“Row Row Row your Boat” is a great nursery rhyme for children to sing along!
“Row, Row, Row your Boat” is one of the most popular songs for kids in the English-speaking world. It was first recorded as a modern tune in 1881 by Eliphalet Oram Lyte, although it is not clear if he is the composer or adapter of the melody.
The song has been heard several times in films and TV programs (Star Trek V, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dirty Harry, HBO’s series Oz and Deadwood, MTV series Teen Wolf, etc.).
On this page you will find a Sing-along video with Lyrics, followed by the MP3 and MP4 files for free download.
Table of Contents
- Sing-Along Video
- Free karaoke MP3 download
- MP4 Video File | Free Download
- Song Info
- Teaching idea & activities
Sing-Along Video
Lyrics
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
Free karaoke MP3 download
To download your free instrumental mp3 of this song, click or tap on the following button or link:
“Row, Row, Row your boat” free mp3 download (instrumental, 1:52 – 6/8 – 110 bpm)
Commercial License (karaoke)
Purchase a license that permits the commercial use of this track. You can license this track for:
YouTube License
Insta/FB License
TikTok License
Other License
Not sure which license is best for you?
Read our licensing page or contact us!
MP4 Video File | Free Download
If you’d like to watch the karaoke video of this song on your mobile device, click on the following link to download the video file (mp4 format).
Row, Row, Row Your Boat | Free mp4 Video File Download
Click on the button to watch a piano tutorial video and download a PDF file with music score of this song for free.
Please click on the button for a printable PDF file with Guitar Chords, Tabs and Sheet Music for this song for free.
Click on the button to watch a glockenspiel / xylophone tutorial video and download a free printable PDF file with glockenspiel / xylophone Music Sheet and Note Chart of this song.
Song Info
“Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is often seen as a symbol of life’s journey.
The lyrics “Gently down the stream” suggest taking a calm and steady approach to life’s challenges. Additionally, “Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily; Life is but a dream” implies a philosophical view that life, much like a dream, should be lived with joy and lightness.
This nursery rhyme is frequently used in teaching moments and therapeutic settings to promote a positive outlook and stress the importance of enjoying the journey of life.
Teaching idea & activities
This is one more round (see also “Frère Jacques”, “Banuwa”, “Kookaburra” and “Jack and Jill“). That means that the melody can be sung exactly the same by more voices, entering one after the other. For this specific song the round comes every one or every two measures.
When teaching a round, or a canon, try to let the children sing by themselves, turn your back to them and start singing the second voice without having explained exactly what was going to happen.
Some of them will keep their voice, others will follow the teacher, but the song sounds already in two voices. At this point you can teach the concept of the canon or round more easily , depending on the age and the level of the class.
In-class Activity
Children sit in pairs opposite to each other, join both hands and sway back and forth in the tempo of the song.
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Thankyou! nice instrumental version.
Is it okay for me to use it on my website for a local children’s performance group if I give credit to your website?
many thanks.
Have currently added it, but if you would prefer I didn’t then I will remove it asap.
Many thanks
Hi Melanie, thanks for your kind words.
If the use is educational (especially for kids) and you don’t make profit, you are free to use the tracks. In that case, we would appreciate a link to Singing Bell as a reference to our work.,
If you’d like to use them commercially, please send an e-mail to info(at)singing-bell.com
Thank you for the Tracks,
Can I use it for my home videos or do I need to buy a license.
Hi Anand. For non-profit use, no license is needed. If your home videos are hosted on a platform and monetized for profit, you do need a license.
Check all the details here: singing-bell.com/license-agreement/