Ging Gang Gooli
During the first World Jamboree, B-P was looking for a song that everyone could sing, no matter what their language was. Ging Gang Gooli was the result. It is of no language, but it means a lot of fun. It is usually sung in a round. The story was apparently created later.
Lyrics
Ging gang, gooli, gooli, gooli, gooli, watcha
Ging gang goo, Ging gang goo,
Ging gang, gooli, gooli, gooli, gooli, watcha
Ging gang goo, Ging gang goo,
Heyla, heyla sheyla, heyla sheyla, heyla ho,
Heyla, heyla sheyla, heyla sheyla, heyla ho,
Shalli-walli, shalli-walli, shalli-walli, shalli-walli
Oompah, oompah, oompah...
Sing as a round, with one group continuing with the "oompah" and another singing the song again from the beginning; then switch.
Story: The Great Grey Ghost Elephant
In the deepest darkest Africa there is a legend concerning the Great Grey Ghost Elephant. Every year, after the rains, the Great Grey Ghost Elephant rose from the mists and wandered throughout the land at dawn. When he came to a village, he would stop and sniff the air, and then he would either go around the village or through it. If he went around the village, the village would have a prosperous year, if he went through it, there would be hunger and drought.
The village of War-Cha had been visited three years in a row by the elephant and things were very bad indeed. The village leader, Ging-Gang was very worried, as was the village medicine man Ha-la-shay. Together, they decided to do something about the problem. Now Ging-Gang and his warriors were huge men with big shields and spears. They decided to stand in the path of the elephant and shake their shields and spears at it to frighten it away. Hay-la-shay and his followers were going to cast magic spells to deter the elephant by shaking their medicine bags as the elephant approached which made the sound shallawaly, shallawaly, shallawaly.
Very early in the morning of the day the Great Grey Ghost Elephant came, the villagers gathered at the edge of the village, on one side were Ging-Gang and his warriors, (indicate right) and on the other was Hay-la-shay and his followers (indicate left). As they waited the warriors sang softly about their leader:
Ging gang gooli, gooli, gooli, gooli, watcha,
Ging Gang goo, Ging gang goo,
Ging gang gooli, gooli, gooli, gooli, watcha,
Ging gang goo, Ging gang goo.
As they waited the medicine men sang of their leader:
Heyla, heyla sheyla,
Heyla, sheyla, heyla hoo,
Heyla, heyla sheyla,
Heyla sheyla, heyla hoo.
As they shook their medicine bags,
shalli-walli, shalli-walli,
shalli-walli, shalli-walli.
And from the river came the mighty Great Grey Ghost Elephant's reply,
Oompa, oompa, oompa...
The elephant came closer, so the warriors beat their shields and sang louder (signal warriors to stand and beat their thighs in time). Ging gang gooli, gooli, gooli, gooli, watcha, Ging gang goo, Ging gang goo, Ging gang gooli, gooli, gooli, gooli watcha, Ging gang goo, Ging gang goo.
The medicine men rose and sang loudly, Heyla, heyla sheyla, Heyla sheyla, heyla hoo, Heyla, heyla sheyla, Heyla sheyla, heyla hoo. And they shook their medicine bags, Shalli-walli, shalli-walli, shalli-walli, shalli-walli. And the mighty grey elephant turned aside and went around the village saying Oompa, oompa, oompa..
There was great rejoicing in the village and all the villagers joined together to sing, Ging gang gooli...
Acknowledgement: Australian Scout, August 1996