supportukrainenow.org
Share London Bridge
on:
Bluesky
•
facebook
•
twitter (X)
All 1 sample page(s) are viewable on-line.
If you are a registered site member, have verified your email address, and have the correct permissions you can view ALL the pages of this PDF or Samples pages at a larger size using the LearningUkulele.com Online PDF Viewer .
View the Main Song Downloads section below to download the song files for the complete and most up-to-date versions.
London Bridge
Presented here in two keys. The key of C Major in the open position and the key of D Major in position II. This is a simple melody that can be used as a reference fingering and position with the Playing by Ear series of lessons. London Bridge Is Falling Down (also known as My Fair Lady or simply London Bridge) is a traditional nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the depredations of London Bridge and attempts, realistic or fanciful, to repair it.
Melody Roadmap
5 6 5 4 3 4 5
P5 up M2
London Bridge…
London Bridge Is Falling Down (also known as My Fair Lady or simply London Bridge) is a traditional nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the depredations of London Bridge and attempts, realistic or fanciful, to repair it. It may date back to bridge rhymes and games of the late Middle Ages, but the earliest records of the rhyme in English are from the seventeenth century. The lyrics were first printed in close to its modern form in the mid-eighteenth century and became popular, particularly in Britain and the United States in the nineteenth century. The modern melody was first recorded in the late nineteenth century and the game resembles arch games of the Middle Ages, but seems to have taken its modern form in the late nineteenth century. It has a Roud Fold Song Index number of 502. Several theories have been advanced to explain the meaning of the rhyme and the identity of the "fair lady" of the refrain. The rhyme is one of the most well known in the world and has been referenced in a variety of works of literature and popular culture.
Lyrics
There is considerable variation in the lyrics of the rhyme. The most frequently used first verse is:
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
In the version quoted by Iona and Peter Opie in 1951 the full lyrics were:
London Bridge is broken down,
Broken down, broken down.
London Bridge is broken down,
My fair lady.
Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair lady.
Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair lady.
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair lady.
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair lady.
Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair lady.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair lady.
Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair lady.
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away,
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
My fair lady.
Set a man to watch all night,
Watch all night, watch all night,
Set a man to watch all night,
My fair lady.
Suppose the man should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep,
Suppose the man should fall asleep?
My fair lady.
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
Smoke all night, smoke all night,
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
My fair lady.
Main Song Download(s)
The main downloads for this Song.
Related Lessons
Related Lessons for London Bridge
.
Learning the `Ukulele Fingerboard (Finally!!!)
Updated: 20 Oct 2021
Most players struggle with learning the names of the notes of the ukulele fingerboard. There doesn't seem to a pattern and notes repeat. There is an easy way and "it's easier that you think." Most players know the names of the open strings for their favorite tuning.
Playing by Ear - The Ultimate Goal
Updated: 08 Oct 2015
The ultimate goal for any musician when playing a musical instrument is to "Play by Ear". It’s true whether you’re singing, banging a drum, strumming a guitar, or our favorite instrument, the ukulele. If your fingers can already interpret and follow what your inner ear commands, you’ve obtained your goal and are "Playing by Ear."
Six Essential Scales for `Ukulele
Updated: 24 May 2024
The six essential scales are: Blues Major Pentatonic Mixolydian Dorian Aeolian and Ionian From the six essential scales, you can get through a wide variety of traditional and contemporary music. A scale is simply a collection of pitches or notes, not really a "this is a Jazz scale", "this is a Blues" or "this is a Rock scale". It's how a scale is used that really matters not its name.
Related Lesson Series
Related Lessons Series for London Bridge
.
Common Chord Progressions and Remembering Songs
Updated: 08 Jun 2023
Understanding the similarities between chord progressions and songs can greatly enhance your ability to remember and play a wide variety of songs. It's fascinating how much common ground exists among different musical compositions.
Modular Phonetic Rhythm by Chuck Anderson
Updated: 01 Jan 2003
Modular Phonetic Rhythm represents a significant advance in the teaching and application of rhythm. Eliminating many inefficient aspects of rhythm education, Modular Phonetic Rhythm streamlines the traditional educational approach, resulting in a reflexive reaction to rhythm.
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard
Updated: 09 May 2024
Learning the names of the notes on the fingerboard is indeed a crucial skill for any musician, especially those who play stringed instruments like the guitar, violin, or cello. Having a solid understanding of the notes on the fingerboard can significantly enhance your playing, improvisation, and overall musicality. Here's a step-by-step approach you can follow to learn the fingerboard:
Related Songs
Related Songs for London Bridge
.
Bingo
Updated: 10 Nov 2022
Bingo, also known as Bingo Was His Name-Oand There Was a Farmer Who Had a Dog, is an English language children's song of obscure origin. In most modern forms, the song involves spelling the name of a dog, and with increasing letters replaced with handclaps on each repetition.
Happy Birthday
Updated: 01 Feb 2024
Happy Birthday to You, also known more simply as Happy Birthday, is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth. According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, "Happy Birthday to You" is the most recognized song in the English language, followed by "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and "Auld Lang Syne".
Oh! Susanna
Updated: 07 Feb 2020
Oh! Susanna is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826-1864). It was published by W. C. Peters & Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1848. The song was introduced by a local quintette at a concert in Andrews' Eagle Ice Cream Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1847. Foster was said to have written the song for his men's social club.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Updated: 01 Oct 2011
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a children's song and nursery rhyme about a farmer named MacDonald (or McDonald, Macdonald) and the various animals he keeps on his farm. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective noise. In many versions, the song is cumulative, with the noises from all the earlier verses added to each subsequent verse. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 745.
Red River Valley
Updated: 12 Nov 2022
Red River Valley is a folk song and cowboy music standard of controversial origins that has gone by different names—e.g., "Cowboy Love Song", "Bright Sherman Valley", "Bright Laurel Valley", "In the Bright Mohawk Valley", and "Bright Little Valley" — depending on where it has been sung.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Updated: 12 Feb 2024
Row, Row, Row Your Boat is an English language nursery rhyme, and a popular childrens song, often sung as a round. Presented here in two keys. The key of C Major in the open position and the key of D Major in position II. This is a simple melody that can be used as a reference fingering and position with the Playing by Ear series of lessons.
This Old Man
Updated: 03 Jan 2023
This Old Man is an English language children's song, counting and nursery rhyme Presented here in two keys. The key of C Major in the open position and the key of D Major in position II. This is a simple melody that can be used as a reference fingering and position with the Playing by Ear series of lessons.
Three Blind Mice
Updated: 30 Jul 2014
Three Blind Mice is an English nursery rhyme and musical round. Presented here in two keys. The key of C Major in the open position and the key of D Major in position II. This is a simple melody that can be used as a reference fingering and position with the Playing by Ear series of lessons.
Irish Washerwoman
Updated: 01 Aug 2018
The Irish Washerwoman is a traditional Irish jig whose melody is familiar to many people in the British Isles and North America. It repeats its refrain several times, sometimes by gradually increasing in tempo until being played very fast before coming to a sudden stop. The tune has lyrics, but is typically rendered as an instrumental. It is one of the melodies played when Scottish highland dancers dance a Scottish dance to the tune of an Irish Jig.
Related Song Files, Resources and Assets
Related Assets for London Bridge
.
