We have some new songs about the pumping station composed by CBBC's Horrible Histories songwriter, Dave Cohen, including songs called "What Shall We Do With The Drinking Water" and "Jerusalem - Cambridge Town - And Did Those Wees"!

Location: These pieces and their historical context are closely linked with the Pumping Station built in the reign of Queen Victoria in 1894, now known as Cambridge Museum of Technology, Riverside, Cambridge, CB5 8LD. 

Find the song lyrics and scores and recordings of the songs below on this page, so that you can listen online and share the links for choirs to learn. We also have other fantastic songs that are being suggested for our project on the subject of Water, including "The Water of Life" with a great soundtrack recorded by choir leader, Rowena Whitehead. 

Also, Creating My Cambridge invites you to compose your own pieces, songs, raps, poems, dramas, stories inspired by the stories about the Pumping Station at the Museum of Technology, how the River Cam and the neighbourhoods became polluted, how the station dealt with sewage and rain water, and all the recycling that went on there over the centuries. To help your getting creative we have some historical information researched for this project HERE

And some photographic illustrations of close-ups around the pumping station taken by the team at Historyworks to inspire composers HERE 

 

On this page you will find two rounds, super useful for warming up choirs, with lyrics adapted Horrible-Histories-styley with stinkey lyrics to the famous rhyme and round called "London's Burning" starting with the words "River Cam was very dirty" preceded by a round about the Cambridge Coat of Arms set to the nursery tune "Three Blind Mice" starting with the words "Sea Horses, See Them On, Cambridge Coat of Arms' which new lyrics have been composed by CBBC's Horrible Histories chief songwriter, Dave Cohen.  Scroll down to find these resources.

Lyrics by CBBC's Horrible Histories Chief Songwriter, Dave Cohen 

HISTORY LINK: LAMINATE ON CAMBRIDGE COAT OF ARMS

---

Drinking Water Song - Lyrics & Audio

On this page you will find the track recorded by Mario Satchwell joining forces with Tizzy Faller and Helen Weinstein to offer the chorus in 3 part harmony, with Helen Weinstein singing the lyrics to "What Shall We Do With the Drinking Water' which has a lot of funny words to fit in!  So do learn the verses first in unison, and then if your singers like to tackle harmony, please do use the sound files following to learn the two other parts you can use for the chorus.  These lyrics have been composed by CBBC's Horrible Histories chief songwriter, Dave Cohen.  Scroll down to find these resources.

Composer of Lyrics: Dave Cohen 

Performed by: Helen Weinstein, Tizzy Faller, & Mario Satchwell

Location: This piece and its historical context are closely linked with Cambridge Museum of Technology, Riverside, Cambridge, CB5 8LD. 

4 AUDIO FILES - UNISON AND HARMONY VOICES

These audio files are recorded & edited by Historyworks as a guide for children and teachers to learn the song:

UNISON VERSES

Verses are quite tricky as there are a lot of words to fit in - here is a guide to how to sing the words to all the verses sung by Helen Weinstein:

HARMONY FOR CHORUS PART 1

Here is the Drinking Water Chorus Harmony Part 1 - sung by Mario Satchwell:

HARMONY FOR CHORUS PART 2

Here is the Drinking Water Chorus Harmony Part 2 - sung by Tizzy Faller:

3 PART HARMONY FOR CHORUS

Here is the audio file of all three parts singing the chorus so you get guide to sound you are aiming for:

Here is an early version of the song recorded by Mario, soon to be updated, as described above:

Lyrics:

---

Jerusalem: And Did Those Wees - Lyrics

On this page you will find lyrics adapted Horrible-Histories-styley to the famous Hymn "Jerusalem" starting with the words "And Did Those Wees in Cambridge Town' which new lyrics have been composed by CBBC's Horrible Histories chief songwriter, Dave Cohen.  Scroll down to find these resources.

Composer: Dave Cohen 

Performed by: Helen Weinstein

Location: This piece and its historical context are closely linked with Cambridge Museum of Technology, Riverside, Cambridge, CB5 8LD. 

This audio file is a recording & edit by Historyworks as a guide for children and teachers to learn the song:

AND DID THOSE WEES

And did those wees in Cambridge town
Find their way into the Cam.<
And did all those Victorian poos
Clog up the River like a dam.

Reformers said 'Surely our age
Can find a way to clean sew-age
And did the Pumping House, builded here
Restore our green and pleasant Cam.

Bring me your scraps, your rotting slop,
Bring me the contents of your bum
We'll treat and clean every last drop
So clean it’ll even please your mum

For many years, these engines toiled
It was so hot. those work men boiled
But they could get fine crockery,
With empty tins of fish for free.  

JERUSALEM: ORIGINAL WORDS BY MILTON/BLAKE

And did those feet in ancient time 
Walk upon England's mountains green? 
And was the holy Lamb of God 
On England's pleasant pastures seen?

And did the Countenance Divine 
Shine forth upon our clouded hills? 
And was Jerusalem builded here 
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold! 
Bring me my arrows of desire! 
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold! 
Bring me my chariot of fire!

I will not cease from mental fight, 
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, 
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land

---

SEWAGE WORKS

These lyrics have been composed by CBBC's Horrible Histories chief songwriter, Dave Cohen. 

LYRICS

All the sewage came
To the pump room
Sent to Milton
As fertiliser
For the food crops
That were eaten
Then made people poo
In the toilet

---

Water of Life - Audio & Lyrics

WRITTEN BY SUE HARRIS (Natural Voice Practitioners’ Network) 

AUDIO BY ROWENA WHITEHEAD ( Talking in Tune, Cambridge) this is a guide to learn the parts for the wonderful lyrical song Water of Life

Song Lyrics

It's the water of life
The stuff that you're made of
It's the water of life
The stuff that we drink
It's the water of life
Pure and simple - H2 O
Don't let it all go -  down the sink!