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Contents
Posts
Can Someone Help with a Swedish Kids Song about Being Little Now, But Soon Being as Big as Mama?
Monday, September 14th, 2009Joyce Johnson wrote:
Does anyone know the Swedish children’s song that goes something like this? (Translation from dictionary is…)
JAG er litten nu , så du se min vän , utom snart I’ll bli så stor så mama.
I believe translates into “I am little now, as you see my friend, but soon I’ll be as big as mama…”
It goes on to say that the child will do the things mama did – cooka, baka, diska… etc.” Does anyone know of this song?
I can’t remember the words but remember the tune very well. Has anyone ever heard this song and do they know the words?
I really want to find this song. My father taught it to my mother and they sang it to us all the time. The family originated in Ostergotland, Sweden.
It seems we never pay enough attention to these things when they are here but yearn for them after they are gone. It is a song for girls and I want to sing it to my granddaughter.
If anyone can help with this song, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with the Swedish Lullaby, “Spin, spin, spin, min dotter min”?
Friday, July 24th, 2009Wendy wrote:
I can remember my grandfather holding me on his lap an singing the following: (some in phonetics)
Spin, spin, spin, min dotter min
E meran kommer free and fran
dotter spun och tor en run
aldrigt kommer (free and fran?)Does anyone remember the correct wording? My daughter, whom I sang this to when she was little, now has a little one and wants to sing it correctly. Can you help?
Wendy Copeland
If anyone can help with this song, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Can Someone Help with 2 Danish or Swedish Nursery Rhymes? We Have a Recording of Them!
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009Lori wrote:
Dear Mama Lisa,
I am so excited to find this website because I have been searching for many years to find out about two Danish or Swedish nursery rhymes (you can listen to them by clicking the link). My mother’s beloved grandfather, Lars Christensen, used to bounce her on his knee and recite these rhymes. She then passed them on to me…and neither one of us know what they mean. Lars’ parents were both from Denmark: His father from the Brenderup, Odense, area and his mother from Lynge, Juteland area. So we think the rhymes may be Danish and probably date from the early 1800’s. However, Lars’ wife’s parents were from Sweden: Her father from Vallby, Kirkedinge area and her mother from Sallerup, Malmohus area. So there is a possibility that they are Swedish.
They might be so distorted coming from the mouth of an old Danish man through the memory of a small American girl and passed on to another generation, but I am hopeful that someone may recognize them.
My dear mother’s 80th birthday is coming up and I would love to surprise her with a written version or reading of the original, an English interpretation, or any information about any one of these two nursery rhymes. No matter how silly, they are very important to us because they are a link to our sacred, and loved ancestral roots.
Thank you so much,
Lori
If anyone can help out Lori, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
PS We know the first rhyme is a version of Ride ride ranke, and Lori checked the versions posted on the blog in the past, but couldn’t find it there.
Does Anyone Know a Swedish Lullaby That Sounds Like “Tsat tun lit and forglit and paratntray”?
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Leslie wrote:
My grandmother is dying of cancer. When I was little she used to sing a Swedish lullaby to me about a little bird and sweet milk. It goes something like this:
Tsat tun lit and forglit and paratntray…
quilint and vockor lisit…….spornot mot, ….reset…sit and milk made sovary
silk and sank till savory…daiska lilla …mot
por into por reseMy mom has asked me to track this down so we can sing it to her. She may not have long to live…days.
Please help me if you can. Does anyone know what this song is?
Much love!
LesleyIf anyone can help Leslie, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks so much!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Swedish Lullaby?
Monday, March 9th, 2009Kristin wrote to me looking for help with a song:
Hi Lisa,
I was surfing and stumbled upon your site and I’m hoping you can help me. My Mother learned a song from her Grandmother. In fact, she remembers the song being sung to her every night as a child. My Great-Grandmother spoke little English and my Mother did not speak Swedish, so she never really got a translation. I’m also certain that my Mom is not really singing the words correctly either. I would love more than anything to find the words and translation for her because my Mother is now trying to teach the song to my children.
I’m going to type it out the first two lines as I hear it – I don’t know any Swedish at all…
Ocher (Aucher?) Lit Lit
Er bord sen tiedenAnother option is that I record the tune as I know it and send it.
I know this is a total long shot. Thanks for taking a look.
My Best,
Kristin
If anyone can help Kristin with the lyrics to this song and/or an English translation, please let us know in the comments below.
Kristin, if you’d like to email me the tune, that might help! Thanks!
-Mama Lisa
Can Someone Help with Some Swedish Children’s Songs?
Thursday, February 5th, 2009I recently received the following email asking about some Swedish kids songs…
When my children were young we had Swedish neighbours and they taught them songs from Dalarna. Unfortunately I forgot the lyrics and can only remember the tunes.
I would like so much to restore my memory of “Dansan med dokan” or “Ole sat pa en knoll och sang” and “Kom min kussa schelle…(cow?)”. You’ll notice that my Swedish spelling is more than rotten and I hope that the titles can be deciphered by a friendly soul.
Thank you.
Plasa
If anyone can help with any of these songs, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Can Someone Help with a Swedish or English Nursery Rhyme?
Monday, September 15th, 2008Ronnie wrote:
My Father and uncle used to put us on their knees and bounce us and say this rhyme. Something about a fox. I don’t know if they were speaking Swedish or English (and pronouncing the words badly)…
“A raven come a walkin
a balkin, a talkin a piddlee peekin.”They’d start down at our bellies and work their hand up under our chins.
Have you ever heard of this?
Thank you for your time,
Ronnie LarsonIf anyone can help out with any information about this rhyme and/or provide the words to it, please comment below.
Thanks in advance!
Lisa
The Elf Waltz – More about the Tomtar from Sweden
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007In my last blog post, I talked about the tomtar – little elf-like creatures in Sweden. The tomtar are nice to people who are nice to them, but they can act mischievously towards people who don’t treat them well.
The song below ends with the tomtar showing up at the door. The question is, are they there to help or hinder?
Here’s the song Tomtevalsen (The Elf Waltz) in Swedish, followed by an English translation and the midi tune.
Tomtevalsen
(Swedish)Lilla lisa i sitt kök
Rustar till et värre stök.
Suckar bittida och sent
Aldrig får man rent.Från sitt allra sista golv
Trött honn somnar dåMen när klockan den slår tolv
Knackar tomten påThe Elf Waltz
(English Translation)Little Lisa sits in the kitchen,
Preparing for a difficult clean-up.
Sighing, early and late,
Never will she clean.From the back of the room where she sits,
Tired, she dozes off.But when the clock strikes twelve,
The elves come knocking.Ed Gawlinski sent me this song. He was the director of a Santa Lucia festival for over 20 years. He told me that this song was sung by the 4 year olds who dressed up as tomtar (elves) for the performance.
Many thanks to Ed for sending me this song and the midi, and to Jason Pomerantz for helping with the translation.
-Mama Lisa
Tomtar are Like Gnomes and They’re an Important Part of Christmas in Sweden
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
In Sweden the tomtar are an important part of Christmas. The tomtar are a kind of tiny, benevolent elf or gnome. There are many holiday songs about them. Here’s one called Tomtarnas Julnatt – The Gnomes’ Christmas Night – in both Swedish and English followed by a YouTube recording of the song.
Tomtarnas Julnatt
Midnatt råder,
tyst det är i husen,
tyst i husen.
Alla sover,
släckta äro ljusen,
äro ljusen.Tipp, tapp, tipp, tapp, tippetippetipp tapp! Tipp, tipp, tapp.
Se, då krypa
tomtar upp ur vrårna
upp ur vrårna,
lyssna, speja,
trippa fram på tårna,
fram på tårna.Tipp, tapp, tipp, tapp, tippetippetipp tapp! Tipp, tipp, tapp.
The Gnomes’ Christmas Night
Midnight reigns,
It’s quiet in the houses,
Quiet in the houses.
Everyone sleeps,
The candles are put out,
Candles put out.Tipp, tapp, tipp, tapp, tippetippetipp tapp! Tipp, tipp, tapp.
Look, there comes
The gnomes out from the corners,
From the corners,
List’ning, watching,
Sneaking on their toes,
On their toes.Tipp, tapp, tipp, tapp, tippetippetipp tapp! Tipp, tipp, tapp.
“Tipp, tapp, tipp, tapp, tippetippetipp tapp! Tipp, tipp, tapp” is the sound of the tomtar tiptoeing around on their small feet.
Many thanks to “Whendin” for the great video and to Leif Stensson of Project Runeberg for contributing and translating this song!
-Mama Lisa
Come visit the Tomtarnas Julnatt page on Mama Lisa’s World for a longer version of this song and more about the tomtar.
A Santa Lucia Day Song and Saying, plus why it’s a Festival of Light
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007Several days ago I wrote a post about the Santa Lucia holiday in Sweden and Scandinavia.
A popular saying associated with this holiday is:
Lucy Light,
The Shortest day &
The Longest Night.This saying celebrates the association of St Lucia’s Day, December 13, with the Winter Solstice which, under the old Julian calendar, used to fall on that day.
This day is very significant in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. There, in December, the daylight time is very short and darkness and nighttime are extremely long, due to their position on the globe.
Lucia is another way of saying “Lucy”, which literally translates to “light”. (In English we can hear this connection in words like “Luminescent”.) After the Winter Solstice the days get longer. So St. Lucia is a celebration of the coming lengthening of the days.
You can see why the song Sankta Lucia is one of the most popular carols to sing. It has a beautiful, haunting melody and it’s all about the long night and the return of daylight. Here’s one version of Sankta Lucia in Swedish, followed by an English translation I did, the midi tune and a link to the sheet music.
Natten går tunga fjät
(Swedish)Natten går tunga fjät
rund gård och stuva;
kring jord, som sol förlät,
skuggorna ruva.
Då i vårt mörka hus,
stiger med tända ljus,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.Natten går stor och stum
nu hörs dess vingar
i alla tysta rum
sus som av vingar.
Se, på vår tröskel står
vitklädd med ljus i hår
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.Mörkret ska flykta snart
ur jordens dalar
så hon ett underbart
ord till oss talar.
Dagen ska åter ny
stiga ur rosig sky
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.Night Walks with a Heavy Step
(English)Night walks with a heavy step
Round yard and hearth,
As the sun departs from earth,
Shadows are brooding.
There in our dark house,
Walking with lit candles,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!Night walks grand, yet silent,
Now hear its gentle wings,
In every room so hushed,
Whispering like wings.
Look, at our threshold stands,
White-clad with light in her hair,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!Darkness shall take flight soon,
From earth’s valleys.
So she speaks a
Wonderful Word to us:
A new day will rise again
From the rosy sky…
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!Here’s a YouTube video of a performance of the song, from a Santa Lucia celebration in Sweden. The video is cut off at the beginning and the end, but it sounds very pretty and it gives an idea of what a St. Lucia Day concert is like.
Many thanks to Edward M. Gawlinski for the midi tune and sheet music!
-Mama Lisa
Note: The tune to Sankta Lucia comes from an Italian version of the song called “Santa Lucia”. There are also at least 3 different Swedish versions of this song.
St. Knut’s Day – Looting the Christmas Tree
Wednesday, January 17th, 2007Last year I wrote about St. Knut’s Day, a holiday celebrated on January 13th, in Sweden, Finland and Norway. St. Knut’s Day is all about getting rid of all the Christmas decorations and throwing out the tree, thus ending the Christmas season.
When I wrote about it last year, I asked if anyone knew of any St. Knut’s Day songs. Recently Kristina wrote in with a song, and with interesting information about the holiday…
There is one song that is sung on Knut:
In Swedish:
Nu är glada julen slut, slut, slut.
Julegranen bäres ut, ut, ut.
Men till nästa jul igen,
kommer han vår gamle vän,
för det har han lovat.In English:
Now the merry Christmas is over, over, over,
The Christmas tree is carried out, out, out,
But for next Christmas again,
He is coming our old friend
Because he has promised that.Knut was/is a rather festive day. At least up until 50 years ago. Children liked it a lot as the tree was often decorated with candy (candy canes, sugar decorations and smällkarameller / crackers with hidden bits of candy). All Christmas they had to look at these sweets without eating them, but on Knut all decorations were taken down and the candy could be eaten. That is called julgransplundring (Christmas tree looting).
As we no longer have much candy on the trees and few people want to eat old candy, it’s not as big as it used to be. Some still see it as a festive day and invite kids over for a kids party where they hand out candy. There are also some different local traditions.
Thanks for writing in Kristina! If anyone else would like to share a St. Knut’s Day song or tradition, feel free to comment below.
-Lisa
St. Knut’s Day means it’s time to Have a Party and Throw out your Christmas Tree!
Thursday, January 12th, 2006St. Knut’s Day is a holiday celebrated in Sweden, Finland and Norway, on January 13th. The day is called Tjugondag Knut in Sweden, which means 20th day Knut. In Norway it’s called Tyvendedagen, which I believe, is 20th day.
On St. Knut’s Day, they say they “plunder” the Christmas tree. If there are edible ornaments on the tree, they eat them. If there weren’t any on the tree, sometimes they’ll put them there for the kids to take off and eat. It’s an incentive to take off all the other decorations and get rid of the tree. Then kids dance around the tree singing.
In Sweden they sing…
Tjugondag Knut dansas julen ut. (Swedish)
Knut’s 20th day (St. Knut’s Day) dances Christmas away. (English)
Sometimes it’ll be longer…
På Tjugondag Knut dansas julen ut och då plundras och kasseras granen. (Swedish)
At St. Knut’s day, dance Christmas away and then plunder and scrap the spruce tree. (English)
After which, they either throw out the tree, or chop it up and use it as fire wood.
In Norway, they say a similar rhyme…
Sante Knut og jaga jula ut. (Norwegian)St. Knut chases Christmas away. (English)
Sometimes there are also carnivals for St. Knut’s day.
***
A little history behind the holiday…
King Canute (circa 994 – 1035) was a Viking who was also known as Knut and Knud. He was king of England, Denmark, and for a while Norway and part of Sweden.
Early on, when he took over England, he was merciless to prisoners, he cut off their noses, ears and hands. Later, he repented for what he had done. To make up for his cruelty, he joined the church and tried to create peace and justice in his land. Under his rule, there was peace for 18 years. (Although, he may have been responsible for some political murders. )
One of the laws he made, while he was king, was that the Christmas season would last 20 days, and that no one should fast during that time. Thus the holiday season would end on January 13th. That’s the day that’s come to be known as St. Knut’s Day.
***
If anyone knows any other St. Knut’s Day songs, rhymes or traditions, please comment below.
Happy St. Knut’s Day!
Lisa
Question about the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Nursery Rhyme “Ride Ride Ranke”
Saturday, December 31st, 2005Pamela wrote me about a rhyme that I’ve been asked about many times. Here’s what she wrote…
Hello,
I am interested in finding a nursery rhyme in the Danish language which I learned as a child and have passed on to my children as well. I hope you can help me locate this rhyme. It is about an alligator or crocodile sneaking up on someone sitting on a log at the edge of a lake. I am probably not remembering the Danish words correctly, and I don’t speak Danish at all, but it sounds something like this:
A rita, rita, runkin
Demile hans hoose,
Devoon yemoon
Kot on a moose
On little wahoon
Syin on a bankin
Slick upon a slick a sow
Woof! Woof! Woof!I have probably completely ruined the rhyme with my bad memory, but I am very interested in learning it correctly. The Woof! Woof! Woof! Part is where the alligator eats the person.
Thank you!
If anyone knows this rhyme, many people out there would be grateful for the corrrect words. Please comment below or email me with the correct version!
Thanks!
Lisa
UPDATE: I posted one Swedish version of Rida rida ranka on my Swedish Song Pages, one Danish version of Rida rida ranke, and 2 Norwegian Versions of Rida rida ranke on Mama Lisa’s World’s Norway pages.
More versions in the comments below…
The Gnomes’ Christmas Night – An old Swedish Christmas song called “Tomtarnas Julnatt”
Thursday, December 8th, 2005Leif Stensson from Project Runeberg wrote me about an old tradition in Sweden relating to Gnomes. He also sent me the song The Gnomes’ Christmas Night in Swedish and with an English translation …
Here is a children’s song and Christmas song which draws on the old folk superstition about “tomtar” (singular “tomte”), a kind of tiny, benevolent elf or gnome that liked to take up residence near or under houses that were close to a forest, and tended to be occasionally useful to the inhabitants of the house if they treated it well. Typically, they would help lost sheep find their way home, and the like. Tomtar presumably lived off nuts and berries, but in the winter when these were hard to find, it was customary to set out a bowl of porridge outside the front door late in the evening, so that the local tomte had something to eat. Especially around Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, it was customary in remote farms to set the dining table for a feast, and leave it overnight. The local tomte as well as ones from neighbouring houses and from the forest would then sneak in and eat whatever they wanted during the night, and then the people of the house would eat the next day. This song is about a gang of tomtar visiting on a Christmas night. Every verse ends with the nonsense sequence “tipp, tapp, tipp, tapp, tippetippetipp tapp! Tipp, tipp, tapp”, the sound of small feet tiptoeing around. I’ve left it out of the text below.
The Gnomes’ Christmas Night
(English)Midnight reigns,
it’s quiet in the houses,
quiet in the houses.
Everyone sleeps,
the candles are put out,
candles put out.Look, there comes
the gnomes out from the corners,
from the corners,
list’ning, watching,
sneaking on their toes,
on their toes.The nice people
have left the sweet food,
the sweet food,
on the table
for a band of gnomes,
band of gnomes.How they frolic,
skipping between dishes,
between dishes,
whisper, murmur¹
“It’s good, the Christmas food,
Christmas food.”Porridge, ham,
the little piece of apple,
piece of apple,
ah how sweet
it tastes for little Gnomie²,
little Gnomie².Now the games!³
Happy laughter sounding,
laughter sounding,
’round the tree³
the gang merrily swings,
merrily swings.Night is ending.
Soon the friendly gnomes,
friendly gnomes,
quickly, neatly,
putting all in order,
all in order.Then, back
into the quiet corners,
quiet corners,
the gang of gnomes
sneak on their toes,
on their toes.Here’s the original Swedish song…
Tomtarnas Julnatt
(Swedish)Midnatt råder,
tyst det är i husen,
tyst i husen.
Alla sover,
släckta äro ljusen,
äro ljusen.Se, då krypa
tomtar upp ur vrårna
upp ur vrårna,
lyssna, speja,
trippa fram på tårna,
fram på tårna.Snälla folket
låtit maten rara,
maten rara,
stå på bordet
åt en tomteskara,
tomteskara.Hur de mysa,
hoppa upp bland faten,
upp bland faten,
tissla, tassla¹,
“God är julematen,
julematen!”Gröt och skinka,
lilla äppelbiten,
äppelbiten,
tänk så rart
det smakar Nisse² liten,
Nisse² liten.Nu till lekar!³
Glada skratten klingar,
skratten klingar,
runt om granen³
skaran muntert svingar,
muntert svingar.Natten lider.
Snart de tomtar snälla,
tomtar snälla,
kvick och näpet
allt i ordning ställa,
ordning ställa.Sedan åter
in i tysta vrårna,
tysta vrårna,
tomteskaran
tassar lätt på tårna,
lätt på tårna.¹ The Swedish words “tissla” and “tassla” are not exactly real words, but rather both onomatopoetic slang for whisper, murmur, with a suggestion of secrecy, connivance, urgency, or delight.
² “Nisse” is the standard nickname for someone whose name is “Nils”, but also a variation on “tomte”. (The word “nisse”, however, was also used for a faerytale creature similar to the “tomte”, but who was not necessarily benevolent. Perhaps somewhat like the Irish-style leprechaun.) In this instance, “Nisse” is used as a substitute for the nisse’s real name, which is not known. Names were magical in the old superstition, and supernatural creatures in particular were generally unwilling to reveal their real names. In the case of this song, it is hard to say if “Nisse” is used deliberately in keeping with this superstition, or just happened to be the writer’s convenient way of naming a nisse. “Gnomie” is a mediocre compromise between these possibilities.
³ In cases when the room was large enough to allow it, dancing in a circle around the Christmas tree, singing songs like this one, was a traditional Christmas game for children. In more modern tradition, this practice still lives at larger Christmas parties for children, typically in elementary schools, the little leagues of various sports, etc, after eating but before distributing presents.
I’m grateful to Leif Stensson for sending me Tomtarnas Julnatt – The Gnomes’ Christmas Night with such interesting commentary. Tack så mycket!
Project Runeberg is an open, voluntary project whose purpose is to make classic Nordic literature and art available in electronic form to the public, free of charge.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Sweden Page for more Swedish Songs.
________
Copyright ©2009 by Lisa Yannucci. All rights reserved.
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