Rugby Songs

This will be a very long introduction to the question, but I'm hoping I can tell the story interestingly.

First a caveat: I'm not a very good uke player. I've been playing for a couple of years but have not put much time in it, nor am I particularly talented with my fingers. I can play probably about 10-12 chords and really can't pick. Mostly I use my uke to accompany my singing (which I find very nice and I think others find tolerable).

I am from the USA. I started playing Rugby Union when I started college (Feb 1985). I still play for a social side and I want to bring my uke to the pub after the game but I fear a Bluto from "Animal House" preemptively ending my song and my uke (if you know ruggers you know that's a very distinct possibility).

I'm looking for some songs I can learn down pat, ones that will cause a room full of ruggers to break into song (another thing if you know ruggers is a distinct possibility) and is so compelling no one would ever think to go all "I Gave My Love a Cherry" on it.

Here's a little bit of a story. After a few years in college several of us ruggers found ourselves living in the same house with a huge front porch. We naturally became the "Rugby House" and hosted the parties. One particullar Saturday we were celebrating another Illini win (University of Illinois) when one of the opposition picked up a guitar from somewhere (I have no idea where it came from or how it got in the house) and started singing "Good Lovin" by The Rascals. Everybody sang along and when the keyboard solo part came someone even sang that.

It was a riot and when I found out, three lifetimes later, about ukuleles I realized I now had access to the same kind of song leading.

Help me live my decades-long dream of leading a group of ruggers in song, please.

Good luck with your quest, but I gotta tell you, most rugby songs I know ("4 and 20 virgins", "the good ship Venus", "the mayor of Bayswater" etc, etc) contain lyrics that you would not want your momma to catch you singing!

But in any case, maybe http://www.rugbysongs.net/ can get you on your way.

Bawdy songs are the only ones that get sung by rugby players over here, likewise, they only drink real beer!

Maybe this one? Two chords, E & B7, round and round - and a great singalong chorus



Dance the night away - The Mavericks

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot springs to mind. Also American Pie seems to be popular... I have no idea why

Thanks for the replies.

I know and have sung Rugby songs for years. I don't know all the chords though. Also, I was thinking if I could jump in with a familar song, even if not especially known as a Rugby song it would go over well.

I can't play E btw.

Transpose it down a tone - play D and A7. Or up a semitone - F and C7. By the time they get to the singing stage they won't care what key it's in!

I'm writing a song for you right now. So far I only have the following words:

Fall in the mud, fall in the mud

Give blood, give blood

Play rugby, play rugby

Don't worry 'bout rules

Rules are for fools

Play rugby, play rugby

Kimosabe said:

I'm writing a song for you right now. So far I only have the following words:

Fall in the mud, fall in the mud

Give blood, give blood

Play rugby, play rugby

Don't worry 'bout rules

Rules are for fools

Play rugby, play rugby

Click to expand...

I do appreciate this, however I'm guessing you are not a rugger yourself. Most americans who have only seen Rugby think it is complete chaos.

On the contrary there are certainly rules and they are not only very specific, they are strictly applied. It may be that you being pedantic and saying the are no, "Rules" which is strictly true. There are, "Laws." Come to think of it, that's funny too.

ukatee said:

Transpose it down a tone - play D and A7. Or up a semitone - F and C7. By the time they get to the singing stage they won't care what key it's in!

Click to expand...

Thanks. Transposing has always been confusing to me.

No, I'm not a rugger, just having a laugh. I'm too small to survive a match. Fortunately, I have some rugger friends who can protect me.

There're no rules, only laws

You don't need gloves only paws

Play rugby, play rugby

I'm guessing the game is more honest than American football which has its pads and helmets. There is an age old American equivalent to the game. It's called King of the Mountain. That game I did play as a kid. The basic laws were don't be on the bottom, crush the guy on the bottom and enjoy the chaotic violence. Believe me that I would never criticize the game in front of real ruggers. I'm not that fast.

+Kimosabe

So what we have so far is:

Fall in the mud, fall in the mud
Give blood, give blood
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby
Don't worry 'bout rules
Rules are for fools
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby
There's no rules, there's only laws
You don't need gloves only paws
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby
Don't tell my wife
She fears for my life
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby


What key is that in? I think it should have at least two chords. I added a "Play Rugby" at the end of each of those because it felt like it needed it.

Kill your inner fear
Drink more beer

Rugby dongs from a rugger

An Inner Prop playing a Soprano, you say? Hmm, this would be the first time I've considered the words prop and soprano in the same sentence.

No, sorta seriously, I played for 13 years here in the States, almost all games as a forward. I even started a game at 3 and ended at the 11! But mostly tighthead because that is I was best or maybe it's because that's where the smartest of us lot are needed most. I've even played in NZ, SA, IRE, and CAN. But I was not a great player. Good enough, but not great. I'm now working (for free) with USA Rugby to get them out of their mess.

Now, more on topic. As it came to the post-game social activities where we treat our guests with fine nutrition and a more than adequate dose of adult fermented beverages I was truly in my element. I was the anchor on the boat race team and frequently shared song-master duties "me, me, me" "you, you, you"

I recently got into ukes after I put the boots in the closet. My first rugby song on my uke was "What would you do with a drunken sailor." Here is a good tutorial by a normie (aka presumed non-rugger; therefore, not "demented"): https://youtu.be/B4lHwBx--Jk

I did find "If I were a Marrying Kind" and several others, but my favorite was always "Roll Your Leg Over" We sang the verses and chorus a bit differently. I figure it'd to be a G C D and D7. If you can figure out how to transpose, here ya be: https://www.horntip.com/html/songs_sorted_by_name/with_music/r/the_rugby_song/the_rugby_song.htm

I've been playing for only two months now, but looking over the available rugby songs it seems to be something any novice can add to their arsenal fairly easily.

As for whether you'd get "Bluto'd"?

Inner Prop said:

+Kimosabe

So what we have so far is:

Fall in the mud, fall in the mud
Give blood, give blood
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby
Don't worry 'bout rules
Rules are for fools
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby
There's no rules, there's only laws
You don't need gloves only paws
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby
Don't tell my wife
She fears for my life
Play Rugby, play Rugby, play Rugby


What key is that in? I think it should have at least two chords. I added a "Play Rugby" at the end of each of those because it felt like it needed it.

Click to expand...