poliphilo

Aria has taught all her dear grandparents a song about a bear going over the mountain. It goes to the tune of "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" or "Malbrook s'en-va-t-en Guerre" if you're French or a bit of a pseud (like me) and is one of those songs that need never end if you don't want it to because the lyrics go round in a circle. She treated Ailz and me to it- and encouraged us to join in- while we were driving over the Pennines, in the dark, on a narrow, twisty road.

It cropped up at a gathering of Aria's family yesterday- Aria herself not being present- and of course we ended up singing it because how could we help ourselves? Becky even inserted a stray line of it into the singing of Happy Birthday To You.

Is it something all primary school children in the UK know? I expect they do.

Anyway, I'm reading Spring by Ali Smith- and last night I got to a bit where four of her characters pile into the front seat of a van and drive to Inverness:

Guess what they sing on the way...