Down By The Bay
(source: "The Worm Song and Other Tasty Tunes", Janet Wilson, 1993; also in "The Kids' Campfire Book", Jane Drake and Ann Love, Kids Can Press, 1996.)

Thanks very much to Jane Maddin, Sheila Fowler, Jennifer Alexander, Diana Giudice, Therese Preece, Sue Wichers, and Carol Harding, who all posted verses and versions of this song to the Guiding Mailing List!

There appears to be two versions of the verse to the song:

Down by the bay

Where the watermelons grow

Back to my home

I dare not go

For if I do

My mother will say...

Have you ever seen a... (insert silly line here)

Down by the bay!

or:

Down by the sea,

Where the watermelons grow

There I would go

From way back home

But if I did

My ma would say...

Did you ever see a... (insert silly line here)

Down by the sea!

Silly lines (use one of these, or make up your own!)

Did you ever see a llama, wearing pink pyjamas?

Did you ever see a goose, kissing a moose?

Did you ever see a whale with a polka-dot tail?

Did you ever see a bear, without any hair?

Did you ever see cat, wearing a hat?

Did you ever see a hare, brushing her hair?

Did you ever see a turtle, wearing a girdle?

Did you ever see a Quail, missing his tail?

Did you ever see a Fox, carrying a box?

Did you ever see a Mouse, sweeping out her house?

Did you ever see a Snake, barbequing a steak?

Did you ever see a dog, taking a jog?

Did you ever see a bird, speaking a word?

Did you ever see a bug, drinking from a mug?

Did you ever see a cow with a green eyebrow?

Did you ever see a bee with a sunburned knee?

Did you ever see a moose with a loose front tooth?

Did you ever see a bear, in his underwear?

Did you ever see a whale with a polka dot tail?

Did you ever see a fly wearing a tie?

Did you ever see a bear combing it's hair?

Did you ever see a flower taking a shower?

Did you ever see a teacher kissing a creature?

Did you ever see a goat sailing a boat?

Did you ever see a snake baking a cake?

Did you ever see a hog walking a dog?

Did you ever see a dog dancing with a frog?

Did you ever see a bat kissing a cat?

Did you ever see a moose shaking it loose?

Did you ever see a toad running in the road?

Did you ever see a dog dancing with polliwogs?

Did you ever see a horse riding in a Porsche?

Did you ever see a witch digging a ditch?

Did you ever see a room clean by noon?

Did you ever see Earth shaking with mirth?

Did you ever see a plant eating an ant?

Did you ever see a man recycling a can?

Did you ever see a sprout come up with a shout?

Did you ever see an oak wearing a cloak?

Did you ever see a bike carrying Mike?

Did you ever see a goose drinking apple juice?

Did you ever see rats wearing silk hats?

Did you ever see beans as big as submarines?

Did you ever have a time when you couldn't make a rhyme?

This doggone's song gone on too long!

You could also make up verses with each girl's name:

Did you ever see Alana eating a big banana?

Did you ever see Kristie feeling sort of misty?

Did you ever see Kimmie, who is nice and skinny?

Did you ever see Camille swimming with an eel?

Did you ever see Heather playing in good weather?

Did you ever see Nicole falling down the hole?
Did you ever see Stephanie sitting on my knee?

Did you ever see Margit, who always likes to eat?

Did you ever see Clover trying to roll over?

Did you ever see Tawny looking rather scrawny?

Did you ever see Diana playing the piano (sounded piana)

etc. etc.