The Elevator Song (and variations)

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I love action songs. They get kids and caregivers up (and down and up and down) and moving. They refocus the restless, and help amazing little brains engage with the music and words. These are among the most popular, fun, and useful songs at any storytime I’ve participated in.

The Elevator Song has been my own favourite (and most requested!) storytime song for the past five or six years. I learned it from a talented then-student librarian named Sara, and I’m guessing she picked it up from MaryLee Sunseri’s album Baby-O.

I’m including the original version, as well as a few fun variations which all come to me via Jbrary. Click the titles to learn more from Dana & Lindsey.


Elevator Song
C
Oh the city is great and the city is grand
G7
There are lots of tall buildings on a little piece of land
C
And we live way up on the 57th floor
G7          C
And this is what we do when we go out the door

C
Take the elevator up, take the elevator down
G7
Take the elevator up, take the elevator down
C
Take the elevator up, take the elevator down
G7      C
Then we turn around


Country Song
C
Oh the country is great and the country is grand
G7
There are not a lot of buildings on a whole lot of land
C
And we live way out by the forest and the trees
G7              C
We grow a lot of vegetables and maybe keep some bees

C
Put the seeds in the earth, take the vegetables out
G7
Put the seeds in the earth, take the vegetables out
C
Put the seeds in the earth, take the vegetables out
G7        C
And we dance and shout


Ocean Song
C
Oh the ocean is great and the ocean is grand
G7
There are lots of tall ships and very little land
C
And we sleep down deep in a hammock near the floor
G7         C
And this is what we do when we go out the door

C
Ride the waves going up, ride the waves going down
G7
Ride the waves going up, ride the waves going down
C
Ride the waves going up, ride the waves going down
G7     C
And we turn around


Put Your Hands Up High
C
Put your hands up high, put your hands down low
G7
Put your hands in the middle and wiggle just so
C
Put your elbows in front, put your elbows in back
G7            C
Put your elbows to the side and quack, quack, quack!


Other Variations Include
Does Your Snout Hang Out

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