Can Anyone Help with Some Swiss German Songs?
Renee wrote:
I’m looking for three children’s songs my grandmother sung to me.
One was: Here comes the bear, where does he want to go? He wants to go to (name of child)’s
house. She would say this in Swiss German.The next was: Rumpity bumpity halter stock, vermind. She would also speak in Swiss German and I am unsure of the rest of it. The middle of the song she asked how many fingers she held up. If you were correct, the song continued, if not, she went back to the beginning. But the end was: What do you want water or wine? If you wanted water she would vigorously rub your back. If it was wine she would tell you were too young for wine and slap your behind.
The third was a song she would sing while walking with us. She would hold both our hands and she would criss cross hers and swing us from side to side while saying (hail a room boom boom) and I think it referred to the kaiser – something about kick him in the pants.
If you could help in Swiss and English I thank you.
Renee
If anyone can help Renee with any of these songs or nursery rhymes, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
December 10th, 2007 at 9:02 am
Hi Lisa, hi Renee
I was a swiss exchange student in Connecticut some twenty years ago and just got your request by e-mail from my american host-father. I think I can help you with tho of the requested children songs/rimes:
The bear rime: “es chunt en baer, wo chunt er her, wo gat er hi, zum… (name of the child) buecheli, buecheli, buecheli. We usually do this rime with babies and very small kids, for example while changing the diapers. Translated it means: there comes a bear, where does he come from, where does he go? to (child’s name) little belly, little belly, little belly. While saying the rime you use your fingers a to first “walk up” the leg of the child and then, while saying belly, you tickle his/her belly. There is also a version without the belly thing, it then ends with the name of the child. The finger walking and tickling is the same though.
The second song you ask about I unfortunatly never heard of.
The third song, I know, or at least something similar. My grand-mother used to do it with me and my mum now does it with my dauther. The text is somewhat different from yours exept for the kaiser thing but the movement is exactly it. It sais: chum mir wei go wandere, vo einer stadt zur andere und wenn de Koenig Kaiser chunt dänn chered mer wieder um, um, um. Translated it means: come, lets go for a hike, from one town to the other one and when the king emperor comes then we turn back again. While saying the rime you walk together side by side holding each other by crossing the arms in front of your chest and walk briskly in the rythm of the song. When saying “chered mer wieder um” (turn back) you pull each others arms in order to turn around suddenly. Then you can start the rime anew in the other direction. I grew up in the area of Zurich. Can be that this rime exists in different versions in other areas of switzerland. Also the swiss dialect waries some from one area to the other.
Hope this will help you!
Best regards from Switzerland
Renate
December 31st, 2007 at 7:49 am
Renate, Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou and have a blessed and prosperous New year.
Renee
January 21st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
As a professional singer songwriter for Swiss children lullabys i turned the verse your nanny did sing into a song. You find the “Bär” on the album XENEGUGELI on my homepage and many more new Swiss Lullabys.
All the best to you and your kids.
Roland Zoss
February 12th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Thank you for helping Renate! We’ll be putting these songs on the Mama Lisa’s World Switzerland Pages with our other Swiss children’s songs.
Best wishes,
Lisa
May 26th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Hi Lisa and Renee
I was looking to refresh my memory on some English nursery rhymes when I stumbled across your Swiss rhymes. I just played “De Baer” with my son at bedtime tonight . It used to be sung to me by my Aunt, her version is a bit different than Renate’s: “Es chunnt e Baer vo Konstanz haer” (in a deep voice)… (walk fingers) “wo wot er hii?”…. “zum Buucheli/Oehreli/Naeseli!” (etc. high pitch). Translated: there comes a bear from Konstanz, where does he want to go? To the little belly/ear/nose etc.
The baby never knows where the bear will “go next”, the surprise generates lots of laughs :-)
Love your site, keep up the good work!
Sonja.
August 17th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Hello, I am also looking for a swiss german song that my husband’s nanny used to sing to him. He now sings it to my chilren who would love to hear the original version. It goes something like this: ‘yola touli, yola touli, touli touli touli touli yola- Ich heisse…’ – that is all he remembers and sinds this over and over again! Does anyone recognize this? We have looked for it on the internet and cannot find anything!
Best regards, Anna
March 19th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Hey there, I’m from Switzerland and might be able to help you with your “yola touli” song. It’s actually a song about a white goat and goat means “Geiss” in German, so there could have risen come confusion between “ich heisse”, wenn actually it means “wissi Geiss”…
The Lyrics are of the song are:
Dert äne em Bärgli,
Dert steit e wyssi Geiss.
I ha se wölle mälche,
Du haut si mr eis.
Holeduli duliduli
Hole duli duli duli duli
Holeduli duli duli
Holeduli duliduli o.
Si het mr eis ghaue,
Das tuet mr so weh.
Jetzt mälch i myner Läbtig
Ke wyssi Geiss meh.
Holeduli duliduli
Hole duli duli duli duli
Holeduli duli duli
Holeduli duliduli o.
Jetzt gan i i ds Stedtli
U chouf mr e Geiss,
kei wyssi, e bruuni,
Die hout mir e keis.
Holeduli duliduli
Hole duli duli duli duli
Holeduli duli duli
Holeduli duliduli o.
Vo Bärn bis uf Bümpliz,
Da hets es Tunäll,
We me ine chunt wirds dunkel,
We me use chunt wirds häll.
Holeduli duliduli
Hole duli duli duli duli
Holeduli duli duli
Holeduli duliduli o.
My Vater und d Muetter
Sy sparsami Lüt.
Si flicke mr d Hose
Mit Härdöpfelhüt.
Holeduli duliduli
Hole duli duli duli duli
Holeduli duli duli
Holeduli duliduli o.
March 19th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
This is precious!! Thank you very much – this is a flood of memories for my husband! And we will pass this onto our children now thanks to you!!
With warmest regards,
Anna