Bruce Ham wrote to us recently looking for help with the lyrics to a Dutch children’s song that his grandmother used to sing to the kids in the family. He sent us a recording of his grandmother singing the song. In the recording you can also hear his grandma talk about how she used to sing it. It shows how important it is to record your relatives to help preserve your family’s history. This recording is really special and I’m sure Bruce’s family is very happy they have it. (It’s not even my family and it brings tears to my eyes.)
You can listen to the recording below…
MP3 Recording of Dutch Children’s Song
Here’s Bruce’s email:
Hi Lisa,
I am doing a bit of research. My grandmother (born in Canada) was from Dutch ancestry. We believe her parents may have also immigrated to Germany before coming to Canada. Anyways, my grandmother used to sing this song to us all the time. She told us it was Dutch and was about Ducks having no shoes out in the rain. Apparently her mother used to sing it to her all the time.
After all the years, I am sure that much has been lost and changed from the original. Do you recognize this at all? It is from a recording we recently found – it is about 35 years old.
Thank you so much for your time.
Cheers,
Bruce Ham
If anyone can help with the original Dutch lyrics to this song and/or a translation, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks in advance!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Tuesday, July 19th, 2016 at 7:57 pm and is filed under Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Dutch, Dutch Children's Songs, Frisian, German, German Children's Songs, Germany, Germany, Languages, Netherlands, Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
12 Responses to “Can Anyone Help with a Dutch or German Children’s Song?”
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July 20th, 2016 at 3:42 am
I think I recognize the song. It is German and is called “Suse, liebe Suse, was raschelt im Stroh”. There are several versions of it floating around on the internet. Here is a pretty good one from YouTube:
https://youtu.be/70byA5pTyew
The text roughly translates as:
Susy, dear Susy. What’s rustling in the straw
It is the little goslings they have no shoes
The cobbler has leather, (but) no workbench for it
Therefore the sweet goslings go and have no shoes.
The second verse is sung very seldom and does not quite fit the first. My guess is that it was a different song with the same melody that got thrown in with the original later:
Susy, dearest Susy. What for a need (dire times, wanting…)
Who gives me a threepence for sugar and bread
(Should, if) I sell my bed and lay me down on the straw
Then I won’t be strung by a feather nor bitten by a flea
Although I recognized the song and could make out some words, the language your grandmother sings in is neither standard Dutch nor High German. It must be a Dutch or German dialect, or could it may be be Frisian?
July 20th, 2016 at 12:28 pm
We have a version of the German song in the comments on Eia, popeia, was raschelt im Stroh?. Here are the German lyrics and translation:
Suse, liebe Suse
“Suse, liebe Suse, was raschelt im Stroh?”
Die Gänse gehen barfuß
Und haben kein’ Schuh.
Der schuster hat Leder
Kein’ Leisten dazu,
Drum kann er den Gänsen
Auch machen kein’ Schuh.
English Translation:
Susanne, Susanne Love
“Susanne, Susanne love, what’s rustling in the hay?”
The geese go barefoot
And have no shoes.
The cobbler has leather
But no shoe last,
Therefore he can’t make the geese
Any shoes.
July 20th, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Niklas wrote:
“Yep, that’s the song. I was thrown off by the different opening line and so I didn’t find it in your registry. But that is definitely the song I was thinking about.
Now if we just could find out what dialect the grandmother is singing in…”
‘Niklas
July 23rd, 2016 at 12:40 am
Thanks to all for the information you have provided. After all these years, it is great to know a bit more about this song that was so important to our family. I look forward to hearing anything else you may want to share. And THANK YOU to Lisa for providing this forum!
January 2nd, 2017 at 10:40 pm
Hi Lisa,
I grew up with a German lullaby that speaks of “What’s rustling in the straw. The cats are dead and the mice are glad.” Are you familiar with a song that sounds like this? I would love the lyrics in German and English. My son also remembers my mother (Omie) singing it to him as a child and would like to have the lyrics for his new daughter. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Juliane
January 29th, 2017 at 1:29 am
My mother’s german song book from the 1920’s (from northeast Schleswig-Holstein) has
“Eia, popeia was raschlet imm Stroh
instead of the “Susi” beginning
March 11th, 2018 at 4:48 pm
Try Platt Deutsche. The people I visited in Oetinghausen spoke it.
January 20th, 2019 at 3:39 am
I’m looking for the words to Rida Rida gally. The child sits on your lap. You bounce your legs like the child is riding a horse. At the end of the song, you open your legs and let the child fall down slowly.
January 20th, 2019 at 3:34 pm
Hi Carol – Would you know which country it’s from and what the language is? -Lisa
July 6th, 2019 at 12:16 am
Carol, I’m not sure if the song you’re searching for is called Rida Rida gally or is phonetically written out.
Several songs in Dutch come to mind.
Either ‘rijden, rijden, rijden in een wagentje’ (en als je dan niet rijden wilt, dan draag ik je.)
Or ‘Damespaard, damespaard, damespaard (herenpaard, herenpaard, etc. ‘gat in de weg’ and then you drop the child (carefully.)
Or hop hop hop, paardje in gallop.
November 24th, 2019 at 8:51 pm
Hello,
I have no answers for you but I must share this with you. Today is what would have been my Nana’s 91st birthday. She passed away in August 2018. This is the same song she used to sing to us as children and I have spent the better part of two years hunting down the existence of this song. No one even knew what I was talking about aside from my family. In searching I never came across your website once and today of all days I find this. While it was not my Nana singing this song I immediately burst into tears hearing it. I hope you find some info on this because I too would love to know. If you do find anything please please let me know. I would be forever grateful. ♥️♥️
August 7th, 2021 at 8:17 pm
There is a great cd out called liedjes van de oude doos.
It has all those songs you asked about, at least 50 rhymes and songs