We were just noticing how Pat-a-cake songs seem to be universal. Perhaps they help teach children to use their hands…

Tapent, tapent, petites mains
Tourne, tourne, joli moulin,
Nage, nage, gentil poisson
Vole, vole papillon

Clap, clap, little hands,
Turn, turn, pretty mill,
Swim, swim, nice fish,
Fly, fly, butterfly!

Feel free to share a Pat-a-cake song from your country in the comments below or by emailing me.

Cheers!

Mama Lisa

This week we added two languages to Mama Lisa’s World of International Songs, bringing us up to a hundred languages on the site!

We added a song from West Sumatra in Indonesia where they speak Minangkabau.

We also added a Frisian Lullaby in the West Frisian language. The Frisian language is the closest language to English (after Scots – which some consider to be an English dialect as opposed to a separate language).

Here’s a link to our Languages A to Z Page – to access all of our languages.

We now feature 116 countries and cultures. Here’s a link to our Countries and Cultures A to Z Page – to access all of our songs and rhymes by country/culture.

Once again I would like to thank Monique Palomares’ tireless work in France helping me with the material and all the countless people out there who have contributed songs and time to the sites… also to my husband Jason Pomerantz for his technical support, to my kids for speaking quietly when I’m in the middle of a difficult translation (they’re very patient with me) and to my relatives who generally understand when I don’t call back right away because I’ve been lost in my work for hours or days. Merci à tous!

Here’s a nice recording of Frère Jacques in both French and English by Ezwa.

Here are the lyrics of the French and English versions of Frère Jacques. The version on the mp3 recording mixes these lyrics…

Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines.
Sonnez les matines.
Ding, ding, dong.
Ding, ding, dong.

Are you sleeping?
Are you sleeping?
Brother John,
Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing.
Morning bells are ringing.
Ding, dong, ding.
Ding, dong, ding.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

This is a short, four lined poem that encompasses a child’s life from birth till death. It seems sad, yet it’s really a wish for a happy life full of people who care for the child…

The Babe

On parent knees, a naked new-born child,
Weeping thou sat’st while all around thee smiled:
So live, that, sinking to thy life’s last sleep,
Calm thou may’st smile, while all around thee weep.

William Jones (1746-1794)

William Jones was a Persian scholar and linguist. He translated this poem from a Persian poem by an unknown author. This poem is sometimes called “The Babe”, sometimes “On Parent Knees”, and sometimes “Epigram”. An Epigram is a short, witty poem. It can also mean a paradoxical statement.

If anyone knows the original Persian version, please send me a copy at lisa@mamalisa.com and I’ll add it to this post.

Thanks!

Lisa

RosaMaria asked me about a German song called Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer on the Mama Lisa’s World Facebook Group. I found the YouTube video below of the song. Below the video I posted the German lyrics, followed by an English translation I did…

Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wanze.
Seht euch nur die Wanze an,
wie die Wanze tanzen kann!
Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wanze.

Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wanz.
Seht euch nur die Wanz an,
wie die Wanz tanz kann!
Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wanz.

Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wan.
Seht euch nur die Wan an,
wie die Wan tan kann!
Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wan.

Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wa.
Seht euch nur die Wa an,
wie die Wa ta kann!
Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine Wa.

Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine W.
Seht euch nur die W an,
wie die W t kann!
Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
sitzt ‘ne kleine W.

Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
Sitzt ‘ne kleine -.
Seht euch nur die – an,
wie die – - kann!
Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer
Sitzt ‘ne kleine -.

This song works a bit like BINGO where you take one letter out of the word in each verse – but you pronounce the word instead of spelling it out like BINGO. In this case there are two words that work like this in the song: “wanze” (bug) and “tanzen” (dance) in German. Wanze means bedbug or bug. I’m going to use “buggy” like the diminutive for bug in my translation to keep a 5 letter word like the German word “wanze”. I used “boogie” for “dance” (the German “tanzen”). I made this change based on the sound of the words, since buggy and boogie are closer to a rhyme like the German “wanze” and “tanzen”.

English Translation

On the wall, on the lookout,
Sits a small buggy.
Look at just the buggy,
How the buggy can boogie!
On the wall, on the lookout,
Sits a small buggy.

On the wall, on the lookout,
Sits a small bugg.
Look at just the bugg,
How the bugg can boog!
On the wall, on the lookout,
Sits a small bugg.

On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small bug.
Look at just the bug,
How the bug can boo!
On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small bug.

On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small bu.
Look at just the bu,
How the bu can bo!
On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small bu.

On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small b.
Look at just the b,
How the b can b!
On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small b.

On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small ___.
Look at just the ___,
How the ___ can ___!
On the wall, on the lookout
Sits a small ___.

I always welcome comments, criticism or corrections on my translation or on the original German lyrics.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

Here’s a rain rhyme from Northumberland that reminds us that rainy weather is a good opportunity to stay indoors and cook!

Rain, rain, go away,
And come again another day,
When I brew and when I bake,
I’ll give you a little cake.

Stay dry!

Mama Lisa

PS You can tell it’s raining where I am and that I’m considering baking something yummy!

Dragon fly! Dragon fly!

Dragon fly! dragon fly! fly about the brook,
Sting all the bad boys who for the fish look;
But let the good boys catch all they can,
And then take them home to be fried in a pan,
With nice bread and butter they shall sup up their fish,
While all the little naughty boys shall only lick the dish.

This rhyme can be found in Rhymes Old and New collected by M.E.S. Wright, (1900).

Jeanette wrote to us looking for the lyrics to a Cuban lullaby and I think we can help with this one! Here’s her letter, followed by the song she’s looking for…

Lisa,

There is a nursery rhyme or song that my grandmother used to sing to me (she has been dead about 8 years now) that I can only remember a few lines to… it could be a Cuban nursery song, I’m not really sure… I am dying to find the lyrics to the entire song, I now sing the parts that I can remember to my daughter and wish i could remember it.

It goes something like this…

Quien es me morena que habre su boca, en ella le caben dos mil calabasas un saco de higo y otro de pasas.

I hope you can help me locate this

Thank you so much!!

Jeanette Duque

Here’s a similar version we found in Spanish, with an English translation by Monique Palomares of Mamá Lisa’s World en español…

Original Spanish Lyrics

Tiene Pinochito

Tiene Pinochito
tan pequeña boca
que en ella le caben
cien platos de sopa
trescientos pepinos
y mil calabazas
un saco de higos
y otro de pasas
a la pobre niña
le entró la viruela
calentura mala
y dolor de muelas
el médico le receta
sardinas a la parrilla
a ver si le engordan
esas pantorrillas.

Which means in English:

Little Pinocchio has
such a little mouth
that into it fits
a hundred plates of soup,
three hundreds cucumbers
and a thousand pumpkins,
a bag full of figs
and another one of raisins.
He caught the smallpox,
a bad fever
and his back tooth aches.
The doctor prescribes him
grilled sardines
to see if his calves
get bigger.

This is a jump rope song.

Monique said regarding the original question, “Jeanette’s grandma’s version must have been : ‘¿Quién es mi morena que habre su boca, en ella le caben dos mil calabazas un saco de higos y otro de pasas…?.’ The ‘quién es mi morena que…’ means ‘who is my little brown girl who opens her mouth, into it fits, etc.’ It could have been a version created by her grandma to fit the situation. Perhaps she could sing it to us to help us figure it out…”

Thanks to Monique for providing the English translation and for helping with this song!

Mama Lisa

I had to post this… After my post yesterday about Pig Latin in different languages, I started looking for Pig Latin videos and came across this musical one… it’s sort of catchy… well, it probably would be it you were fluent in Pig Latin!

So let’s have a little fun today… below is the original Pig Latin Musical Video, followed by the lyrics translated from Pig Latin into English, and then, if you’re really hooked, you can watch the video with the Pig Latin lyrics on the screen. It is sort of mesmerizing.

But first, here are the rules of Pig Latin…

Take the first letter off the beginning of each word and add it to the end of the word. Then put “ay” after that. So, the word “tomorrow” becomes “omorrow-tay”. If the first two letters of the word are two consonants making one sound, (like “st”, “sp”, “tr”, etc.) both letters get moved to the end of the word. Thus, “star” becomes “ar-stay”.

Enjoy the show!

Translated Lyrics…

Do you speak pig latin?
if you speak pig latin then you’re cool like me!
I love to mess with people cause I am dumb
I speak pig latin every day and you should too! x 2
I believe everybody has brains
I also believe only half get used
I may say that I am dumb, I am
but don’t think I don’t use my own brains, cause I do
are you ready to test your mind with Mr. Safety
REVERSE
RIDDLE*
Do you speak pig latin?

*If you can’t figure out the riddle (in the second part of the lyrics)… it’s not in the lyrics above… it’s a riddle… If you can’t figure it out yourself, you can pause the second video (below) at 1 minute 29 seconds for the answer.

aveHay unFay!

amaMay isaLay

Jeringonza is played in Spain and throughout Latin America. It’s also found in Portuguese speaking Brazil and even in Italy. It’s a secret language for kids – just like the English word game Pig Latin.

(I’m going to make all the changes to the words in bold below to help you learn how to create the secret languages.)

In Pig Latin, you create a secret language – that adults don’t understand unless they played the games themselves. You do it by taking the first letter off the beginning of each word and add it to the end of the word. Then put “ay” after that. So, the word “tomorrow” becomes “omorrow-tay“. If the first two letters of the word are two consonants making one sound, (like “st”, “sp”, “tr”, etc.) both letters get moved to the end of the word. Thus, “star” becomes “ar-stay“.

There are different ways to play Jeringonza depending on the country. The most common way is to add a “P” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “P” you repeat the vowel again. So “Chile” would become “Chi-pi-le-pe“.

In Puerto Rico, you add “chi” before each syllable of the word. So the word “gato” (cat) becomes chi-ga-chi-to. Say it out loud. It’s very rhythmic!

In Brazil, the game is called Língua do Pê (P language). It’s rules are like the “P” rules for Spanish above – you add a “P” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “P” you repeat the vowel again. So “carro” (car) becomes “car-pa-ro-po“.

In Italy, the game is called Alfabeto Farfallino (Farfallino Alphabet) – because you add “F” to words making them sound like the word “farfallino”. Actually, the rules are again like the “P” rules for Spanish above – but with an “F” instead: The most common way is to add a “F” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “F” you repeat the vowel again. So, “luna” becomes “lu-fu-na-fa“.

Have fun having secret conversations!

Please, feel free to share your word games with us in the comments below.

Cheers!

Mama Lisa

Here’s a Thanksgiving poem I wrote in honor of turkeys all over the U.S. in autumn. It’s geared towards older kids.

You can click on the mp3 below to hear my husband and me recite it…

You’re Not Supposed to Say That!

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” said the turkey.
“What?!” went the rooster.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
“You’re not supposed to say
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Said the rooster.
“Oh yes I am!”
Said the turkey.
“No you’re not!”
Said the rooster.
“What am I supposed to say?”
Asked the turkey.
The rooster replied,
“Gobble, gobble, gobble!”
“BOOM”
Went the farmer’s gun
And the rooster fell down dead.
“Don’t tell me what I’m
Supposed to say!”
Said the turkey,
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

You’re Not Supposed to Say That MP3

Many thanks to my husband, Jason Pomerantz, for playing the part of the Turkey (hee, hee, hee)!

Hope you enjoyed the show!

Mama Lisa

Today and tomorrow, November 1st and 2nd, are the Day of the Dead. It’s celebrated in Mexico. Family and friends get together to remember those who have died. People also make alters to the dead and visit the graves of their loved ones.

We went to a Mexican restaurant this evening and saw an alter.

There were skulls on it made of sugar, and favorite foods and drinks of loved ones who have passed away. A woman who works there told me about some of the desserts that were on the alter. One was made of sweet potatoes and another of guava fruit…

They gave us a special hot chocolate drink and sweet tamales for dessert, specially for the holiday.

The lady who works there told us how in small towns in Mexico they decorate their houses with flowers in the doorways and petals strewn about the floor. Marigolds are particularly important. It sounds pretty.

The day is all about celebrating those loved ones who have passed on. It’s nice to have a day each year specifically for that.

Check out some other posts about the Day of the Dead…

We took a walk today in Walt Whitman’s woods in West Hills, on Long Island, east of New York City.  I highly recommend taking an autumnal hike or stroll if you can.  Then you may feel the truth in Whitman’s line, "As to me I know of nothing else but miracles". There’s much beauty out there.  Here are some photos I took in Walt’s woods, followed by his poem "Miracles", and then recordings of two people reading the poem.

Miracles
by Walt Whitman

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim-the rocks-the motion of the waves-the ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

*****

MP3 of Miracles read by Jeannette Selig

MP3 of Miracles read by Mark J. Wilson

Here’s some Halloween artwork my daughter and her friends did this week. I thought you might enjoy seeing it to help get you in the mood for Halloween!

“Bones” by Lila

“Skeleton” by Lila…

“Witch” by Sarina

“Graveyard” by Melisa

“Graveyard II” by Melisa

“R.I.P.” by Marisa

Have a Spooky Fun Halloween!

Mama Lisa

It’s fascinating to me how different foods can bring back memories. I think that’s why I loved the book and movie “Like Water for Chocolate” so much.

Bananas will always remind me of specific times and people:

In Infancy: I distinctly remember the smell of banana baby food – it reminds me of being a very little child. Then when I was an older kid, I remember buying a jar of banana baby food with friends and eating it… a flood of memories came back – or more like the feeling of babyhood came back to me… I was there momentarily. Interestingly, I expected the banana baby food to taste great – I must have loved it as a baby – but it was gross!

In Childhood in General: When I was growing up, my mother fried sliced bananas in butter for breakfast sometimes and put them on the side with fried eggs – it was a major childhood treat. This is now one of my comfort foods I make on occasions to feel warm and loved! (My own children haven’t taken to the fried bananas too much.)

The Tween Years: I remember making chocolate coated bananas with those kits you’d buy in the store with my mother. The chocolate was artificial, but if was fun nevertheless!

The Teenage Years: When I was a teenager, my grandparents would stay with us in the summer for about a month every year. I remember my grandfather eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches. This will always remind me of him.

Late teens: In college I studied in France for a few months, in Chinese restaurants in France they serve a banana flambé dessert that’s just out of this world! Funny that I think of a Chinese restaurant dessert in connection to France! (Obviously, I have lots of other food memories in France. But I’m limiting this conversation to bananas!)

And no, I’m not a skinny person! Someone who has this many food memories is not bound to be skinny! ;)

Feel free to share any food memories you have in the comments below. I welcome hearing about how other people enjoy bananas (feel free to include recipes).

To fry bananas, you literally slice them and fry them in butter in a frying pan on low to medium heat until lightly brown on both sides. They get caramelized. Then serve.

I thought my mother’s version was a Spanish or Puerto Rican recipe from her friend, but when I looked around the internet, I saw that it’s very American. There seem to be different recipes for fried bananas around the world. The flambé version in France probably includes liquor.

Soon I’ll post some correspondence between Gloria and me about the German cuisine we remember growing up with – it may be interesting for any of you children and grandchildren of German immigrants.

Bon appetit!

Mama Lisa

My daughter and her friends Marisa and Melisa taught me this Halloween song, which seems to be traditional American. It’s called Ghost of John. Below are the lyrics and two renditions, one by Marisa and one by Melisa, plus a drawing by Melisa.

But first, here’s Marisa announcing it with a Halloween song about Halloween songs…

Halloween is coming soon,
One, Two Three,
If you want a spooky song,
Call on me.

Here’s the Ghost of John song…

MP3 of Ghost of John by Marisa

MP3 of Ghost of John by Melisa

Ghost of John

Have you seen the Ghost of John?
Long white bones and the rest all gone,
Ooh, ooh!
Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on?

While the girls would sing the song they would all stand in the mirror, looking for the ghost of John. Of course, someone would see part of the ghost… like his ear, in the mirror. Then they would all scream. Finally, they ended the game because they were freaking each other out. I guess that’s what Halloween is all about… ghosts!

Many thanks to Marisa and Melisa for singing Ghost of John for us and to Melisa for the drawing!

Mama Lisa