Kookaburra Lyrics

Kookaburra was composed by Marion Sinclair in 1932 in Australia and was originally written as a Girl Guide campfire round celebrating the kookaburra, a bird native to the Australian bush. It suits preschool and early elementary children, roughly ages 3 to 8, and works especially well once children are ready to try singing in a round, layering the same melody at staggered starting points. Early-childhood educators often use round-form songs like this one because singing a familiar tune while a peer starts a beat behind helps children build rhythmic independence and careful listening, skills that carry over into group music-making generally. Its short, cheerful verses about the kookaburra's laugh and forest life also introduce children to Australian wildlife and geography in a lighthearted way. Because it was written specifically for young singers, its range and phrasing stay comfortably within a child's vocal ability. To see how nature-themed songs like this one support learning about animals, see Top 10 Animal Songs for Kids.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he,
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Eating all the gum drops he can see,
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
Leave some there for me.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Counting all the monkeys he can see,
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
That's no monkey, that's me!