Lightly Row ✧
Five low notes and clear repeated phrases build confidence with small jumps.
Sheet music
Tap a staff note or finger tab to hear it.
Opening
Middle and return
D whistle · D major · 4/4 · 110 BPM · + upper octave
Opening
Middle and return
Lyrics
Traditional · The Everyday Song Book (1927)
The two verses printed with the melody in the 1927 songbook.
Lightly row! Lightly row! O’er the glassy waves we go; Smoothly glide, smoothly glide, On the silent tide. Let the winds and waters be Mingled with our melody; Sing and float, sing and float In our little boat.
Far away! Far away! Echo in the rocks at play, Calleth not, calleth not, To this lonely spot. Only with the sea-bird’s note Shall our dying music float; Lightly row! Lightly row! Echo’s voice is low!
About this tune
Lightly Row is a familiar children’s song included in The Everyday Song Book in 1927. Its boating imagery pairs naturally with the melody’s even, unhurried movement.
Repeated notes alternate with small steps and short jumps. The balanced phrases give the tune a clear shape and a gentle sense of motion.