Some camping trips involve being as quiet as possible. Hiding out in the wilderness hoping you’re as invisible as possible to give you the upper hand over the animals you’re hunting.
On the other hand, some camping trips just involve setting up a camp and having a good time with a bunch of friends, building a fire, cracking a few beers, and singing a few songs.
It might get noisy, and that’s alright.
If you’re looking for some songs to sing around the campfire on one of those nights, you’re in the right place. We’re sharing with you seven of our favorite country songs for a campfire singalong – and it just so happens you don’t need to be Eddie Van Halen to play any of these.
Let’s get stuck in.
Page Contents
Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash is one of those guys that would be a legend even if his music was bad.
In 1965, Cash’s camper van caused a forest fire that burned several hundred acres of Los Padres National Forest in California. According to Cash’s nephew who was with him, Cash started a fire alongside the camper to stay warm, and was too out of it to notice it getting out of hand. When Cash ended up in court, the judge asked him why he did it, to which Cash replied “I didn’t do it, my truck did, and it’s dead, so you can’t question it”.
On that theme, Ring Of Fire is one of his stone cold classics, with verses that will have the guys puffing out their chest, and a rising chorus that will clear the birds from the trees.
King of the Road by Roger Miller
King Of The Road is one of those country songs that many people love without thinking it’s a country song.
I know more than one person that sings this song in an Elvis croon, and that speaks to how much of a crossover hit it’s been over the years. There aren’t many country songs that have reggae covers, but King Of The Road is that song.
Bonus for beginner guitarists – it’s an easy one to play, all you really need is three chords and a feel for the words and you’re ready to roll!
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers
You know what the best thing is about The Gambler? Everything.
Written by the same duo who wrote “When You Say Nothing At All”, The Gambler was a huge hit for Kenny Rogers when it came out in 1978, and even crossed over to the pop charts, leaving him with a handful of Grammy awards that year.
That being said, The Gambler is a song with a lot of lyrics, but you’ll hear the mumbling around the campfire through the verses disappear when you get to the best bit – “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em / Know when to fold ’em / Know when to walk away / And know when to run / You never count your money / When you’re sittin’ at the table / There’ll be time enough for countin’ / When the dealin’s done”
A true classic.
Achy, Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus
Achy Breaky Heart is a great song for when you need a tune that absolutely everyone knows the words.
The song was a certified smash hit when it came out in 1992, and while it has ended up on VH1 and Blender Magazine’s “50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever”, its chorus is absolutely drilled into the brains of everyone who had a pair of ears and two braincells in the early 90s.
It even single handedly made line dancing a thing.
Woo boy.
Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks caused a little bit of a stir with his debut record in 1989, but it was megahit single “Friends In Low Places” that really launched his career, and even now 30+ years later it’s his “signature song” and the first thing that comes to mind for most people when you mention his name.
This is another song where everyone knows the chorus – plenty of people will know the verses too given it’s ubiquity in the early to mid 90s. As far as the guitar work goes, this is one you can easily maneuver even after a handful of adult refreshments and if you want a pro tip: make sure to tack on the live version, with the kiss my a** ending….
Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver
One of the great things about Country Roads as a singalong song is you don’t even have to be a country fan to know the words – speaking for myself here, I first got to know this country radio smash hit via punk rock covers band Me First And The Gimmie Gimmies (featuring Chris Schifflet, who would later go on to play guitar for Foo Fighters).
Add to that, this song is four easy chords and a melody that’s fun to sing but not too taxing on the voice – definitely one you can warble into the night sky with your buddies out in the middle of nowhere.
On the Road Again by Willie Nelson
Can’t do a country music sing along without old Willie Nelson.
On The Road Again is a killer song, but a lof of people don’t know the story behind it – and that’s arguably just as interesting.
Back when Willie was getting his movie career moving, he signed up to be the leading man in a movie called Honeysuckle Rose, which was about an aging musician in a band with his family, travelling around the country playing shows. Anyways, shortly after signing the contract, Willie was sitting waiting for a plane to take off when one of the movie’s producers came up and asked him if he’d be willing to write a theme song for the movie. Before the plane landed, Willie had written On The Road Again on the back of a barf bag.
Can’t say fairer than that!
Conclusion
If you’re doing an overnight trip with a friends that facilitates bringing a guitar, you know you’re going to end up whiling away the night singing songs into the campfire. Best be prepared by getting some of these classics under your fingers, and then let your buddies take over singing duties for a good old time.
What fun activities can you do sitting around the campfire?
When you go camping, it goes without saying that you will have a campfire. As a matter of fact, more than 80% of campers agree that sitting around the campfire is one of their top favorite activities when camping. Even if singing by the campfire is lovely, it is just one of the many other things to do with your friends and family.
We have some suggestions for you to try next time when you go camping and want to do something fun around the campfire:
Truth or dare
It doesn’t matter if truth or dare is an old game; it’s still one of the best games to play by the campfire! The game is actually a staple at family and friends get-togethers. One of the reasons why this game is so great is the endless possibilities that it entails.
As with best games, there aren’t strict or many rules to care about with this game. One person will ask another “truth or dare?” The person who was asked has to choose one of the two options. If they decide on “truth,” you can ask the question and they must answer. Think of an embarrassing or silly question for the game to be as funny as possible. If the person goes with “dare,” you should give them a task that is either embarrassing or fun to watch.
Each person in the group will have to choose between the two options. The game isn’t just fun to play but also helpful. You will learn truths about your friends you have not known about otherwise. Regardless of how the game goes, you will probably create fantastic memories with your friends/family members.
Extra tip
You should know your competition so wisely choose the game. Some people are creative and think of the most insane dares and truths. The game shouldn’t put anyone under the spot, so avoid embarrassing anyone in the group.
Goods and bads
No matter the age of family members and friends, joining you by the campfire, goods and bads is an excellent way to begin a conversation. The game will make people open up and have meaningful communication. The game is also efficient because it kicks away boredom.
You don’t need to write down the instruction to play the game, as it’s relatively straightforward. Every person joining your game can play it. Each person will share one bad and good thing that happens to them in the day/week/year. When everyone in the group has shared their ups and lows, you will be amazed at all the new things you’ve learned.
Change the color of your fire
If you like to make surprises, you can change the color of the fire and see the reactions you get. If you go camping with kids, changing the color of the fire is one of the most amazing things that you can do.
You will definitely wonder how you can change the color of your campfire? Well, you only need to buy fire colorant bags and throw them into the fire. The fire colorant will produce a quick burst of bright and glowing colorful flames for quite some time. The colors impress both children and adults. Go online to find the most fantastic colorant bags for your next campfire.
“Five daily facts”
Don’t let this game’s title make you think it’s easy to play. On the contrary, the game can quickly turn into one of the most challenging games to play with family and friends.
The game starts with each person telling about five facts about their day by the campfire. Here are some examples:
- Today I had a burger.
- I had a walk in the park.
- I went jogging.
- I watched a movie.
- I had a nap.
The facts can be completely regular or silly—it all depends on the people in your group. After everyone in the group has shared about five facts, the first person will continue with another five facts. When does the tricky part come? Well, you cannot repeat any of your previous facts.
The more you play, the more you will have to remember not to repeat any of the previous facts. The game will force you to dig deeper about your day/life. It will also help you learn about each other. The primary purpose of this game is to see how much you can remember from your day.
Once there was a skunk
Nobody wants to go camping and run into a skunk. This game is quite fun to play and resembles mad libs. It can bring a fun vibe, as long as the people playing it are up to it. The game begins with “once there was a skunk who…” and the next person will continue the story with “fortunately,…” the next person will pick the story and start with “unfortunately…”
Here’s an example:
Once there was a skunk who went to new york.
Fortunately, he was thinking about becoming an actor.
Unfortunately, he had no skills for acting whatsoever.
Fortunately, he found a beaver who was an acting teacher.
Unfortunately, every time he opened his mouth, he sprayed the beaver.
Fortunately, the beaver had no sense of smell anymore.
Unfortunately, the other animals in the acting class could still smell.
Name that tune
Judging that you want to sing songs by the campfire, it’s fair to say that you like music and singing. Even if you’re not particularly drawn into singing, the chances are you will like this game. On the side now, the game becomes even funnier to play later in the night.
You will need to split your group into two teams to play this game. Please select a player from the opposing team and tell them the song’s title. Afterward, the person will have to go to their team and hum/whistle the tune. As you might suspect, the team will have to guess the song by the humming and whistling. The person humming cannot use any words.
Regardless of what you think, you shouldn’t search high and low for the most amazing songs ever composed. It’s the cheesy and random songs that work best by the campfire. If you’re lost of ideas, here are some names to remember next time you go camping:
- Can’t touch this
- Twinkle, twinkle little star
- My heart will go on
- Take on me
- Everybody (backstreet boys)
- Country roads, take me home
Keep in mind that there are many things to do by the campfire. You don’t need to pack any materials or board games to have a lovely time camping with your family and friends.