À déli délo
This is a hand-clapping rhyme. The game instructions are below the song.
À déli délo
Ah Deli Delo
Comptine
Hand Clapping Rhyme
(French)
(English)
A déli déli déli délo.
Partons pour Chicago - cago
Ce sera rigolo - golo
Pour draguer les minettes - minettes
Qui jouent avec leurs couettes
Bigoudi bigouda, caramel au chocolat.
Le lendemain matin - matin
Je me suis réveillé(e) - veillé(é)
À cause d'un petit bébé - areu areu
Qui ne voulait pas manger – berk
Sa soupe préférée – miam miam.
Ma mère est boulangère – hmmmmmmm
Mon père est policier –
Passez mesdames,
Passez messieurs, stop, prison
Ma sœur est une Indienne – ouh ouh ouh ouh
Mon frère est un cow-boy –
Dring dring, pan pan, tchick-a-tchick han han
Et moi je suis un petit cochon
En forme de queue en tire-bouchon – bou
Si j'avais une petite sœur
Je l'appellerais Sophie
Si j'avais un petit frère
Je l'appellerais Napoléon…
Ah deli deli deli delo,
Let's start for Chicago - cago,
That will be funny - ny,
To try to pick up chicks – chicks,
Who play with their pigtails,
Curly curlate, caramel with chocolate.
The next morning – morning,
I woke up – woke up,
Because of a little baby – goo-goo,
Who didn't want to eat – yuck -
His favorite soup – yum, yum.
My mother is a baker – yummmmmmm,
My father is a policeman –
Pass by ladies,
Pass by gentlemen, stop, prison,
My sister is an Indian – ooh ooh ooh ooh
My brother is a cowboy –
Ring-ring, bang-bang, chick-a-chick-a hee-haw,
And I am a little pig
In the shape of a corkscrew-shaped tail - boo!
If I had a little sister,
I'd call her Sophia,
If I had a little brother,
I'd call him Napoleon…
Notes
Monique said, "This is a literal translation. This rhyme is based on a much older one ("À véli vélo" = "On a bicy – bicycle" that would be totally politically incorrect by now). It has been changing with time and has reached this present form, but I suppose that other versions are sung in French school playgrounds."
Game Instructions
-1st take your left elbow with your right hand, then hold your partner's right elbow with your left hand. Your partner should do the same. Then swing this "square" gently from right to left while singing, "À déli, déli déli délo".
-The handclapping is as follows:
Clap your hands.
Then, left hand facing down, right hand facing up, clap your partner's hands. Your partner does the same.
Reverse movement.
Clap your partner's hands at shoulder height.
-Keep going and insert the following movements on the following lyrics:
Minettes: Turn your hair around your forefinger.
Bigoudi, bigouda, caramel et chocolat: Same movement.
Matin: Stretch your arms (as if waking up).
Réveillée: Rub your eyes with your fists.
Areu areu: Rub your eyes with your fists.
Berk: Pretend to push away a plate with your hands.
Manger: Rub your stomach.
Passez mesdames, passez messieurs, stop, prison: Wave your right hand from right to left as a policemen would do to allow people to pass. Then wave it the other way around with your left hand. Then bring your hand from the shoulder to waist as if chopping to mean "stop".
Dring, dring: Use your earlobe to pretend you're ringing a bicycle bell.
Pan pan: Pretend you're shooting.
Chick a chick han han: Move your shoulders as if you were riding a horse.
Queue en tire bouchon: Make a corkscrew gesture with your finger at the bottom of your back.
Many thanks to a few girls for singing this song for us and for providing the game instructions!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Translation by Monique and Lisa. Thanks to Lila Pomerantz for the drawing.
Merci beaucoup!
