Oats, Peas, Beans & Barley Grow

Words & Music:

Traditional

 

CHORUS:

C

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,

F                                    G7

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,

      C

Can you or I or anyone know

      G7                                 C

How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

 

C                               F                          G7

First the farmer sows her seed, stands erect and takes her ease.

    C                                   G7                    C

She stamps her foot & claps her hands & turns around to view her lands.

 

CHORUS:

 

Next the farmer waters the seed, stands erect and takes her ease,

She stamps her foot & claps her hands & turns around to view her lands.

 

CHORUS:

 

Next the farmer hoes the weeds, stands erect and takes her ease,

She stamps her foot & claps her hands & turns around to view her lands.

 

CHORUS:

 

Last the farmer harvests her seed, stands erect and takes her ease,

She stamps her foot & claps her hands & turns around to view her lands.

 

CHORUS:

 

According to the KIDiddles site (www.kididdles.com/lyrics/o001.html), this can also be a motion song or game.  Here are their instructions:

 

Children stand in a circle, holding hands. One child is selected to be Farmer", and stands in the center of the ring.

 

Actions:

Chorus: While singing the chorus, children circle around the Farmer to the right.

 

Verse 1: The Farmer performs the activities described in the first verse: first sowing the seed; then standing at ease; stamping their foot; clapping their hands; and finally, views their lands by turning around inside the circle while shading their eyes. At the end of the verse, the Farmer points their finger at one of the children in the ring, who then becomes the new Farmer for the next round of the chorus and the second verse.

 

Verse 2: The Farmer performs the activities described in the second verse: watering the seed; standing at ease; stamping their foot; clapping their hands; and , views their lands by turning around inside the circle while shading their eyes. At the end of the verse, the Farmer points their finger at one of the children in the ring, who then becomes the new Farmer for the next round of the chorus and the third verse.

 

Verse 3: The Farmer performs the activities described in the third verse: At the end of the verse, the Farmer points their finger at one of the children in the ring, who then becomes the new Farmer for the next round of the chorus and the fourth verse.

 

Verse 4: The Farmer performs the activities described in the fourth verse: At the end of the verse, the Farmer points their finger at one of the children in the ring, who then becomes the new Farmer for the next round of the chorus and the fourth verse.

 

Repeat the game until all children have had the opportunity to be Farmer.