Like many of Woody Guthrie’s children’s songs, Pick it Up is ideal for lyrical and physical play. I like to sing about dropping items we have on hand or that toddler’s might identify with such as shoes, shakers, books, and teddies. I’ve only played this on the ukulele for my own child so far, but when I bring it up at storytime, I’m planning to sing the dropping verses a capella so I can mime the actions, then strum along for the picking up choruses.
You can listen to a sound clip of this song via Smithsonian Folkways and read the full original lyrics at WoodyGuthrie.org. I fumbled these chords out myself.
Pick it Up
C
I dropped my hat, pick it up, pick it up
G7
I dropped my hat, pick it up, pick it up
C F
I dropped my hat, pick it up, pick it up
C G7 C
And I put it on my head
C
Oh, picka picka picka, pick it up, pick it up
G7
Picka picka picka, pick it up, pick it up
C F
Picka picka picka, pick it up, pick it up
C G7 C
And I put it on my head
Verses
I dropped my book...and I put it on my lap
I dropped my shoe...and I put it on my foot
Storytime Ukulele 
Pingback: The Fourth Wall & Story Time – HELLO YELLOW ROOM
Looking for the chords to this song is how I got here. Thank you! So happy!
LikeLike
I used this in storytime today and the kids LOVED it! We did it as a scarf activity–I dropped my scarf and put it on my arm/foot/nose/etc. Thanks SO much for this blog–it is an invaluable resource that I use all the time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad to hear this. And yes, perfect for scarves! I think my babytime families would love that; I may try it myself in a few days
LikeLike