To quote Spongebob Squarepants, “After a long day of camping, it’s nice to unwind with a nice, relaxing campfire song.” Well, relaxing is a debatable adjective in his case as he plays his guitar, but Spongebob couldn’t have spoken truer words.
With your guitar in hand, you may wonder, which campfire song (or songs) should best conclude a night of camping? Read on to learn about your options for choosing the best campfire guitar songs when the sun sets.

Family-Friendly Campfire Guitar Songs
1. Over the Rainbow by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg
Who would’ve believed this well-known ballad written for The Wizard of Oz was almost cut from the 1939 film? It’s slow-paced, but this song about a child’s desire to escape somewhere ultimately became Judy Garland’s signature song.
The most requested version of Over the Rainbow is Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s cover from 1988. Sung into a medley with What a Wonderful World, it’s a way to introduce the younger generations to this classic masterpiece.
Though you can play Over the Rainbow on any instrument, it’s an easy song to play on the guitar by the campfire.
2. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (Unknown)
This is a childhood song that will never get old, especially since it encourages community. Kids enjoy this campfire guitar song because of the repetitive lyrics and increase and decrease in volume and tempo.
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt has an unclear history, although it’s suspected to have originated in vaudeville acts from the late 1800s. During the mid-20th century, it became popular among scout troop gatherings and YMCA campers.
Because this song seems endless, your night will likely be the same way as you strum and sing with the kids!
3. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (Book by Michael Rosen)
Whether you’ve heard the song or read the book first, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt will make the night energetic! The title started off as an American folk song, and in 1989, author Michael Rosen adapted it into a book.
If you’re camping with children, this guitar song for the campfire could be an educational experience, in addition to being entertaining. As you’re strumming about a family encountering natural obstacles during the hunt, kids can learn about the song’s various prepositions!
Because We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is a call-and-response song, learning the lyrics will take no time at all.
4. There Ain’t No Bugs on Me by Fiddlin’ John Carson
Bugs put a damper on camping trips, and anybody who hates bugs understands this. When applying bug spray or using mosquito nets or other repellent systems, stick it to the crawlers and sing!
Fiddlin’ John Carson originally adapted There Ain’t No Bugs on Me from the song Ain’t Gonna Rain No More in 1928. Later on, more verses about specific bugs were added to the song, making it more fun for kids to sing.
As you strum your guitar to this campfire song, you might forget about the bugs nearby. It’s a perfect distraction for bug-hating campers!
Classic Best Campfire Guitar Songs
5. American Pie by Don McLean
American Pie is one campfire guitar song you won’t be able to sing to by yourself. Though there are a lot of lyrics for campers to keep up with, the chorus is when they’ll flawlessly follow along.
In the 1970s, Don McLean wrote this song but left it open to interpretation. Some say it’s a tribute to the music industry’s huge changes throughout the 1900s. Others say it’s about loss of innocence or life, in general, going in the wrong direction.
American Pie even touches on nostalgic moments like apple pies and happy living, which warrants a reminiscent sing-along at the fireside. Despite the melancholy interpretations, American Pie is too well-known and catchy to forget the chorus’s words.
6. California Dreamin’ by the Mamas and the Papas
If you’re camping in autumn or feeling a little chilly, California Dreamin’ is a good guitar song for the campfire. With some of the lyrics repeated between men and women, campers can come together and easily learn the song.
Living in New York City in the winter of 1963 and missing California, John and Michelle Phillips wrote the song. They performed it in 1965 with Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty as the Mamas and the Papas. After taking off thanks to a Boston radio station, California Dreamin’ became a hymn for the 1960s generation.
7. Hey Jude by the Beatles
A repetitive coda such as the one in the song Hey Jude is guaranteed to bring your camping buddies together. As you play the guitar to this song by the campfire, it won’t matter if they don’t know the lyrics!
This seven-minute-long song written by Paul McCartney in 1968 is considered the longest single ever to top the British charts. McCartney originally wrote it for John Lennon’s son Julian (Hey Jules), who was dealing with his parents’ divorce. Because Jude sounded better, McCartney changed the name.
The last four minutes of the song are all you need (not just love!). Take this song and make the night better!
8. Stand by Me by Ben E. King
“When the night has come, and the land is dark,” gather your loved ones around the campfire! Stand by Me is slow-paced and easy to memorize; it’s the best campfire guitar song for everybody to sing together.
In 1961, Ben E. King claimed the title was inspired by the song Stand by Me, Father. The song, however, has a similar lyrical style to Reverend Charles Tindley’s hymn of the same name. Because both songs differed from each other, Tindley received no writing credit for King’s version.
Stand by Me is King’s signature piece and a beloved song in music history, covered by many artists.
Spiritual Campfire Guitar Songs
9. Amazing Grace by John Newton
This well-known and heart-rending spiritual tune from the 1770s is a song one can learn quickly on the guitar.
Englishman John Newton was a sailor who worked in the slave trade. He was a coarse and profane man until he turned to God during a storm on the North Atlantic. After his deliverance from the storm, Newton devoted his life to God and later penned this timeless hymn.
Amazing Grace is a sweet sound worth singing at the campfire, especially if you’re camping with your church group.
10. Kumbaya (Unknown)
The African-American spiritual song Kumbaya has unknown origins. Nevertheless, it was well-known in the Gullah culture of the islands off of South Carolina and Georgia.
It was first recorded in the 1920s by H. Wylie and translated as Come By Here in the Gullah language. The song is a simple appeal to God to intervene on behalf of oppressed people.
Sadly, some people today scoff at the song’s naivety of peace and harmony with others. But it’s one of the most common campfire guitar songs to encourage those two concepts, as well as spiritual unity.
11. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by Wallace Willis
This easy-to-learn traditional tune is another well-known hymn and African-American spiritual campfire song to play on the guitar.
Choctaw freedman Wallace Willis of Oklahoma wrote Swing Low, Sweet Chariot sometime after 1865. Seeing the Red River, he was reminded him of the Jordan River and the prophet Elijah on a chariot to Heaven.
Another lyrical interpretation involves black people escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad.
A song to sing about awaiting Heaven’s glory at the end of life is great for uplifting campers’ souls!
Popular Campfire Guitar Songs
12. Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
It has never mattered what anybody is doing at the moment. Once the opening notes of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline start playing, everybody starts singing, especially when the chorus hits!
The 1969 song was thought to be for Diamond’s wife Marsha, with Caroline being used instead to hit three syllables. In truth, Diamond dedicated the song to John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline after seeing a photo of her in 1960.
With its rhythmic movement and lyrics, Sweet Caroline is a favorite for many people. It’s definitely the best guitar song for the campfire if you want to sing with your group of campers.
13. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day
Good Riddance is another popular campfire guitar song for its rhythm and powerful lyrics. To really unwind after a long day, let this song help you release any stress or emotions bottled up inside.
Punk rock band Green Day strayed from their usual sound for an acoustic song in 1993. Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote Good Riddance to express his anger toward people coming and going in life. He knew, ultimately, that nobody has control over that and one must accept it and move on.
The song was a huge success when the band released it in 1997 despite its non-punk tone. For years, fans could relate to it through their own personal experiences of life’s unwanted circumstances involving people.
14. Hey There, Delilah by the Plain White Ts
Ever since its release in the mid-2000s, the Plain White Ts’ Hey There, Delilah is considered a go-to campfire guitar song.
Written for long-distance runner Delilah DiCrescenzo, the song touches on the hardships and efforts of long-distance romantic relationships. The funny thing is, lead singer Tom Higgenson never dated DiCrescenzo but wanted to impress her with the song.
Though DiCrescenzo was dating someone else, fans praised the song for its sweet and clean love toward Delilah. Whether or not you have a long-distance relationship with someone, Hey There, Deliah’s smooth tune is welcome at the campfire.
15. Wonderwall by Oasis
The 1995 song Wonderwall got its name from George Harrison’s Wonderwall Music album. Oasis’s lead singer Noel Gallagher originally called the song Wishing Stone, a love song for his then-girlfriend.
Gallagher later hated the song due to its popularity and felt the meaning was stripped. After his divorce, he revealed that Wonderwall is about an imaginary friend coming to save you. It can also apply to anybody being there for somebody when that person needs somebody.
With an iconic and catchy chorus, this acoustic performance definitely has a place for singing along at the fireside. And hey, after all, this guitar song for the campfire is a Wonderwall!
Relaxing Campfire Guitar Songs
16. Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills, and Nash
If you’re camping in the Southern Hemisphere, Southern Cross is the best campfire guitar song for a clear, starry night. One may spot the very Crux constellation while singing!
In 1982, Stephen Stills wrote the song after his divorce, describing his healing process via sailing. Along the journey, while gazing at the Southern Cross in the sky, he found he can move on and love again.
Many people who’ve gone through a difficult time can relate to this song during their own healing processes. Besides being a campfire song perfect for stargazing, its melodic sound may do more for campers than just relax them.
17. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah has a simple lyrical structure and a soothing sound, making it a good choice for a campfire guitar song.
This 1984 song by Leonard Cohen wasn’t widely known until musicians John Cale and Jeff Buckley covered it. It’s about love, sadness, and remorse while touching on the dark side of humanity and alluding to certain biblical figures.
There are more than 300 versions of Hallelujah performed and recorded by many artists and TV talent show contestants. You’ll even find it in soundtracks of various movies and TV shows.
At the campfire, you and your guitar may come up with your own version!
18. Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers
If you hear birds chirping while you’re playing the guitar to campfire songs, add Three Little Birds to your repertoire. After all, it was those chirping birds that moved nature-loving Bob Marley to write this simple, uplifting 1977 tune.
Listeners thought the song was called Don’t Worry About a Thing or Every Little Thing is Gonna Be All Right. With these repetitive lyrics, it stood to reason. And over the years, other artists covered this song to sing about hope and gladness in the face of trouble.
No matter what life throws at you, relax as you strum, because “every little thing is gonna be all right.”
End the Night With a Campfire Guitar Song!
There’s nothing better to end a day of camping than by playing the guitar to campfire songs. However many songs you play before tuning out, let them and your chorus of campers make the night relaxing and memorable.Visit our fun camping activities post for more ways to make your camping trip enjoyable for you and your loved ones!
- About the Author
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Sarah Keck is a long-time resident of the Midwest and loves its warm and cool atmosphere. She takes any walking or hiking opportunity with open arms and likes to learn and write about the best trails.
Sarah’s first camping experience was her church’s teens’ and twenties’ summer conference years ago. Her favorite activities were exploring the campground and sitting by the fire, listening to the wildlife.
As time went on, Sarah looked forward to camping and other vacation opportunities. Writing for Beyond the Tent has opened her eyes and mind to the country’s many beautiful destinations.