Showing posts with label Ghost of John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghost of John. Show all posts

Sunday, November 8, 2009

A Late Samhain

Last night we gathered in Minneapolis to celebrate Samhain, it was a night a ritual and feasting. I had the runes I made blessed in circle, and the song that we sang is apparently a traditional American Halloween tune, and the words are this:

Ghost of John

Have you seen the Ghost of John?
Long white bones and the rest all gone,
Ooh, ooh!
Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on?



So I looked online trying to find if there's any hint of an author of it, as it is taught with a variety of melodies on grade school playgrounds across the U.S. I did find a version that says it's the Ghost of Tom, and is attributed to Martha Grubb, and it includes chords:
Em Am Em
Have you seen the ghost of Tom?
Em Am Em
Long white bones with the skin all gone
Em Am
Ooooooooh Oooooh Oooooooh
Em B Em D Em
Wouldn’t it be chilly with no flesh on?


It may be included in the following school song book: McGraw-Hill Share The Music Grade 4 Teacher's Edition by Rene Boyer-White , but I have no way of knowing as there is no listing or info on this.