Public Domain Songs You Can Record for FREE

A list of Public Domain music and songs you can use for free to record

Presented by
What Nots &
GRANAMEDIA

PLEASE NOTE: This web page does not provide links to downloadable music files. It is intended for informational purposes only.

There are literally hundreds of songs released or published before 1923. And why should this be of any interest to you? Songs published in 1922 and earlier are considered Public Domain (PD). This means you can rearrange them, change the lyrics and record them into completely different versions of your own. The best part is that you don't have to pay any licensing fees or royalities.

So why record songs over 90 years old? Hint for jingle songwriters: Catchy Choruses. If you have musical ability and haven't thought about this possibility, I've written a Yahoo Contributor Article as to why you might want to consider this. The article may be of interest for those wanting to record a Christmas, Folk, Children's, Blues, Patriotic, Jazz, or Religious CD.

But before reading any further it is important to understand that a PD song may be under copyright protection in other ways. The arrangement or lyrics may have been altered over the years, and these versions may still be protected. songs released in 1922 or before

If you plan to record these songs and commercially release them, do your research and at least obtain copies of sheet music or recordings that can prove the version you want to record was released in 1922 or before. It's not expensive and will save you a lot of headaches later on.

You can do a search online for plenty of PD songs or sheet music. They are easy to find. One of my favorite web sites is the List of Public Domain Songs. This site has a wealth of information about PD music and copyrights in general, plus extensive song lists. For a small fee they offer downloadable midi songs, sheet music and CDs. The site highly recommends finding a published copy of the song prior to 1923 as well. Just remember that PD songs listed here or anywhere else may still have restrictions to be aware of. For example. Some children's songs are very old and have been altered over the decades (or centuries). The lyrics or melody of the PD version could be different than you may remember. Therefore you should only use a version that you know is PD, unless you plan on spending some time doing more research.

So now that you know what you can do with them, let's get on with the list.
May you have good fortune and success using PD music.

PUBLIC DOMAIN SONGS YOU CAN RECORD FOR FREE

This is only a list of song titles. It does not have links to any music files and is by no means comprehensive. Originally I was just looking on the web for a reference list of popular PD songs. There are many web sites with lists (and files) but I ended up wading through hundreds of other titles I didn't recognize. These titles are popular hits and songs I'm familiar with. Mostly pop, patriotic, religious and Christmas tunes. They're not catagorized but some have notations.
For a more detailed list may I suggest a visit to the List of Public Domain Songs . Have fun!

A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody (once used for beauty pageants)
The Aba Daba Honeymoon (has had many lives)
Ain't We Got Fun "in the morning, in the evening"
Amazing Grace (lyrics vary)
America "my country 'tis of thee"
America the Beautiful "oh beautiful..."
Anchor's Aweigh (familiar US Navy song)
Auld Lang Syne "should old acquaintance..."
Baa Baa Black Sheep "...have you any wool?"
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? (old time favorite)
Billy Boy "oh where are you going..."
Bingo "B I N G O"
Buffalo Gals "won't you come out tonight"
By the Beautiful Sea "by the sea, by the sea..."
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (a classic)
The Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
Cielito Lindo or Beautiful Heaven (aye-yai-yai-yai)
Cradle Song "lullaby & good night"
Danny Boy "oh Danny boy..."
Deck the Halls
Dickory Dickory Dock (lyrics/melody may not be as you remember)
Dixie "Wish I was in..."
The Farmer in the Dell (lyrics vary)
The First Noel
For Me and My Gal
Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway (George M. Cohan)
Free at Last (spiritual)
From the Land of the Sky Blue Water (once used for Hamm's beer commercials)
Give My Regards to Broadway (George M. Cohan)
Glow Worm (a hit by many artists)
God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here "What the -Duece- Do We Care"
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Harrigan (George M. Cohan) "H A double R I G A N spells..."
Home on the Range
How Dry I Am (often used by Warner cartoons for drunken characters)
Hush-A-By Baby (classic nursery song)
I Ain't Got Nobody (can you say David Lee Roth?)
Always Chasing Rainbows (once recorded by Alice Cooper)
In the Sweet Bye and Bye (religious hymn)
Irene (recorded by numerous artists)
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary (British marching song)
Jim Crack Corn (aka The Blue Tail Fly) -confirm PD lyrics
Jingle Bells
Joy to the World
Let Me Call You Sweetheart "I'm in love with you"
Listen to the Mocking Bird (used for early 3 Stooges films)
Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me (classic dixie-style song)
Mary Had A Little Lamb (confirm melody)
Mary's a Grand Old Name (George M. Cohan)
Merrily We Skip Along (not 'stroll')
M-O-T-H-E-R "M is for the..."
The Muffin Man "oh do you know..."
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
My Country 'Tis of Thee
My Old Kentucky Home

O Come All Ye Faithful
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Holy Night
Oh! Susanna "don't you cry..."
Oh You Beautiful Doll "you great big beautiful doll"
Old Folks at Home (Way Down Upon the Swanee River)
The Old Grey Mare "ain't what she used..."
Old MacDonald Had a Farm "e i e i o"
Old Rugged Cross (religious hymn)
On Top of Old Smokey (unsure about spagetti version)
Onward, Christian Soldiers (used often by the Salvation Army church)
Over There (George M. Cohan)
Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Bag-Kit "and Smile, Smile, Smile"
Polly Wolly Doodle
Pomp and Circimstance (graduation theme)
Pop! Goes the Weasel (confirm lyrics)
Pretty Baby (famous Roaring 20's-era song)
Ragtime Cowboy Joe "He's a high-falootin, scootin, shootin..." (recorded by the Chipmunks, among many others)
Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody (once a hit for Jerry Lewis)
Rock-a-Bye Baby "in the..."
Rock of Ages "let me hide..."
Sailing "sailing, over the..."
She'll Be Comin' Around the Mountain
Shine On, Harvest Moon (classic old tune recorded by the Mills Brothers, among many others)
Silent Night! Holy Night!
Skid-dy-mer-rink-adink-aboomp "Means I Love You"
Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus (classic interactive religious song)
The Star Spangled Banner
Swanee "how I love you..."
Sweet Adeline (Barber Shop classic)
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Ten Little Indians "1 little 2..."
The Caissons Go Rolling Along (3 lyric versions-2 PD)
The Little Brown Jug (several lyric versions)
The Streets of Laredo -or Cowboy's Lament (an old western classic recorded by Marty Robbins, among many others)
The Teddy Bear's Picnic (caution- lyrics written in 1932)
Three Blind Mice (lyrics vary)
This Land is Your Land Woodie Guthrie, "This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin’ it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don’t give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that’s all we wanted to do."
Three Blind Mice (lyrics vary, also used by the 3 Stooges)
To-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Rall "That's an Irish Lullaby"
Toot, Toot, Toosie "Goo' Bye"
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Wade in the Water (spiritual recorded by many artists)
We Three Kings of Orient Are
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
What a Friend We Have in Jesus (old gospel song)
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder (classic religious song)
Yankee Doodle (nursery lyric version)
Yankee Doodle Boy (George M. Cohan) "I'm a..."
You Made Me Love You "I Didn't Want to Do It" (once a hit by Judy Garland)
You're a Grand Old Flag (George M. Cohan)