Song Stories: Slow Down! Red Squirrels!

It’s a song for children about the some of the wildlife we see in Northumberland.

Northumberland is one of the few places left in Britain where red squirrels still survive. They are a rare sight and innocently wander across country roads in the path of danger. There are road signs to warn drivers, but alas the squirrels take no heed of them.

This song uses a couple of Northumberland words for the creatures that live here as taught to me by my friend and neighbour Ted Beswick: a hoolet is an owl, a spuggie is a house sparrow. These spuggies are very fussy when it comes to the seeds they will eat from garden feeders, preferring sunflower seeds to all others, and hoying those they don’t fancy onto the ground, where they are greedily snaffled by cushats (local pigeons).

Each of the four verses is about a different creature: pheasants, sparrows, owls and red squirrels, but the chorus is dedicated to the squirrels. Much of the language in the song uses made-up and composite words which describe the characteristics of these four distinctive creatures.

It is a single line song with piano accompaniment, but there are opportunities to introduce optional harmony and descant parts. The recording in the video above demonstrates all the vocal parts. The song has been performed on a couple of occasions by groups of 7-9 year olds.

Our pheasants graze on the road side verge,

With a peckery, squawkery silly-me-ree.

Will they stand their ground, or scratch the urge

To scurrily, flapperly headlong charge

Into the path of brake-screechy tragedy?

They say there’s a shortage of spuggies around,

With a twittery, chirrupy impy-me-ree.

But up in Northumberland, thousands are found

As they gulpily, fussily throw to the ground

Unfancied, non-sunflowery seeds.

Our hoolets glide in the soft night air,

With a tootery, watcherly clever-me-ree.

See the shine of their eyes in the headlights’ glare

As they gleamily, glidily swoop to ensnare

A mouse as it scamperly flees.

Our squirrels are red and exceedingly rare,

With a jumpily, tail-tossy, nibble-me-ree.

Squirrel poxvirus and road traffic scares

Account for their deaths, so slow down! Take care!

As you drive in our green-greeny county.

It is included in the collection of songs “Sea Pie Parcel”, which contains 20 songs suitable for choirs of 7-13 year olds with optional part-singing opportunities in the form of rounds, partner songs, repeating patterns, descants and simple harmonies.