Context: In girl scouts, they sing songs around the campfire. Most songs are call and response but the song provided by the informant is sung in unison. She pointed out that “boy scouts might have a similar but opposite version and this was a friendly rivalry between them.”
Girl scout songs are sung throughout all ages, from kindergarten to high school. The girls don’t start camping until daisy and brownie, typically around fourth grade. “As you get older and become a cadet, senior, or ambassador (6th grade plus) you start being the one to lead the younger girls, so your role changes” according to the informant.
Song:
Once a girl scout went to camp, went to camp
Went to camp without her lamp, without her la-a-amp
When she found a spider in her bed,
this is what the girl scout said, girl scout said:
“Spider, Spider go away, go away
You are not allowed to stay, allowed to sta-a-ayy”
This is what my le-eader said
“No two bodies in one bed, in one bed”
Once a boy scout went to camp, went to camp
Went to camp without his lamp, without his la-a-amp
Then he found a spider in his bed,
this is what the boy scout said, boy scout said:
“AHHH”
Analysis: Before boy scouts became the gender-neutral scouts, girl scouts and boy scouts naturally had a gendered rivalry. Especially earlier in the development of children, they naturally segregate themselves by gender; boy and girl scouts institutionalized this segregation, further strengthening the divide. As children begin camping overnight with their group, they’ll sing around a campfire. On the surface, this song just seems to be a silly campfire song to entertain the kids and pass down for generations, keeping the rivalry with the boy scouts alive.
Although the informant only points this out to be the purpose of the song, it also provides a warning to these new overnight campers. Firstly, ensure you remember your equipment or bad things might happen. Be aware of wildlife, including spiders; this will make the girls more meticulous about checking their bedding for any sort of bug or animal. Interestingly, this song has the leader warning against two bodies in one bed, suggesting that beds should not be shared at all between two people. Then, the song turns onto the boy scouts to make fun of them for being scared of the spider rather than talking to it, suggesting that the girl scouts should remain calm when facing a scary bug or animal they see in the wilderness. Essentially, this song provides a blueprint for appropriate behavior at camp through a silly song for the younger kids to remember by throwing in some rivalry. This then becomes a cycle to be passed down from the older to the younger girls.