Lovely nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs

Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad

Graduated from a music school / 21 years of piano experienceSatomi
I began playing the piano at the age of four and spent six years at a conservatory, focusing mainly on classical music while honing my skills. In addition to solo performance, I studied extensively in chamber music and two-piano repertoire, and I had the opportunity to perform twice on stage as a soloist in piano concertos. While not to the same extent as classical, I also learned jazz and pop through practical performance. I was active as a pianist in various settings, including instrumental and vocal/choral accompaniment, performance assistance for other departments, and recording sessions. Beyond the piano, I devoted five years to the trombone in a wind ensemble. I hope to draw on these experiences to share the charm of music with many people.

Here are some famous songs selected from folk music that has been passed down and sung in various countries and regions around the world.

Even if you don’t know the titles, you may have heard them somewhere or hummed them as a child—foreign folk songs are actually quite familiar in our daily lives.

In some cases, the version widely known in Japan is the adaptation, and you might discover, “So this was the original song!”

Learning which country a song comes from leads to learning about that country’s culture and history, and it will broaden your horizons.

Please take a listen to these time-honored folk songs that are cherished in each country!

World Folk Songs | Hometown Songs Passed Down Overseas (11–20)

If you're happy and you know it, clap your handsSpanish Folk Song / Toshito Kimura

Kyu Sakamoto / If You’re Happy and You Know It (1964–65)

If You're Happy and You Know It (Spanish folk song) / Toshito Kimura

Beloved around the world, this song is a children’s tune with roots in a Spanish folk song.

Toshito Kimura encountered it in 1959 while doing volunteer work in the Philippines and created the Japanese lyrics, giving birth to the version known today.

Set to a simple, cheerful melody, the lyrics are distinctive for expressing happiness with the whole body.

Incorporating actions like clapping hands and stomping feet, it can also be enjoyed as educational material that helps develop children’s abilities.

The piece also carries messages of postwar hopes for peace and the importance of international exchange, giving it a deeper meaning beyond a mere play song.

It became a hit when Kyu Sakamoto sang it in 1964, and since then it has remained a classic, continually covered by many artists.

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The railroad tracks go on forever.American folk song

The railroad tracks go on forever.

The Railroad Goes On Forever (American folk song)

A folk song sung by American railroad construction workers is loved in Japan as a children’s song that depicts a fun train journey.

Since it was featured on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1962, it has become a song cherished by generations.

It portrays the joy of traveling along tracks that seem to go on forever, and the journey that continues over fields, mountains, and valleys to distant towns, sparking children’s sense of adventure.

It has also been adopted as the departure melody at JR East’s Sakuragicho Station, and is still used today as a piece that evokes the history of railways.

It’s a recommended song for anyone who dreams of traveling by train.

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Oklahoma Mixer (Turkey in the Straw)American folk song

Oklahoma Mixer (Normal Ver.)

Oklahoma Mixer (Turkey in the Straw) American folk song

“Oklahoma Mixer (Turkey in the Straw)” is an American song that spread in the late 19th century.

It was often performed and popular in minstrel shows—an entertainment in which white performers painted their faces black to imitate Black people and play the clown.

It is also well known as a staple tune for folk dancing.

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Rain on the pondGerman folk song / August Heinrich Hoffmann

Pond Rain (German Folk Song) [story 151]

Rain on the Pond, German folk song / August Heinrich Hoffmann

Familiar from the Yamaha Music School commercials, this melody comes from a German children’s song that depicts a small figure quietly standing in the forest.

There’s a playful twist: the little person in a red cloak and black hat is actually a mushroom, sparking children’s imaginations.

Since its release in March 2019, the simple, easy-to-remember tune has continued to be used in educational settings.

Teaching the importance of harmony with nature and patience, it’s a heartwarming song that you’ll find yourself humming into adulthood, along with memories of early childhood.

It’s a piece that lets you fully savor the charm of German folk songs.

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Funiculi FuniculaNeapolitan folk song / Luigi Denza

With Japanese Translation: Funiculì Funiculà (Neapolitan Music) – With Katakana Reading

Funiculì Funiculà Neapolitan folk song / Luigi Denza

“Funiculi, Funicula!” is an Italian song by composer Luigi Denza.

It was composed to promote the Mount Vesuvius funicular railway.

In Japan, the melody is well known as the children’s song “Oni no Pantsu” (The Ogre’s Pants).

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Buzz buzz buzzBohemian Folk Song / Otto Dresel

Buzz buzz buzz

Bun Bun Bun, Bohemian folk song / Otto Dresel

Based on a folk song from the Bohemia region, this piece is a familiar song that depicts bees flying among flowers.

It features a simple melody and repetitive lyrics, and has long been loved as educational music for children.

Since being included in Japanese elementary school music textbooks in 1947, it has become a popular song often sung in kindergartens and nurseries.

It is also frequently used as a beginner practice piece for piano and recorder, and its cheerful rhythm makes it approachable for children.

With themes of living in harmony with nature and the diligence of bees, it also expresses appreciation for hard-working bees.

It’s a perfect song to sing together as a family or to learn the basics of music.

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Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad (21–30)

Humpty DumptyBritish folk song

Humpty Dumpty — English song

Humpty Dumpty English nursery rhyme

Widely loved as a nursery rhyme, this song features a simple yet striking story about an anthropomorphized egg character that falls from a wall and breaks.

Believed to have emerged around the 18th century, a version was created in 1797 by Samuel Arnold, and it has since been enjoyed in many forms.

It is characterized by a short poem with an AABB rhyme scheme and an easy-to-remember melody.

More than just a nursery rhyme, it has become an iconic piece handed down through the ages and is deeply rooted in English-speaking cultures.

It is also used in educational settings and is internationally familiar, appearing even in Japanese junior high school English textbooks.

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