Kate Wadhams

TEACHERS: Mr. Nicky is still scheduling his spring 2023 online assemblies & virtual classroom songwriting workshops! These online programs (via Zoom/Google Meet/etc.) meet state learning standards in both social studies and ELA, and they’re tons of fun. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] for full information. (Students will not receive a response, but thank you for your support!)

- LYRICS BELOW -

Heres the MERCH! : www.bonfire.com/store/mr-nickys-world-history-songs/

Thanks to all who requested an ancient India song & to Ms. Rossanos student who suggested Drake at the January 2016 assembly :-)

Ancient India by Mr. Nicky

To the tune of Hotline Bling by Drake

Backing track property of Karaoke Version/Tency Music.

Harappa and Mohenjo- . . . .

Mohenjo-Daro. . . yeah

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

long ago in the Indus

had streets of brick and manholes

with citadels and big bath tubs

Their workmanship was specialized

their measurements were so precise

from their projects we surmise

their government was centralized

and they must have had some surplus food

Harvesting some grain and some bananas

twice a year though flooding made it dangerous

waters flow down from the Himalayas

to the Indus plain and moving through

Spreading fertile silt more than the Nile does

Its the mighty river of the Indus

Both those rivers spread out into deltas

And flow down like the Aryan people

Migrated through the Hindu Kush

Herding sheep and cattle

Singing songs of the Vedas

Those are the Books of Knowledge

in the language of Sanskrit

They show the Hindus how to live

So when youre reincarnated,

if your karmas good, then maybe you, you, youd

Move up higher in the caste system

Follow your dharma and dont do whats wrong

youd be an outcaste and you wouldnt belong

Ganesh, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu

So many deities, theres Krishna

Read his words in the Bhagavad Gita

Hindu cultures spread way beyond India

Up to the Kingdom of Kosala

where Siddharta Gautama

Gave his princely wealth up

Wisdom made him the Buddha

He sought to end suffering

Buddhist monks are following

The Eightfold Path representing

a Middle Way of Living

The 4 Noble Truths

say life is filled with suffering caused by wanting, so end your wants

Buddhas the Awakened One, his teaching spread through Asia

Inspiring Ashoka to be tolerant and build stupas

He was the grandson of

Chandragupta Maurya

Roads

connected the Mauryan people

one ran from the capital

to Taxila, made taxing easier

and so Ashoka was able

yeah, to conquer quite a bit

of the subcontinent

More terrority than the Guptas

though they gave us the zero

plays from Kalidasa

and our Arabic numerals

Look at the Ajanta caves

Guptas brought a Golden Age

Architecture, art and trade

science, math and tributes paid

Made them great, but Huns invaded