Row, Row, Row Your boat - Chords, Lyrics and Origins

Origins

Row, Row, Row Your Boat comes from America and was first published in 1852, as 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat, or The Old Log Hut'.  Over the years the lyrics changed and contracted to the single standard verse that is commonly sung today, and it became a favourite children's nursery rhyme - much sung, much translated and much parodied.  There's a very amusing - and also very informative - discussion of Row, Row, Row Your Boat's origins at Mudcat.  Row, Row, Row Your Boat's chords couldn't be much easier - just D and A7 (or the first and fifth chords in whatever key you choose to play the song).

Chords

Capo at 3rd Fret

D
Row, row, row your boat


D
Gently down the stream;
       
D
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily:

A7                 D
Life is but a dream.

Lyrics

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream;
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily:
Life is but a dream.

Parodies of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream;
If you see an crocodile
Don't forget to scream.

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Throw your teacher overboard
And listen to her scream.

Row, row, row your punt,
Gently down the stream;
Belt off, trousers down,
Isn't life a scream.

Propel, propel, propel your craft,
Unforcefully down the liquid solution.
Ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically,
Existence is merely an illusion.

Backwards Words:

Dream a but is life
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Stream the down gently
Boat your row, row, row

Translations of Row, Row, Row Your Boat

French

Rame, rame, rame sur ton bateau
Doucement, dans le courant
Gaiement, gaiement, gaiement, gaiement
La vie n'est qu'un rêve charmant

German

Fahr, fahr, fahr dein Boot
Durch Wasser und durch Schaum
lass dich treiben, treiben, treiben, treiben
Das Leben ist ein Traum.

Italian

Va, va, lenta va
La barchetta va
Passan le ochette, salutano e seguono
Lentamente va

Spanish

Vamos a pasear
en un botecito
rápido,rápido,rápido,rápido,
en un botecito     

Klingon

ro' ro' ro' yIbot
jItlheD Daw' nguSDI'
marI'lI' marI'lI'
marI'lI' marI'lI'
law' veS bang DaghIm