALGIA 2 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Santy Anno NOSTALGIA sailing 2 UPS & DOWNS
Yellow submarine NOSTALGIA sailing 2 UPS & DOWNS
All my trials SPIRITUAL better to come 2 UPS & DOWNS
John Brown's body SPIRITUAL better to come 2 UPS & DOWNS
Nobody knows the trouble I see SPIRITUAL better to come 2 UPS & DOWNS
Swing low sweet chariot SPIRITUAL better to come 2 UPS & DOWNS
Worried man blues SPIRITUAL better to come 2 UPS & DOWNS
We shall overcome SPIRITUAL do right now 2 UPS & DOWNS
When all the saints SPIRITUAL do right now 2 UPS & DOWNS
Down by the riverside SPIRITUAL do right now 2 UPS & DOWNS
Turn turn turn SPIRITUAL do right now 2 UPS & DOWNS
Hey Jude TROUBLES solutions 2 UPS & DOWNS
Let it be TROUBLES solutions 2 UPS & DOWNS
Oh, Susanna WARMUP 2 UPS & DOWNS
Going to the zoo WARMUP 2 UPS & DOWNS
She'll be coming round the mountain WARMUP 2 UPS & DOWNS
Drunken sailor WARMUP 2 UPS & DOWNS
What have they done to the rain? PROTEST 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
If I had a hammer PROTEST 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Show me the prison PROTEST equality 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Marvellous toy PROTEST fraternity 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Blowin in the wind PROTEST fraternity 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
H-bomb's thunder PROTEST fraternity 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Universal soldier PROTEST fraternity 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Last night I had the strangest dream PROTEST fraternity 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
March with us today PROTEST fraternity 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Johnny, I hardly knew you PROTEST fraternity 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Gypsy rover PROTEST freedom 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
She's leaving home PROTEST freedom 3 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
This land is your land NOSTALGIA places 3 HOMES & HABITATS
Down the lane NOSTALGIA places 3 HOMES & HABITATS
Streets of London PROTEST equality 3 HOMES & HABITATS
Old mother earth PROTEST freedom 3 HOMES & HABITATS
Banks of Ohio CRIME passion 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
I'll never find another you LOVE 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
First time ever LOVE 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Oh, no John LOVE courting women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Shenandoah LOVE courting women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Sweet nightingale LOVE courting women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
My lady's a wild flying dove LOVE loving women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
I've just seen a face LOVE loving women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Annie's song LOVE loving women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
I give you the morning LOVE loving women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Colours LOVE loving women 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Leaving London LOVE separation 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Water is wide LOVE troubles 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Girl LOVE troubles 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
I should have known better LOVE troubles 3 LOVE & MARRIAGE
I don't know how to love him LOVE troubles 3 UPS & DOWNS
Morning has broken NOSTALGIA 3 UPS & DOWNS
Cockles & mussels NOSTALGIA 3 UPS & DOWNS
Freight train NOSTALGIA places 3 UPS & DOWNS
Sloop John B NOSTALGIA sailing 3 UPS & DOWNS
Beans, bacon & gravy PROTEST freedom 3 UPS & DOWNS
Nowhere man TROUBLES 3 UPS & DOWNS
Deep blue sea TROUBLES 3 UPS & DOWNS
I can't help but wonder TROUBLES 3 UPS & DOWNS
All night long TROUBLES 3 UPS & DOWNS
Now I'm easy TROUBLES solutions 3 UPS & DOWNS
Wild rover TROUBLES solutions 3 UPS & DOWNS
Clementine TROUBLES solutions 3 UPS & DOWNS
We can work it out TROUBLES solutions 3 UPS & DOWNS
Moonshadow TROUBLES solutions 3 UPS & DOWNS
Hippies & the beatniks PROTEST freedom 3 WORK & LEISURE
Lag's song CRIME punishment 4 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Times they are a-changing PROTEST equality 4 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Rider pass by PROTEST fraternity 4 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
No man's land PROTEST fraternity 4 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Hard rain's a gonna fall PROTEST fraternity 4 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Imagine PROTEST fraternity 4 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Free born man NOSTALGIA 4 HOMES & HABITATS
Country roads NOSTALGIA places 4 HOMES & HABITATS
Dirty old town NOSTALGIA places 4 HOMES & HABITATS
Fiddler's green NOSTALGIA sailing 4 HOMES & HABITATS
Skye boat song NOSTALGIA sailing 4 HOMES & HABITATS
When the ship comes in NOSTALGIA sailing 4 HOMES & HABITATS
Going to the west GOODBYE love 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Last thing on my mind GOODBYE love 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Darlin Annie LOVE 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
What the poet called her LOVE courting men 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Maids when you're young LOVE courting men 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
I'm a rover & seldom sober LOVE courting women 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Rosalie LOVE courting women 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Wild mountain thyme LOVE loving women 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Early one morning LOVE troubles 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Down by the Sally Gardens LOVE troubles 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Foggy dew NOSTALGIA 4 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Ramblin' boy NOSTALGIA 4 UPS & DOWNS
Housewife's alphabet PROTEST equality 4 WORK & LEISURE
Banks of marble PROTEST equality 4 WORK & LEISURE
Net hauling song WORK celebration 4 WORK & LEISURE
Miner's wife WORK protest 4 WORK & LEISURE
My old man WORK protest 4 WORK & LEISURE
Come my little son WORK protest 4 WORK & LEISURE
Gilgarra mountain CRIME romantic villain 5 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Thirty foot trailer NOSTALGIA 5 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Sunday supplement world PROTEST equality 5 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Little girl child PROTEST equality 5 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Swansea town NOSTALGIA sailing 5 HOMES & HABITATS
Leaving of Liverpool NOSTALGIA sailing 5 HOMES & HABITATS
Don't think twice GOODBYE love 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Four strong winds GOODBYE love 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Talking want-ad blues LOVE courting men 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Squire of Tanworth LOVE courting men 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Wish I had a troubador LOVE loving women 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Nine month blues LOVE troubles 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
She moved through the fair LOVE troubles 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Sweet Thames flow softly LOVE troubles 5 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Auld lang syne GOODBYE celebration 5 UPS & DOWNS
I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail NOSTALGIA 5 UPS & DOWNS
Blow the man down WARMUP 5 UPS & DOWNS
Work of the weavers WORK celebration 5 WORK & LEISURE
Shoals of herring WORK celebration 5 WORK & LEISURE
Come fill up your glasses WORK celebration 5 WORK & LEISURE
I'm gonna to be an engineer WORK protest 5 WORK & LEISURE
Diggers' song WORK protest 5 WORK & LEISURE
Poor Paddy works on the railway WORK protest 5 WORK & LEISURE
Legal illegal CRIME justice 6 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Alan Tyne of Harrow CRIME romantic villain 6 EDUCATION & SOCIETY
Joy of living GOODBYE love 6 HOMES & HABITATS
Angela Davis (Love for love) LOVE 6 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Ramblin man LOVE courting men 6 LOVE & MARRIAGE
Both sides now TROUBLES 6 UPS & DOWNS
Nuclear energy means jobs PROTEST freedom 6 WORK & LEISURE
Manchester rambler PROTEST freedom 6 WORK & LEISURE
Ballad of accounting PROTEST freedom 6 WORK & LEISURE
Daddy what did you do in the strike? WORK protest 6 WORK & LEISURE

Search the Internet for song lyrics

Search lyrics by "song title", "artist name", or "words in a song" at http://www.lyricsnmusic.com

Alternatively, use Google, following the instructions below to avoid junk results:




Embed your search string within speech marks or inverted commas.

If you search by SONG TITLE, expect to find a number of spam or advertising web sites which use popular song titles to promote their own purposes. To find the song texts you want, a better idea is to use a line or distinctive phrase from the middle of the song text as your search string, remembering to embed the whole line or phrase within speech marks.

A search string such as "the sun so hot I froze to death" should quickly return the full song text of Oh, Susanna.

Published song books with texts and music

  1. The Folksinger's Wordbook edited by Fred and Irwin Silber (1000 songs organised into 39 sections)
  2. The Essential Ewan MacColl Songbook (200 songs)
  3. Peggy Seeger: The Peggy Seeger Songbook
  4. Rambin Boy & Other Songs by Tom Paxton
  5. The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook
  6. American Favourite Ballads by Pete Seeger
  7. Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
  8. Bob Dylan Anthology (60 songs)
  9. Joan Baez Songbook (66 songs)
  10. Peter, Paul & Mary Deluxe Anthology (80 songs)

Useful links

The song compositions of Ewan MacColl by theme or topic or listed alphabetically
The song compositions of Peggy Seeger by theme or topic or listed alphabetically
Long List of Song Books - full bibliography of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and N. American folk songs
ingeb.org - this site is a large catalogue of song texts.
Folk Song Stubs from Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
The 12 English monophthongs - vowel quadrilateral
Learning and teaching English diphthongs

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