Camp Songs

Camp just wouldn’t be camp without an evening campfire. And a campfire just wouldn’t be a campfire without singing. Some of my most enjoyable memories are from camping and the songs and friendships shared around a campfire. Here are just a few of my favorites camp songs.

All My Life’s a Circle
On My Honor
Blowin’ in the Wind
On The Loose
Dreams
Pass It On
Flicker
Red Balloon
If I Had a Hammer
Rose
Kum Ba Yah
Ship in a Harbor
Linger
Today

Recommended Reading

Campfire Songs, 3rd Edition
Peter, Paul & Mary : Guitar/ Vocal
500 Best-Loved Song Lyrics
The American Song Treasury: 100 Favorites
The American Songbag
Other Camping and Hiking Books

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All My Life’s a Circle

All my life’s a circle, sunrise and sundown
The moon rolls through the night time
Till the day break comes around
All my life’s a circle, but I can’t tell you why
The seasons spinning round again
The years keep rolling by.

It seems like I’ve been here before, I can’t remember when
But I got this funny feeling
That we’ll all be back again
There’s no straight lines that make up my life
And all my roads have bends
There’s no clear cut beginnings, and so far no dead ends.

I’ve found you a thousand times, I guess you’ve done the same
But then we’ll lose each other
It’s just like children’s games
As I see you here again, the thought runs through my mind
Our friendships like a circle,
Let’s go round one more time.

Blowin’ in the Wind

How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand
How many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned

Chorus:

The answer my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

How many years can a mountain exist
Before they’re washed to the sea
How many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn’t see

Chorus

How many times must a man look up
Before he reaches the sky
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died

Chorus

Dreams

Chorus:

May all of your dreams bloom like daisies in the sun
May you always have stars in your eyes
May you not stop running not until your race is run
And may you always have blue skies

A dream is something all your own to keep within your heart
To build on when you’re sad, or when you’re world’s been torn apart
A dream is something all your own that no one else can steal
A dream is something you can make come real

Chorus

You can share a laugh with any stranger you may meet
You can share your money with a beggar on the street
But you can only share a dream when love has set it free
Please won’t you share yours with me.

Chorus

Flicker

The flicker of a campfire, the wind in the pines
The moon in the heavens, the stars that shine
A place where people gather to make friends of all kinds
A place where all our troubles are always left behind

So give me the light of a campfire, warm and bright
And give me some friends to sing with; I’ll be here all night
Love is for those who find it; I found mine right here
Just you and me and the campfire and songs we love to hear

If I Had a Hammer

If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning
I’d hammer in the evening, all over this land

I’d hammer out danger, I’d hammer out a warning
I’d hammer about the love between my brothers and sisters
All over this land

If I had a bell, I’d ring it in the morning
I’d ring it in the evening, all over this land

I’d ring out danger, I’d ring out a warning
I’d ring about the love between my brothers and sisters
All over this land
If I had a song, I’d sing it in the morning
I’d sing it in the evening, all over this land
I’d sing out danger, I’d sing out a warning

I’d sing about the love between my brothers and sisters
All over this land

Well I’ve got a hammer, and I’ve got a bell
And I’ve got a song to sing, all over this land
It’s the hammer of justice, It’s the bell of freedom

It’s the song about the love between my brothers and sisters
All over this land

Kum Ba Yah

Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah!
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah!
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah!
Oh Lord, kum ba yah!

Someone’s singing,
Lord…

Someone’s crying, Lord…
Someone’s sleeping, Lord…
Someone’s laughing, Lord…

Someone’s praying, Lord…
Someone’s camping, Lord…
add others…

Kum ba yah, my Lord…

Linger

Mm, mm, I’d like to linger

Mm, mm, a little longer
Mm, mm, a little longer here with you
Mm, mm, its such a perfect night
Mm, mm, it doesn’t seem quite right
Mm, mm, that it should be my last with you
Mm, mm, and come December

Mm, mm, I will remember
Mm, mm, our campfire bright and friendships true
Mm, mm, and as the years go by
Mm, mm, I’ll think you you and sigh
Mm, mm, this is goodnight and not goodbye

On My Honor

On my honor I will try
There’s a duty to be done and I say aye

There’s a reason here for a reason above
My honor is to try and my duty is love
People don’t need to know my name
If I do any harm, then I’m to blame
When I help another, I help me
If I’ve opened up my eyes to see

I’ve tucked away a song or two
If you’re feeling low, there’s one for you
When you need a friend, then I will come
There are many more where I come from
Come with me where a fire burns bright
We can even see better in a candle’s light

But we find more meaning in a campfire’s glow
Than we’d ever learn in a year or so
We’ve made a promise to always keep
And the day is done before we sleep
We’ll be Girl Scouts together and when we’re gone
We’ll still be trying and singing this song

On the Loose

Did you ever watch the sunrise turn the sky completely red,

Have you slept beneath the moon and stars, a pine bough for your bed
Did you sit and talk with friends, though a word was never said,
Then you’re just like me and you’ve been on the loose.

Chorus:

On the loose to climb a mountain,
On the loose where I am free.
On the loose to live my life, the way I think my life should be,
For I’ve only got a moment and a whole world yet to see.
I’ll be looking for tomorrow on the loose.

There’s a trail that I’ll be hiking just to see where it might go.

Many places yet to visit, many people yet to know,
For in following in my dreams, I will live and I will grow,
On a trail that’s waiting out there on the loose.

Chorus

So in search of love and laughter, I’ll be traveling cross this land

Never sure of where I’m going, for I haven’t got a plan,
So in time when you are ready, come and join me and take my hand,
And together we’ll share life out there on the loose.

Chorus

In this world that I am traveling, I will think of you this way,

Remembering your smile, for it seems like yesterday
When we slept beneath the stars, and we dreamed about this day
Now we have come together on the loose.

Chorus

Do the trees in the forest make you sit and think of love?

Does it take you twenty times or more to count the stars above?
For I’m here now and I like it and the hours melt away,
And if I want I’ll stay here another day.

Chorus

As I sit and watch the sunset and the daylight softly fades,

I am thinking of tomorrow and the friendships we have made.
I will value them for always and I hope you’ll do the same,
And forever we’ll explore life on the loose.

Chorus

Now the moon is softly glowing and the stars are twinkling bright

Our laughter and our friendship have cleared this cloudy night
Come and join our flickering campfire, come and sing our happy songs
And together we’ll share life out on the loose.

Chorus

Pass It On

It only takes a spark to get a fire going

And soon all those around can warm up to its glowing
That’s how it is with God’s love
Once you’ve experienced it
You spread your joy to everyone
You want to pass it on
What a wondrous time is spring when all the trees are budding

The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming
That’s how it is with God’s love
Once you’ve experienced it
You want to sing, it’s fresh like spring
You want to pass it on
I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I’ve found

You can come join in, it matters not where you’re bound
I’ll shout it from the mountain tops
I want the world to know
The joy of friends has come to me
I want to pass it on

Red Balloon

Give me a red balloon on a long black string
I can whistle and I can sing
With my red balloon on a long black string
Oh I am richer than any king

Chorus:

Laughs are many and tears are few
Life’s exciting and always new
In a world of girls and boys
In a world of simple joys

Give me a paper kite on a windy day

Oh I think I’ll fly away
With my paper kite on a windy day
Oh yes I’ll fly away

Chorus

Give me a warm spring day and an apple tree

There is nothing that I can’t see
When I look out from my apple tree
Look up there and you’ll see me

Chorus

Give me a jar of bubbles and a real good friend

Oh I wish this day would not end
With my jar of bubbles and a real good friend
Oh I wish this day would not end

Chorus

Rose

Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose
Will I ever see thee wed?
I will marry at thy will, Sire
At thy will

Ding, dong, ding, dong
Wedding bells on an April morn
Carve your name on a moss covered stone
On a moss covered stone

Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose
Will I ever see thee wed?
I will marry at thy will, Sire
At thy will

*Can be sung as a round*

Ship in the Harbor

Like a ship in the harbor
Like a mother and child
Like a light in the darkness
I’ll hold you a while
We’ll rock on the water

I’ll cradle you deep
And hold you while angels
Sing you to sleep

Today

Chorus:

Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine.
A million tomorrows shall all pass away,

Ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.

I can’t be contented with yesterday’s glory,
I can’t live on promises winter to spring.
Today is the moment and now is the story,
I’ll laugh and I’ll cry and I’ll sing.

Chorus

I’ll be a dandy and I’ll be a rover,
You’ll know who I am by the songs that I sing.
I’ll feast at your table, I’ll sleep in your clover,
Who cares what tomorrow may bring.

Chorus