A cumulative song is a specially structured song that constantly reviews and rehashes its own past verses.
Here’s an example of a common cumulative song structure:
- Refrain
- Verse 1, Refrain
- Verse 2, Verse 1, Refrain
- Verse 3, Verse 2, Verse 1, Refrain
- Verse 4, Verse 3, Verse 2, Verse 1, Refrain
- etc.
The verses sometimes aren’t repeated in full, but instead referenced in abbreviated form to keep the song from wearing the listeners out.
Famous cumulative songs include “Old McDonald Had a Farm”, “Barley Mow”, “The Green Grass Grew All Around”, and “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. These songs can easily be adapted to suit a group, with each verse sung by a different person, who must remember all the preceding verses. “Barley Mow” is often sung as a drinking game.
A more recently written song with a cumulative chorus is “Miserable” by Lit.
Cumulative songs can be very demanding on the performer as phrases get longer and longer. Audiences will listen eagerly to see whether the performer forgets a verse, stumbles over his own words, or runs out of breath before finishing the complete series.