Ging Gang Goolie
Encyclopedia
Ging Gang Goolie or Ging Gang Gooli is a gibberish
scouting
song, written by Robert Baden-Powell
during the 1st World Scout Jamboree
. It is popular among the Boy Scout
s and Girl Guides.
, Baden Powell listened to songs in African languages
. The nonsense
lyrics of "Ging Gang Goolie" might have been inspired by these songs. Baden-Powell wrote this song during the 1st World Scout Jamboree
in 1920. The song used gibberish to ensure that children from different countries could sing the song irrespective of what their mother tongue is. The tune is based on an extract from Mozart's Symphony No.1, composed when he was eight years old.
Dorothy Unterschutz, a Canadian
Scout Leader
from Edmonton
, later invented a story as an explanation for the song's lyrics. The story "The Great Grey Ghost Elephant" was published in Scouts Canada
's "The Leader" magazine in 1991 (June–July issue, Page 7). The story talks of a "Great Grey Ghost Elephant
", who wander in the African lands ever year, after the rains. The villagers believed that if it went round their village, the village would have a prosperous year, and if it went through it, there would be drought
. The elephant had been going through the village of Wat-Cha for the past three years, and therefore the villagers decided to come up with a plan to deter it from entering their village. It was decided that the village leader Ging-Gang and his men would frighten the elephant by standing in its path and shaking their shields and spears. The medicine man Shayla and his men would cast magic spells, and frighten the elephant by producing the "Shally wally" sound by shaking their magical equipment. When the elephant arrived, the villagers gathered started shouting the names of their leaders. They were successful in their plan, and the elephant went around the village, making he sound "Oompah, oompah". The villagers celebrated by singing the song "Ging Gang…".
, The Tremeloes
, The Megatons, Karl Denver
, and "Dirk and Stig" (Eric Idle
and Rikki Fataar, assuming their identities from The Rutles
). It was also used in the animated movie
, Asterix Conquers America
, sung by Eric Rapton & B.O.D.G.
Many variant forms have sprung up over the years.
Gibberish
Gibberish is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but carries no actual meaning. This meaning has also been extended to meaningless text or gobbledygook. The common theme in gibberish statements is a lack of literal sense, which can be described as a presence of nonsense...
scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
song, written by Robert Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
during the 1st World Scout Jamboree
1st World Scout Jamboree
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held from July 30, 1920 to August 8, 1920 and was hosted by the United Kingdom at Kensington Olympia in London...
. It is popular among the Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
s and Girl Guides.
Origin
During the Second Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, Baden Powell listened to songs in African languages
African languages
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
. The nonsense
Nonsense
Nonsense is a communication, via speech, writing, or any other symbolic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. Sometimes in ordinary usage, nonsense is synonymous with absurdity or the ridiculous...
lyrics of "Ging Gang Goolie" might have been inspired by these songs. Baden-Powell wrote this song during the 1st World Scout Jamboree
1st World Scout Jamboree
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held from July 30, 1920 to August 8, 1920 and was hosted by the United Kingdom at Kensington Olympia in London...
in 1920. The song used gibberish to ensure that children from different countries could sing the song irrespective of what their mother tongue is. The tune is based on an extract from Mozart's Symphony No.1, composed when he was eight years old.
Dorothy Unterschutz, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Scout Leader
Scout Leader
A Scout Leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.-Roles:...
from Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, later invented a story as an explanation for the song's lyrics. The story "The Great Grey Ghost Elephant" was published in Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association that, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
's "The Leader" magazine in 1991 (June–July issue, Page 7). The story talks of a "Great Grey Ghost Elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
", who wander in the African lands ever year, after the rains. The villagers believed that if it went round their village, the village would have a prosperous year, and if it went through it, there would be drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
. The elephant had been going through the village of Wat-Cha for the past three years, and therefore the villagers decided to come up with a plan to deter it from entering their village. It was decided that the village leader Ging-Gang and his men would frighten the elephant by standing in its path and shaking their shields and spears. The medicine man Shayla and his men would cast magic spells, and frighten the elephant by producing the "Shally wally" sound by shaking their magical equipment. When the elephant arrived, the villagers gathered started shouting the names of their leaders. They were successful in their plan, and the elephant went around the village, making he sound "Oompah, oompah". The villagers celebrated by singing the song "Ging Gang…".
Recordings
The song has been recorded by a number of artists, including The ScaffoldThe Scaffold
The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of Mike McGear , Roger McGough and John Gorman.-Career:...
, The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.-Career:They formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes influenced by Buddy Holly and The Crickets...
, The Megatons, Karl Denver
Karl Denver
Karl Denver was a Scottish singer, who, with his trio had a series of UK hit singles in the early 1960s. Most famous of these was a 1961 version of "Wimoweh", which showed off Denver's falsetto yodelling register...
, and "Dirk and Stig" (Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
and Rikki Fataar, assuming their identities from The Rutles
The Rutles
The Rutles are a band that are known for their visual and aural pastiches and parodies of The Beatles. Originally created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a fictional band to be featured as part of various 1970s television programming, the group recorded, toured, and released two UK chart hits in...
). It was also used in the animated movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Asterix Conquers America
Asterix Conquers America
Asterix Conquers America is a 1994 animated movie directed by Gerhard Hahn. It was produced in Germany as Asterix in Amerika by Gerhard Hahn and Jürgen Wohlrabe, and is the first Asterix film produced outside of France...
, sung by Eric Rapton & B.O.D.G.
Lyrics
The lyrics of the song are as follows:- Oompah, oompah, oompah
- Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie woosha,
- Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.
- Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie woosha,
- Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.
- Hayla, oh hayla shayla, oh hayla shayla, hayla shayla, oh-ho,
- Hayla, oh hayla shayla, ohhayla shayla, hayla shayla, oooh.
- Shally wally, shally wally, shally wally, shally wally
- Oompah, oompah, oompah, oompah
Many variant forms have sprung up over the years.
External links
- Ging Gang Goolie Grandfolkies - Audio version of the song (Real Audio and lyrics)