Barges can be traced back to roughly the 1930s, when it began appearing in camp and youth organization songbooks, including Girl Scouts and Camp Fire Girls (now Camp Fire). After nearly a century, Barges continues to be a campfire and sentimental favorite generation after generation.
Over the decades, the origin of Barges has become the stuff of legends. The story we learned way back when (and in turn passed on to the next group of campers) was that the lyrics for Barges was written by a young girl who was dying of cancer. Inspired by the barges passing on a canal outside her window, she wrote the first two verses and the chorus before dying.The final verse was written, we were told, as a tribute after her death.
Barges’ melody is beautiful, and lends itself well to two or three part harmony.
Barges
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Out of my window
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
looking in the
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
night
I can
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
see the
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
barges
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
flickering
light.
Silently flows the
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
water to the
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
sea
As the
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
barges
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
too
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
flow
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
silently.
CHORUS
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Barges, I would
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
like to go with
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
you
I would
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
like to
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
sail the
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
ocean
blue.
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Barges have you
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
treasure in your
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
hold
Do you
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
fight with
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
pirates
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
brave and bold?
Out of my window looking through the night
I can see the barges flickering light
Starboard shines green and port is glowing red
You can see their signals far ahead.
Barges, I would like to go with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue.
Barges have you treasure in your hold
Do you fight with pirates brave and bold?
How my heart longs to sail away with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue.
But I must stay here by my window drear
As the barges sail away from here.
Barges, I would like to go with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue.
Barges have you treasure in your hold
Do you fight with pirates brave and bold?
Sources:
Namanu Singing Trails [Portland Area Council of Camp Fire Girls]; 1970
Namanu Singing Trails [Portland Area Council of Camp Fire]; 1988
Namanu Singing Trails [Camp Fire USA Portland Metro Council]; 2002
Namanu Singing Trails [Camp Fire USA Portland Metro Council]; 2003
We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
