Bees crop up in the prose & poetry of every language, and even in everyday sayings: we can be as busy as a bee, we make a bee-line for things, we can get a bee in the bonnet and the term bee's knees now famously refers to something fabulous, although originally it referred to something small & insignificant. Below I've begun collecting together all of the folklore, songs & tunes that I can find...
Since the dawn of time, humans have revered and respected the bees... They appear in Palaeolithic rock art & are mentioned in some of the earliest forms of writing. Many ancient cultures worshipped bees as gods and they are linked with magic, love, industriousness and creativity. Here are some of the best stories...
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From nursery rhymes & comic ballads to love songs & working ditties, bees have a long history in song. There's even a lovely old Sussex tradition that the bees sing their own carol on Christmas Eve! Why not learn one and sing it at your local folk club / session / open mic? Or even record one and send it to the project!
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So as not to leave out the tune players, here are a few bee tunes! Please play them in sessions / at festivals & use them as an excuse to tell people about the project.
"What's that one called Gerry?" "Larkin's Beehive I think... Jeez it's terrible that the bees are dying out, I'm off to plant some blue flowers!" |
