JD12
© (P) 2022 Johnette Downing
Wiggle Worm Records, ASCAP
P. O. Box 13367, New Orleans, LA 70185, USA
Administered by Concord Music Group
All Rights Reserved

There are holiday albums for nearly every season, but Halloween records for children are rare. At long last, here is Jumpin’ Jitters, It’s Halloween! Johnette Downing stirs a brew of traditional and original slightly spooky, mostly silly Halloween songs for families. For over three decades, Downing has used these songs while teaching and performing early childhood music. The familiar “Five Little Pumpkins,” “Skin and Bones,” and “Dark Dark Night,” are paired with fan favorites such as her originals “Shake Your Skeleton,” “Little Bat Song,” and “Jumpin’ Jitters.” Joining vocalist, guitarist and ukulele player Johnette Downing on this spine-tingling and toe-bone-rattling album is a cast of monster musicians including harmonica player Scott Billington, violinist Gina Forsyth, accordionist Nathan Williams, guitarist Jake Eckert, keyboardist/organist C. R. Gruver, mandolin player E. J. Ouellette, bassist Lee Allen Zeno, and drummer Doug Belote. A student chorus from Whole Music School invites listeners to sing along.

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Music and lyrics by Johnette Downing

Hanging upside down there’s a little bat
Flapping its wings going flap, flap, flap
Hanging in the cave until the time is right
Waiting until daytime turns to night
Flying around all over the sky
Sing a little bat song my oh my

Hanging upside, flapping its wings
Hanging in a cave, waiting until day
Flying around, sing a little bat song my oh my

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

On a dark dark night
Down a dark dark road
To a dark dark path
To a dark dark house
And on that dark dark house
There is a dark dark door
To dark dark stairs
Down a dark dark hall
To a dark dark room
And in that dark dark room
There is a dark dark shelf
And on that dark dark shelf
There is a dark dark box
And in that dark dark box
There was a GHOST!

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

I’m a mean old witch with a hat
And I fly on my broom with my cat
My nose is pointy and my chin is too
And you better watch out or I might scare you
I’m a mean old witch with a hat.
Booooooooo!

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

Halloween, Halloween
Oh what scary things I’ve seen
Cold black cats, witches hats
Broomstick riders, mice and RATS!

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late.”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air.”
The third one said, “But we don’t care.”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run.”
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun.”
And oooooooo, went the wind, and out went the light
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Lyrics by Johnette Downing
Traditional Melody

Where is the wicked witch? Here I am.
I’m flying on my broomstick. Zoom, zoom, zoom.
Where is the spooky ghost? Here I am.
I’m sneaking up behind you. Boo, boo, boo

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

There was an old lady all skin and bones (ooooooo)
She lived down by the old graveyard (ooooo)
One night she thought she’d take a walk (ooooooo)
She walked down by the old graveyard (oooooo)
She saw the bones a’layin’ around (ooooo)
She went to the closet to get a broom (oooo)
She opened the door and BOOOOO!

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

Stirring and stirring and stirring my brew
Oooo oooo, oooo oooo
Tip toe, tip toe
Stirring and stirring and stirring by brew
Oooo ooooo, oooo oooo
Tip toe, tip toe
BOOOO!

Music and lyrics by Johnette Downing

Fingernails, cat’s tails, a tingle down your spine
The wind blows, makes your neck hair grow
Gives you goose bumps all the time!

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

The foot bone’s connected to the anklebone
The anklebone’s connected to the shinbone
The leg bone’s connect to the thigh bone
The hipbone’s connected to the backbone
The backbone’s connected to the arm bone
The arm bone’s connected to the shoulder bone
The shoulder bone’s connected to the neck bone
The neck bone’s connected to the head bone
Them bones, them bones, them dry bones
Dem bones, them bones, them dry bones
Them bones, the bones, them dry bones
And that’s the way it goes

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

You put your right foot in. You take your right out
You put your right foot in and you shake it all about
You do the hocus pocus and your turn yourself about
That’s what Halloween is all about.

Traditional, Adapted and Arranged by Johnette Downing

Jack o’ lantern, jack o’ lantern, you are such a funny sight
As you sit there in the window looking out at that night
You were once a yellow pumpkin growing on a sturdy vine
Now you are a jack o’ lantern, see your candlelight shine.

Music and lyrics by Johnette Downing

You’ve got your bones creaking
You’ve got your bones creaking
Well jumpin’ jitters, it’s Halloween
Jumpin’ jitters, it’s Halloween.

Skeleton shaking, knees knocking, hip shaking