jsinjin - Posted - 06/11/2025:  05:17:40

I grew up a Boy Scout- eagle and worked at many summer camps as staff in junior high and high school. The staff always had to participate in songs and skits at dinner and campfires. I usually just mouthed the words.

We had a song called Mountain Dew. I don’t recognize the tune but my teacher pulled it out yesterday to show me it and start learning it and I know all the words from memory. As we were teenage boys there were also many made up lyrics that were about flatulence or other more risqué topics and often about the leadership of the camp. But it was a weird blast to realize that I knew every word. Like it was back then I can’t put them to melody or timing but I definitely remember every word. I’ve started translating it to my sheet music so I’ll learn it and I’ll probably try to set the words to the specific notes to try and be able to sing along with it as I learn it.

I never realized there was music to the song. I wonder what other Boy Scout tunes might be banjo stuff. We had many elaborate skits that went with different songs.

Mad Hornet - Posted - 06/11/2025:  06:29:55

I remember singing that song at 5th grade camp back in 79. Back then I thought it was about soda!

jack_beuthin - Posted - 06/11/2025:  06:39:19

Mountain Dew was composed by Bascomb Lamar Lunsford back around 1928, and recorded by him as well, self accompanied on the banjo.

 

youtu.be/i0wRBGuoelM?si=H6TA1t061XvuUkvz

Texasbanjo - Posted - 06/11/2025:  08:25:50

It's always a good jam song. It can be played fast or at a medium speed, with or without a vocalist.

jsinjin - Posted - 06/11/2025:  08:49:08

It’s wild. I always just thought it was a dumb scout song. We had lots of things we (the staff) had to sing to entertain the scouts. Most had dumb skits. One was about the titanic “oh it was sad when the great ship went down” and one was about the billows or something like that. I hated the singing part. I didn’t mind acting in the skits. There was a whole list of stuff we did for Mountain Dew and it ended with spraying the actual soda drink (diet so that it didn’t get as sticky) all over the place from shaken up cans. I never would have guessed that it was the same song until my teacher started singing the lyrics and I remember them distinctly. The scouts never had any music accompaniment so it was basically just the lyrics. I never would have recognized it until I heard the words and remembered them.

pinenut - Posted - 06/11/2025:  13:11:43

quote: Originally posted by jsinjin
I wonder what other Boy Scout tunes might be banjo stuff.
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Get the "Banjo Player's Songbook" by Tim Jumper (clawhammer).
Most of our camp songs are in this book; most of what your camp was singing is probably in there too.
Figuring out the alternative names for the tunes can be challenging.
wimachtendienk wingolauchsik witahemui

note: I think the "Banjo Player's Fakebook" is the same thing for three finger? somebody else chip in on this...

Edited by - pinenut on 06/11/2025 13:13:09

jsinjin - Posted - 06/11/2025:  13:24:20

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wimachtendienk wingolauchsik witahemui

 

have you seen the arrow?

pinenut - Posted - 06/11/2025:  13:29:28

Brother.

GMB - Posted - 06/11/2025:  15:26:13

I remember singing Mountain Dew at Onteora Boy Scout Camp upstate NY in 1969. Some of the best times of my life

jsinjin - Posted - 06/11/2025:  15:28:08

Our camp staff had so many terrible lyrics that were not sung to the scout campers.

GMB - Posted - 06/11/2025:  15:32:56

I was also Brotherhood OA

jsinjin - Posted - 06/11/2025:  15:38:00

I was Vigil; my service was building the ceremonial lodge fires. I spent a lot of time in scouts.