A story song about friendship and bridge-building that leads into one of the most satisfying arch games in the early elementary repertoire.
A wonderful recording of this song can be found in the John and Ruby Lomax Collection, 1939 Southern States recording trip.
Introduce the song by telling this story while drawing on the board (see the video for how Deborah illustrates it):
There were two girls named Sarah and Clara, and they were best friends. They did everything together! Then one day, Clara's parents told her they had to move away. It wasn't too far — but it was on the other side of a river.
Sarah and Clara were so sad. They had to go to the river's edge just to shout across to each other. They wished there was a bridge!
One day, they decided to build one. Sarah remembered there was a sawmill nearby — a place where they cut logs into boards. She took a wagon to the sawmill, and the workers told her she could have as much wood as she needed. But they were very busy, so she'd have to cut it herself.
So she sawed and sawed and sawed, until she had enough planks. She put them in her wagon, thanked the sawmill workers, and went back to the river.
Then they built a bridge! Sarah and Clara played together every day again. And all the people of the town were so happy to have a bridge that they made a special dance to celebrate!
Feel free to use any names you like — pick names that will resonate with your particular class.
Come Through the Sawmill is rooted in American folk tradition and was documented in the historic Lomax field recordings of 1939. The game connects the "sawing" motion to the verse about the sawmill, then transitions into a longways set or circle arch game for the bridge-building verse — making the physical actions feel purposeful and story-driven rather than arbitrary.
It also works as a round, making it one of the few PreK–1 songs that can be extended into part singing for classes that are ready for it.
The story transforms what could be arbitrary physical motions into meaningful actions. Students aren't just "making an arch" — they're being the bridge Sarah and Clara built. That narrative context makes the physical actions feel purposeful and helps younger students stay focused and invested throughout the game.
Game Version 1 (the longways set) is generally simpler for PreK because the formation is easier to set up and the direction of travel is clear. Game Version 2 works better when you have a large class and need everyone actively engaged at the same time.
It's worth trying with Kindergarteners late in the year, or with first graders who have some part-singing experience. The round entry after 2 measures is indicated in the score — keep the groups small and the tempo steady for the best results.
The real problem
Every teacher knows this feeling. You find a song, try it on Monday, and something goes sideways — the kids don't engage, you're not sure how to introduce it, the lesson loses momentum. It's not that the song was wrong. You just didn't have a clear picture of how it actually goes.
That's what makes The Singing Classroom different. Every song in the library — including this one — has a full video of Deborah teaching it with real students. You don't have to guess how to introduce it, how to structure the activity, or how to handle the tricky moments. You watch it. Then you teach it.
150+ songs. Every one demonstrated. No more hoping it works — you already know it will.
Watch Deborah tell the story, draw on the board, and teach both game versions in a real elementary music classroom. Come Through the Sawmill is just one of 150+ songs in the complete Singing Classroom library — every one with Deborah’s full video demonstration, teaching guide, and animated game instructions.
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