Who Wrote the Traditional Campfire Song “Father Abraham”

For those who have spent many an evening around a campfire with family or for those who went to camp as young people, the traditional song “Father Abraham” may be familiar.

Or maybe you’re simply a Lisa Loeb fan or an ardent watcher of the television show, Mad Men. If so, you know the rhyme, too. (Check out renditions of the song from the show and Loeb below.)

But what’s the history of the song? Where did it come from and what’s with the silly dance associated with it? Let’s dive in.

The Bible and Abraham

Before we get into the silly campfire song, let’s dive into a little bit of history.

In the Bible, there is the Book of Genesis. As the name suggests, the tome is all about how things began. And in Genesis, the Biblical figure of Abraham indeed had seven sons (and one daughter).

With his first wife Sarah, Abraham had a son, Isaac. He also had a son with his wife’s servant Hagar, whose name was Ishmael. Then with his second wife Keteurah, Abraham had five more sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, and Ishbak. With his second wife, Abraham also had a daughter, Shuah.

The Campfire Song

Known as “Father Abraham,” the song opens with one of two verses. Both are acceptable and both are popular throughout history. The rhyme can begin Father Abraham had seven sons (seven sons!) or Father Abraham had many sons (many sons!).

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From there, the song continues:

Father Abraham had seven sons (seven sons!), and seven sons had Father Abraham.
And they never laughed (ha-ha) and they never cried (boo-hoo).
All they did was go like this: with the right arm.

Then, singers put their right arm in the air and begin pumping it up and down (for further explanation, see the Lisa Loeb or Mad Men videos.)

The song continues with slight variations and different arm, leg, and body movements:

Father Abraham had seven sons, and seven sons had Father Abraham.
And they didn’t laugh and they didn’t cry.
All they did was go like this: with the left arm and a right arm.

Father Abraham had seven sons, and seven sons had Father Abraham.
And they never laughed. They didn’t cry.
All they did was go like this: with the left arm and a right arm and a left leg.

Father Abraham had seven sons, and seven sons had Father Abraham.
And they never laughed and they never cried.
All they did was go like this: with the left arm and a right arm and a left leg and a right leg.

Father Abraham had seven sons, and seven sons had Father Abraham.
And they didn’t laugh and they didn’t cry.
All they did was go like this: with the left arm and a right arm, with a left leg and a right leg, turn around.

Father Abraham had seven sons, and seven sons had Father Abraham.
And they never laughed. They didn’t cry.
All they did was go like this.

Who Wrote the Song?

Though “Father Abraham” is simple and doesn’t involve many lyrics, the song does have an original writer.

Pierre Kartner is credited with writing the song. A Dutch musician and singer-songwriter, Kartner, who performed under the stage name Vader Abraham (translated to Father Abraham), wrote some 1,600 songs in his career, including “Father Abraham.”

Born on April 11, 1935, Kartner died last year, passing away on November 8, 2022, in the Netherlands.

He began his career around eight years old, winning a singing competition at a local festival. As a kid, he lived with his family in Amsterdam and worked at a local chocolate factory. Later, he worked as a promoter and record producer at Dureco. In the 1960s, he performed in the group Corry & de Rekels, which sold over one million records that decade.

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In 1971, Kartner created his stage name and alter ego, Father Abraham, after writing the song of the same name. For it, he wore a fake beard and later grew a real one. He also wore a bowler hat.

The Dance

As noted above, there are various movements associated with the song. Right arm pumping, left arm pumping, right and left leg movements, wiggling, chin up, tongue out and, in the end, sitting down.

None of these are required and the order is free to be changed. But the dance and the communal aspect are one of the best parts about singing the song, especially in a big group during an afternoon music performance or around an evening campfire.

Legacy

Thanks to his stage name and signature song, Kartner’s legacy has lived on. As noted, the tune was included in one of the most beloved television shows, Mad Men, and was featured on the album, Camp Lisa, by Lisa Loeb. It doesn’t get much better than that. So, even now, there is no need to cry (boo-hoo!).

Photo by Peter Bischoff/Getty Images