{title: Down by the Bay}
{artist: Traditional (popularized by Raffi)}
{key: G}
{tempo: 110}
{difficulty: beginner}
{tags: kids,traditional,call-response,public-domain,silly}
{video: youtube:DWKVKfk6e40}
{credit: Raffi - 'Down by the Bay' (Official Audio, from Singable Songs for the Very Young, 1976). (c) Raffi's official YouTube channel. Traditional song.}

{c: Two chords (G and D7). Perfect campfire kid song. Each verse gets sillier.}
{c: Call-and-response format: adult sings the question, kids fill in the rhyme.}
{c: Public domain. Raffi popularized it on Singable Songs for the Very Young (1976).}

{start_of_chorus}
[G]Down by the bay
Where the watermelons [D7]grow
Back to my home
I dare not [G]go
For if I do
My mother will [D7]say
"Did you ever see a..." (RHYME HERE) "...down by the [G]bay?"
{end_of_chorus}

{c: ===== VERSES (the rhyming question goes BEFORE returning to chorus) =====}
{c: The format: "Did you ever see a [thing] [doing something that rhymes]?" then chorus.}

{c: VERSE 1}
[G]Did you ever see a goose
Kissing a [D7]moose
[G]Down by the [D7]bay? [G]

{c: VERSE 2}
[G]Did you ever see a whale
With a polka-dot [D7]tail
[G]Down by the [D7]bay? [G]

{c: VERSE 3}
[G]Did you ever see a fly
Wearing a [D7]tie
[G]Down by the [D7]bay? [G]

{c: VERSE 4}
[G]Did you ever see a bear
Combing his [D7]hair
[G]Down by the [D7]bay? [G]

{c: VERSE 5}
[G]Did you ever see a llama
Wearing pa[D7]jamas
[G]Down by the [D7]bay? [G]

{c: VERSE 6}
[G]Did you ever have a time
When you couldn't make a [D7]rhyme
[G]Down by the [D7]bay? [G]

{c: ===== HOW TO PLAY THIS WITH KIDS =====}
{c: 1. Sing the chorus. Let the kid hear the format.}
{c: 2. STOP before the rhyme word. Let the kid suggest something.}
{c: 3. They'll come up with absurd rhymes. ALL ARE GOOD. Even bad rhymes.}
{c: 4. Coach them: "What rhymes with 'cat'? hat, bat, mat..." then "Did you ever see a cat... wearing a hat?"}

{c: ===== TWO CHORD GUITAR =====}
{c: G and D7 only. D7 is easier than D for kid-sized hands (only 3 fingers, no pinky reach).}
{c: This is THE song to learn G ↔ D7 chord changes on. Smooth transition between two chords = the foundational guitar skill.}

{c: ===== HARMONICA =====}
{c: C harmonica in G (cross harp / 2nd position). 7yo can play simple draws on the chord stops.}

{c: ===== ARRANGEMENT FOR FAMILY =====}
{c: Adult: guitar + lead vocal on chorus.}
{c: Kid: harmonica fills + suggests the rhymes.}
{c: Partner on fiddle: chord drone or simple double-stops.}
{c: This works because the kid is the SONGWRITER for each verse. They make the song. You just provide the structure.}

{c: ===== WHY THIS SONG =====}
{c: The 7yo will laugh. They'll come up with terrible rhymes. They'll demand to play it three more times. Then they'll start shouting "Did you ever see a [random thing]" at random moments for the rest of the trip. Mission accomplished.}