Cub Scout Alphabet, a song from the distant past

Back in 1928, the Cub Scout pack at the genesis of American Cubbing sang a forgotten song on the radio: the Cub Scout Alphabet.

The brief life of the Cub Scout Alphabet

It was two years before the official start of Cub Scouts by the Boy Scouts of America. This group of children were actually a Wolf Cub pack from Port Angeles, copying the British Cubbing system on display across the strait in Victoria, British Columbia. The group started in 1923, so they were a seasoned group with five years of experience when they sang it on the radio. How many more hundreds of times did they join together for the joyous chorus, and how many times did they tweak the lyrics?

The known performance was in 1928 on KOMO radio in Seattle. They visited the city for a Rotary convention. Their marching, speeches, pageantry, bugling, and their songs, including what they called the “Wolf Cub alphabet”, all convinced BSA Chief Scout Executive Dr. James West to conduct a trial Cub Scout program in America.

So, the Cub Scout Alphabet, in part, created Cub Scouts.

It has never been mentioned again, since that April 22, 1928 performance. It has been lost to time… or has it?

Cub Scout Alphabet, a collaboration with an algorithm

This song was initially written by OpenAI’s ChatGPT based on my instructions and feedback. It took me a bit to realize that although the bot created a serviceable song, it was totally lacking impact because none of the lines talked about concrete things. The bot loves ideas like joy and kindness. But people, especially children, love to be able to picture things and act them out while singing.

Trying to bend the bot to my needs proved to be very difficult. It would think random words together were puns like “R is for running, unless you’re in a pot”. And when pushed too far, it would force words with incorrect letters like “G is for campfires”. The bot would forget which lines go together or what song we were working on, generating ten lines of a poem that I didn’t care for.

And it constantly apologized when I asked about what went wrong.

So in the end, I was left to stitch together the best ideas of the bot with things that it inspired me to think of.

Cub Scout Alphabet, to the tune of Shantyboy Alphabet

This song is sung to the tune of Lumberjack Alphabet, Sailor’s Alphabet, and many other similar folk songs. There are many great renditions of Lumberjack Alphabet, but my preference is this one by Charles Jordan (YouTube). There are so many variations of these folk songs that there probably isn’t a wrong way to sing it, as long as you’re boisterous and having fun.

I first heard of the Lumberman’s Alphabet, or Shantyboy’s Alphabet, while researching what songs might have been sung at Blue Ox Camp, Seattle’s first Cub Scout camp.

Charles Jordan’s rendition of Lumberjack Alphabet

Cub Scout Alphabet lyrics

Written by Rob Ketcherside and ChatGPT in February 2023. It will be updated based on feedback and experience.

Verse 1

A is for Archery, aiming with care
B is for Bears, they roam everywhere
C is for Camping, with tents and a fire
D is for Dining Hall, fulfilling our desires.

(Chorus, repeats after each verse)

So merry, so merry, so merry are we,
No mortal on earth is as happy as we,
(Sing) Hi derry, ho derry, hi derry down,
Give Cub Scouts some cocoa and nothing goes wrong.

Verse 2

E is for Eagles, soaring in the sky,
F is for Flag, waving so high,
G is for Games, we love to play,
H is for Hikes, come join us today.

Verse 3

I is for Insects, they’re fascinating creatures,
J is for Joking, that brings us some pleasures,
K is for Knots, so loose on our shoes
L is for Leader, we do what they choose

Verse 4

M is for Maps, we first try to read,
N is for Nature, it’s where our paths lead.
O is the Orchestra of our parents’ snores.
P is for Popcorn, let’s go sell some more.

Verse 5

Q is for Questions, from our curious minds.
R is for Roasted marshmallows, they’re oh so refined.
S is for Swimming, in the dark lake deep
T is for Tower, where we climb and leap!

Verse 6

U is for Uniform, badges of honor we wear.
V is for Veggies, which we’ll gladly share.
W is for Webelos, who crossover in spring,
X is for Expletive, let’s not say or sing.

Verse 7 / end

Y is for yodeling, it echoes through space,
Z is for zero impact, and leaving no trace!
(Sing) Hi derry, ho derry, hi derry down,
Give Cub Scouts some cocoa and nothing goes wrong.

Here is the best of the album covers that ChatGPT’s art companion Dall-E came up with.

Cub Scout Alphabet afterward

I sang this song at Chief Seattle Council’s Camp Sheppard during the final session of Cub Scout winter camp on February 18, 2023. It seems there is a chance that the song enters the staff song book.