"Corn" is a song commonly associated with
campfires and other supposedly wholesome activities
. It is, as its name suggests, about
corn. As is often the case with such songs, it is actually about more than mere corn and has some epic
altruistic message that usually either presents itself at the end of the song or is implicit throughout.
Since there appears to be precisely one website in existence that has the lyrics, one can presume that the song is in the public domain. To that end, it may have never been copyrighted at all.
"Corn" is, unlike other campfire songs, not a round. It does, however, have two distinct vocal parts for use during the chorus (this may vary). When the two parts are used, half the group sings the words while the other half sings wordless harmony. When the chorus is repeated, the halves switch.
Corn
What did we do when we needed some corn?
We ploughed and we sowed 'till the early morn.
What did we do when we needed some corn?
We ploughed and we sowed 'till the early morn.
Because our hands are strong; our hearts are young;
Our dreams are the dreams of
(clap) all ages;
I'm just a dreamer
just a-dreamin' along, oh
I'm just a dreamer
just a-dreamin' along
(*Second person or group of people sing "Ah" over this)
What did we do when we needed a town?
We hammered and we nailed 'till the sun went down.
What did we do when we needed a town?
We hammered and we nailed till the sun went down.
Because our hands are strong; our hearts are young;
Our dreams are the dreams of
(clap) all ages;
I'm just a dreamer
just a-dreamin' along, oh
I'm just a dreamer
just a-dreamin' along
What did we do when there was peace to be won?
It's more than one man can do alone.
So we gathered our friends from the planet Earth
To lend a hand at the hour of birth.
We ploughed, we sowed
We hammered and we nailed
We worked all day 'till peace was won1.
I'm just a dreamer
just a-dreamin' along, oh
I'm just a dreamer
just a-dreamin' along.
Corn2.
The song's main theme is hard work, as the lyrics indicate that consistent effort and a can-do attitude can make anything possible. Whether or not this actually means that world peace can be achieved after one day of farming and building remains to be seen. Of course, the main point of songs such as these is not the literal message but the overal sentiments expressed. Unless of course we were wrong the entire time and the song really is about corn.
1The previously mentioned one website that offers the lyrics says the last line of the final verse is "We worked all day 'till peace was REAL!" (complete with capital letters). This is not the lyric I remember from Girl Guides, though someone recently pointed out that we were the 13th City of Laval Guide troupe, and 13 is a very strange number indeed. I'm not sure whether that was intended as a compliment or not.
2One of the Girl Guide leaders (we had three) swore up and down that the song was supposed to end with one last intonation of the word "corn" on the same note that started the song and was the most often repeated note. I only mention it here because it's the only way I ever remember the song ending, and without it it would just trail off after the final chorus. I suppose it was intended as something that would fade out on a recording, but I don't think any recordings exist.
In addition to that, said Girl Guide leader was so adamant that the song end this way that she and one of the others had an impassioned debate about this very issue at the end of one particular meeting. The dissenter claimed that to end the song on "corn" indicated that the song was literally about corn rather than the underlying message of teamwork. The other leader maintained that it cemented corn as a metaphor. It was weird.
Resources:
www.geocities.com/sweidentha/allonebook.html