The following story is from the National Compendium of 4-H Promotion and Visibility on the National 4-H History website at

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/History/4-H_Promotion/

If the gate sign “4-H Club Member Lives Here” was one of the most popular items offered through the National 4-H Supply Service, the National 4-H Club Song Book was in that same category. 4-H songs had traditionally been offered through the annual 4-H Handy Books issued by the National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work since the mid-1920s, however only included the words to the songs. Now, in 1929, the National Committee issued the first National 4-H Song Book that also included the music to the songs as well as a much broader selection.

4-H songs in this first edition included: Dreaming, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs for Me, Bring the Good Old 4-H Sign, Club Work, Conference Song, The Country’s Faith, A Plowing Song, The 4-H Clover, 4-H Clubs for All, 4-H Will Shine, Greeting Song, Hail! Hail! The Clubs All Here, O Me! O My!, Parting Song, Song of Health, and Speed Away. A variety of other songs popular with 4-H groups were also included: Abide with Me, All Through the Night, Anvil Chorus, Billy Boy, The Boll-Weevil, All God’s Chillun Got Wings, Day is Dying in the West, Dixie, Dogie Song, Follow the Gleam, Levee Song, Oh Susanna, Old Dog Tray, and Old Zip Coon plus others. The song book was comprised of 64 pages and was an immediate hit. Through the decades several editions of the National 4-H Club Song Book were published, each just a bit better than the previous one, but probably none topped the enthusiasm of members and leaders that was garnered by that first 1929 edition.

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