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.

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.

Best wishes,

Lisa

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