Repetitive songs contain a large proportion of repeated words or phrases. Simple repetitive songs are common in many cultures as widely spread as the Caribbean, [1] Southern India [2] and Finland. [3] The best-known examples are probably children's songs. Other repetitive songs are found, for instance, in African-American culture from the days of slavery. [4]
Self referential songs quote their own lyrics; one example is " The Song That Never Ends". Cumulative songs build from one verse to another, like bricks on a pile, as in " Old McDonald Had a Farm". 'Counting songs' may count up or down, as with " 99 Bottles of Beer".
Another type of song describes a circular phenomenon (see Recursion). In " There's a Hole in My Bucket", the singer-narrator attempts to fix a leaky bucket, only to find out that ultimately one needs to have a functional bucket in order to effect the repair. In " Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", flowers were offered to soldiers, who fell in a war, new flowers grew on their graves, those flowers were given to soldiers and so on.
In children's songs, repetition serves various educational purposes: repetition aids memory, [5] can aid in learning punctuation and reading skills, [6] and is very valuable in learning (foreign) languages. [7]
Repetitive songs are also found in traditional work songs. Examples abound in African-American culture, [8] in political groups, [9] and among traveler, marchers, and walkers. [10] see Slave Songs of the United States.
repetitive songs.
Repetitive songs contain a large proportion of repeated words or phrases. Simple repetitive songs are common in many cultures as widely spread as the Caribbean, [1] Southern India [2] and Finland. [3] The best-known examples are probably children's songs. Other repetitive songs are found, for instance, in African-American culture from the days of slavery. [4]
Self referential songs quote their own lyrics; one example is " The Song That Never Ends". Cumulative songs build from one verse to another, like bricks on a pile, as in " Old McDonald Had a Farm". 'Counting songs' may count up or down, as with " 99 Bottles of Beer".
Another type of song describes a circular phenomenon (see Recursion). In " There's a Hole in My Bucket", the singer-narrator attempts to fix a leaky bucket, only to find out that ultimately one needs to have a functional bucket in order to effect the repair. In " Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", flowers were offered to soldiers, who fell in a war, new flowers grew on their graves, those flowers were given to soldiers and so on.
In children's songs, repetition serves various educational purposes: repetition aids memory, [5] can aid in learning punctuation and reading skills, [6] and is very valuable in learning (foreign) languages. [7]
Repetitive songs are also found in traditional work songs. Examples abound in African-American culture, [8] in political groups, [9] and among traveler, marchers, and walkers. [10] see Slave Songs of the United States.
repetitive songs.