Tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic
I was glad to have a daughter
Because my first child was a son
I thought of all the ruffles
All the frilly bows and fun
I thought of how we'd sit and talk
At night when day was done
Wasn't I the foolish one?
She was only 1/2 past 7
When they called me to the fore
I said, "Oh no, I'm not equipped"
They said, "oh yes, what's more
We will train you in the basics
And outfit you for the corps."
And they shoved me out the door.
Glory, Glory, I'm a leader
How'd I get to be a leader
All I did was have a daughter
Is this the price I pay?
They taught me to be thrifty
To be thoughtful, to be true
They taught me to string beads
Like all the noble Indians do
I had to learn to dig a trench
And how to use it too
And you should taste our stew.
I had to learn to sing songs that
I didn't understand
I learned to dance the polka
And to make a rhythm band
To think of what to do and to
Forget what I had planned
And they say that Scouting's grand
Glory, Glory, I'm a leader
Me, they had to make a leader
I can't even build a fire
Let alone put up a tent.
We went walking in the woodland
Just my Girl Scout troop and me
The handbook says that nature
Has a wealth of sights to see
It's true that we were sights
When we were found eventually
And I do this all for free!
I'm not meant to be a leader
I don't know which bird is which
My wiener forks all burn up
We come home from hikes and itch
The sit-upons all fell apart
I showed them the wrong stitch
But no one wants to switch!
Glory, Glory, I'm a leader
Someone's got to be a leader
Tell me why I should be happy
When no one envies me.
But even though I grumble
And I mumble and I shout
And some days sit and wonder
What would be the best way out
I guess when all is said and done
There isn't any doubt
I'm glad to be a Scout.
So if you see me packing
For those weekend over nights
With a lot of happy Scouts
Gathering tents and pots and lights
We'll be back home when it's over
Dirty, tired and covered with bites
But we've seen nature's sights.
Glory, Glory, I'm a leader
Hallelujah, I'm a leader
They can carve it on my tombstone
"Here's a gal who did her best."
Tune- My Bonnie lies over the Ocean
My life revolves around Girl Scouts
Oh how did I end up this way?
If I'm not talking about Girl Scouts
Then I have nothing to say
CHORUS:
Give back, give back
Oh give back my life to me, to me
Give back, give back
Oh give back my life to me
I once was a cute little Brownie,
Then a Junior Girl Scout too,
Cadette and First Class, I stuck with it
I was a Senior were you?
I learned how to camp and recycle
Rode horses and saw my first play
It helped me serve God and my country
It made me what I am today.
At last when my daughter reached school age
A leader I signed up to be
We had a great time all together
My daughter, the others, and me.
My evenings are filled up with meetings
My weekends with field trips and camp
In between I'm working on paperwork
Quickly developing writer's cramp!
My family is used to the bedlam
But sometimes it raises their ire
I know they will never go hungry
As long as there's wood for the fire.
You can tell now that I am a Leader,
Craft supplies fill up every spare spot,
My house is a big storage unit,
Room for a car in the garage there is not!
I've a roomful of ribbon and lanyard
A box full of paper and glue
A bin full of baby food jars
A craft? Yes, I've got one for you.
The Cookie order has gone in
and now I'm off to camp out.
Imagine my shock at cookie pick up,
I forgot to divide by 12, look out!
I've worn a hole in my new shoes
I know every street sign by heart
But my daughter's the troop top seller
Delivering cookies in carts.
My daughter sits rolling her eyes,
My husband just walked away
This morning they got a surprise
The tent's in the backyard to stay
I got a strange look from my neighbors
When I made my fire circle today
I asked if they wanted some S'mores
But all of them ran away.
But then she reached middle school teen years
Decided she had to be cool
And none of the girls still in Girl Scouts
Were the ones she hung out with at school.
But I was still busy with Girl Scouts
Found it was my purpose in life
I love my husband and family
But I’m more than a mother and wife.
My daughter won’t say the phrase Girl Scouts
My husband is sick of it too
My son says he’s burned out on camping
They’re waiting for me to be through.
You can’t even walk through my basement
There’re boxes and boxes of gear
I’m hoping to use it all someday
We could live on the stuff for a year.
But I might as well sign up for lifetime
My blood will forever be green
I feel like I’ve dozens of daughters
And Daisy would know what I mean.
