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“You’re Not Supposed to Say That!” – Mama Lisa’s Thanksgiving Silliness

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Turkey and Rooster Illustration of Thanksgiving Poem

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

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, English, Holidays Around the World, Languages, MP3 Recordings, MP3's, Mama Lisa, Poems, Poetry, Poetry about the Seasons, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Poems, USA | No Comments »

Walt Whitman’s Woods and his Poem "Miracles"

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

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

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, English, Fall, Languages, MP3 Recordings, Miracles, Nature Photos, Photos, Photos of Places, Poems, Poetry, Poets, Seasonal, USA, Walt Whitman | 1 Comment »

Can Someone Help with a German Lap Rhyme?

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Gloria wrote to me:

Hi, my grandma (born in Eisleben in 1875, emigrating to the Midwest in 1902, married her second husband (my grandfather) in St. Paul, lived most of her life in Wisconsin with her third husband), recited a rhyme when dandling a baby on her extended foot, either with legs crossed at the hips (or just straight out, but the dad’s were best at that). The rest of the family did it for every baby/little child, including myself. We never saw it in print, and we only have the phonetic sound from listening to it. Phonetically, it went something like what follows. I would dearly love to know exactly what it meant, although it is obvious based on what happened to the child:

Grandma (and all the rest of us who had children) would cross her legs at her hips, sit the baby on her upper ankle, hold the baby’s two hands in hers, and bounce the baby lightly up and down, until the end of the rhyme, when she would let the child fall back, laughing, and then lift the child back up, and begin again!

Scheckle, scheckle, reiderlein,
Ven die kinder kleinerschein
Reiden zie auf steckerlein,

Ven zie greis auf verten
Reiden zie auferten
Zen zie verten,
Klip, Klop, Klip Klop
Reiden zi (then something like a scary word or sounds)

“Boom stehl leckta!” really loud!

The adult lets the child fall back, usually grinning happily. (Sometimes a baby didn’t like it but others wanted you to pull them up onto your ankle and do it again! Some kids got a little dizzy if you did this action too fast! But mostly they loved it. I don’t remember their doing it with me, but I am certain they did, that’s where the phonetic sound and rhythm of the lines as I remember them come in, as well as my mother’s saying it to me when I was older and wanted her to tell me what it was, but it would always have been a phonetic memory, since she never really learned much German except what was common… the words you aren’t supposed to say!) This was done several times, until either one’s leg was tired, or the child needed a rest. I just used the phonetic version when I treated my kids as babies to the fun game, but for some reason I never asked my grandma. I was told that it meant something like, “When a child is little it rides on a stick horse, but when it tries to ride a real horse, he will go faster and fall off.” Have you ever heard this? I possibly have some of the phonetics wrongly remembered, but the rhythm and sounds and actions are still in my brain.

Thanks for any help you can give. I do like your website, I found it by way of BING. I think it is very interesting as to the German, lots of Germans settled in America. My father’s ancestors may have come from Austria, as well as Germany, but came to Wisconsin in the 1840’s, met and married, learned English, so they never spoke German at all when we knew them. A grandson, age 12, who has been learning German, took to it immediately, and loves it, as well as Norwegian, so there must be an inherited acclimation to the sound of a language.

Sincerely,

Gloria Koeser Laundrie

Thanks for sharing your song with us Gloria! If anyone can help with the German version and/or an English translation, please let us know in the comments below.

Cheers!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in 1512, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, German, German Children's Songs, German Nursery Rhymes, Germany, Horse Trotting Rhymes, Languages, Lap Rhymes, Lap Rhymes, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions, Rhymes by Theme | 8 Comments »

Ghost of John – Halloween Song with MP3 Recording

Monday, October 26th, 2009

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!

Drawing of Ghost of John

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

Mama Lisa

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Posted in American Kids Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Ghost of John, Halloween, Halloween Songs, Holiday Songs, Holidays Around the World, Languages, MP3's, Mama Lisa, Recordings of Songs, Traditional Songs, USA | 1 Comment »

A Good Morning Song Featuring African Languages with an MP3

Monday, October 26th, 2009

I woke up this morning with a cup of coffee and by listening to “Good Morning to You” in English, French and some African languages on my computer. What a wonderful way to wake up!

The recording was done by recording a phone call over the internet. Thanks to Nyango Melissa for calling and singing this morning! She made my day! Now you can enjoy her singing too! Just click the mp3 link below and read along with the lyrics. Enjoy!

MP3 of Good Morning to You

Good Morning to You
(In English, French, Hausa, Mbonge & Swahili)

Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
In English, I speak
In English, I speak
Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
In English, in English I speak.

Bonjour Mesdames,
Bonjour Messieurs,
En français, je parle
En français, je parle
Bonjour mesdames, bonjour messieurs
In French, in French I speak.

Salam alekum
Alekum sala
In Hausa, I speak
In Hausa, I speak
Salam alekum
alekum sala
In Hausa, in Hausa I speak.

O-we-li-ni-e
O we li ni e
In Mbonge, I speak
In Mbonge, I speak
O we li ni e
O we li ni e
In Mbonge, in Mbonge I speak.

Hujambo bwana,
Hujambo bibi
In Swahili, I speak
In Swahili, I speak
Hujambo bwana
Hujambo bibi
In Swahili, in Swahili I speak!

It’s the 2nd time we were able to easily use this technology of recording a phone call. If anyone else would like to sing a traditional (non-copyrighted) song for us, or recite a rhyme, please email me at lisa@mamalisa.com for directions.

Nyango has sent us many songs from Cameroon over the past couple of years. It’s great for everyone to finally hear her voice! She recorded 6 songs today. You can find them on the Cameroon Pages at the link just above. They’re the ones with the MP3’s.

Many thanks to Nyango Melissa Nambangi of the Minnesota African Women’s Association for contributing and singing these songs for us!

Mama Lisa

*****

Minnesota African Women’s Association has products available that were stitched by their sewing group. They’re available for purchase online at Etsy. They have beautiful pillows, dolls dressed in traditional and contemporary African fashions, tote bags, hats and more!

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Posted in Cameroon, Cameroonian Children's Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, French, Good Morning Songs, Good Morning to You, Hausa, Languages, Languages, MP3's, Mama Lisa, Mbonge, Recordings of Songs, Songs by Theme, Swahili | No Comments »

Laughing is Contagious – A Song from Cameroon with an MP3 Recording

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

Nyango M. Nambangi sent us this Cameroonian song from Africa. What’s even better is that we have a recording to go with it!

Nyango wrote: “Here’s a song our mother taught us and her Middle School students. The tune is very British, in my opinion, but I have not been able to find the lyrics or tune or any reference to it anywhere. The end actually gets the listeners laughing!”

MP3 Recording of Laughing is Contagious

Laughing is Contagious

Ha, ha, ha!
Laughing is contagious.
Ha, ha, ha!
And sometimes advantageous.
Ha, ha, ha!
And very careful be
And laugh with caution now.
Ha, ha!

Ha, ha, ha!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha!
ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha ha!

This recording is extra special to us because it was done by recording a phone call! It’s the first time we were able to easily use this technology of having someone call and recording them. Also, Nyango have sent us many songs from Cameroon over the past couple of years. It’s great for everyone to finally hear her voice!

If anyone would like to sing a traditional (non-copyrighted) song for us, please email me at lisa@mamalisa.com for directions.

Many thanks to Nyango M. Nambangi of the Minnesota African Women’s Association for contributing and singing this song for us!

Mama Lisa

*****

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Posted in Cameroon, Cameroonian Children's Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Languages, Laughing is Contagious, MP3's, Mama Lisa, Recordings of Songs | 1 Comment »

There was an Old Woman All Skin and Bones – A Hallowe’en Song and Video

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

I’ve posted several versions of this great Halloween song in the past… It’s called There Was an Old Woman All Skin and Bones.

Here’s yet another version below from Matt Vaughan and his friend Pam. They explain how to make it spookier for Halloween!

Here are the chords from Matt…
Am – Dm Am / Am Dm Am – ://

There was an old woman all skin and bones
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She lived down by the old graveyard
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
One night she thought she’d take a walk
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She walked down by the old graveyard
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She saw the bones a-laying around
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She went to the closet to get a broom
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
She opened the door and…
BOO!

Have a spooky-fun Halloween!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in American Kids Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, England, English, English Children's Songs, Folk Songs, Halloween, Halloween Songs, Holiday Songs, Holidays Around the World, Languages, Mama Lisa, There Was a Women All Skin and Bones, USA, Video, YouTube | No Comments »

Can Anyone Help with a Greek Translation of Palamakia (Clap)?

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

We received a Greek kids clapping song called Palamakia that we could use a little help with. Below is the Greek text, a transliteration and a rough translation. We’d like to know if the English translation is okay or if it needs to be changed at all…

Greek Text

Παλαμάκια

Παλαμάκια παίξετε
κι ο μπαμπάς του έρχεται
και του φέρνει κάτι τι
κουλουράκια στο χαρτί

Παλαμάκια παίξετε
κι η μανούλα έρχεται
να το πάρει αγκαλιά
το μικρούλι της παιδιά.

Παλαμάκια, παλαμάκια
παίζουν όλα τα παιδάκια
Παλαμάκια και χορό
νταχ ντιρντι και
νταχ ντιρντο

Transliteration

Palamakia

Palamakia Peksete
Kai o babas tou erhete
Kai tou ferni kati ti
Koulourakia sto harti

Palamakia Peksete
Kai i manoula erhete
Kai ta perni agalia
Ta mikroulia tis pethia

Palamakia Palamakia
Pezoun ola ta pethakia
Palamakia kai horo
Tihdidi kai Tihdido

Rough English Translation by Penelope Karagouni (with some editing by me)

Clap

Clap your hands
His dad is coming
To bring him something,
Cookies in a paper-wrapper.

Clap your hands
Mommy is coming
To get the little one
To hug the children!

Clap, clap,
All the children clap
Clapping and dancing
Dah didrdi and dah dirdo.*

*Dah didrdi and dah dirdo’ are sounds only with no meaning.

You can hear part of the rhyme in the 2nd part of the YouTube Video below…

If anyone can help with the translation, or let us know if it’s okay, please let me know in the comments below or by emailing me.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Greece, Greek, Greek Children's Songs, Languages, Mama Lisa, Palamakia - Clapping, Questions | No Comments »

Two French Goodbye Songs with Recordings

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

I was recently asked for a Goodbye Song in French. While looking for a song I found out that some French school teachers use the French version of Auld Lang Syne, “Ce n’est qu’un au revoir”, as a Goodbye Song. It’s a Scout song that’s also called “Le chant des adieux”. When teachers use it as a Goodbye song, they sing the 1st two verses. Here they are in French with an English translation….

Faut-il nous quitter sans espoir
Sans espoir de retour ?
Faut-il nous quitter sans espoir
De nous revoir un jour ?

Refrain
Ce n’est qu’un au revoir, mes frères,
Ce n’est qu’un au revoir.
Oui, nous nous reverrons, mes frères,
Ce n’est qu’un au revoir.

Here’s a literal English translation by Monique Palomares…

Must we leave each other without a hope
To see each other again some day
Must we leave each other without a hope
A hope of return

It’s only a goodbye, my brothers
It’s only a goodbye,
Yes, we’ll see each other again, my brothers
It’s only a goodbye.

Here you can hear the whole song…

Another Goodbye Song we have here today was written and sung by Alain Le Lait. It’s in French and English. Sit back and enjoy the song by clicking the MP3 below. You can read along with the lyrics in French and English…

Listen to Alain’s French Goodbye Song

Au revoir
by Alain Le Lait

Au revoir, good bye,
Now it is time for me to go away.
Au revoir, good bye,
But I wish I could stay with you all day.

Thanks for your smiles
And for singing along
I hope to see you again before too long.

Au revoir, good bye,
Il se fait tard et je dois m’en aller
Au revoir, good bye,
Mais j’aimerais rester toute la journée
Pour vos sourires et vos bien jolies voix
Je vous remercie et a une autre fois.

Au revoir, good bye,
Au revoir, good bye,
Au revoir, good bye.

(English Translation of French Verse)

Good bye, good bye
It’s getting late and I must go
Good bye, good bye
But I’d like to stay with you all day
For all your smiles and your pretty voices
I thank you and I’ll see you another time.

The French and English lyrics to this “Au revoir” song are © 1994 Alain Le Lait.

Alain Le Lait is a French native who grew up near Paris, France. He moved to the United States in the 1970s and now lives in Colorado. Alain writes and performs easy to learn children’s songs in French, Spanish and English. Check out his site www.Yadeeda.com to hear samples of his music and to buy his CD’s or mp3’s.

Merci Alain & Monique!

Feel free to share any French Hello or Goodbye songs you know in the comments below.

Mama Lisa

PS Here are some other Hello and Goodbye Songs…

•Two French Goodbye Songs with Recordings

•French Hello Song "Bonjour" with MP3

•Some More Hello and Goodbye Songs with MP3 Recordings

•Hello and Goodbye Songs

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Posted in Boy Scout Songs, Campfire Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, France, French, French Kids Songs, Girl Scout Songs, Goodbye Songs, Hello Songs, Hello and Goodbye Songs, Languages, MP3's, Mama Lisa, Questions, Recordings of Songs, Scouting Songs, Songs by Theme | No Comments »

Grandma’s Sayings

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Oscar Teliz told me his grandmother used to say in Spanish, “No hay mal que dure cien anos, ni cuerpo que lo soporte” which is an obscure saying meaning, “No bad occurrence will last forever, and if it did, you wouldn’t be able to stand it anyway.”

My grandma always said, “What will be, will be.” In other words, “Don’t worry about it! The future will take care of itself.”

Feel free to share your grandmother’s sayings or words of wisdom with us in the comments below!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, English, Grandma's Sayings, Languages, Mama Lisa, Proverbs, Sayings, Spanish, Spanish Proverbs, USA, Uruguay | 4 Comments »

Can Anyone Help with a Croatian Song that Sounds Like, “Kille killi jakasaka okoama bum”?

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Michael wrote:

Hi Lisa,

We just returned from a vacation in Croatia. We are German and have 3 little girls. They learned a song from a “mini disco”. I hope you can tell me the name of the song.

From what we understood it sounds like this:

Kille killi jakasaka okoama bum (repeats) Olee mal jole…….

Do you know how this song is named and what the lyrics are?

Thanks in advance for any information.

Regards,

Michael Andres

If anyone can help Michael, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Croatia, Croatian, Languages, Mama Lisa, Music, Questions, Readers Questions | 2 Comments »

Can Anyone Help with a Polish Lullaby that Translates as “Sleep My Baby Doll”?

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Theresa wrote:

I am looking for a Polish lullaby my mother used to sing…

Śpij laleczko moja mała, czas na ciebie już, ja cię będę kołysała, a ty oczka zmruz…

This is all I remember.

If anyone has all the words, I would be very grateful.

Theresa

A rough English translation of the above text is: Sleep my little baby doll, it is the time for you now, I will, I will rock, and you close your eyes.

This is the tune to the Polish Lullaby.

If anyone can help Therese with the original text of the lullaby and/or an English translation, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

UPDATE:

Here’s the text of a slightly different version of the lullaby, thanks to Agnieszka Magnucka:

ŚPIJ LALECZKO

Pod pierzyną czarnej nocy
W blasku srebrnych gwiazd
Gwiżdże swoje kołysanki
Rozśpiewany wiatr.

Księżyc wplata w warkoczyki
Kolorowe sny
Śpij laleczko moja mała
Śpij córeczko, śpij.

W płatkach herbacianej róży
Calineczka śpi
Nawet przemęczony świerszczyk
Zasnął w trakcie gry.

Wszystkie małe grzeczne dzieci
Już od dawna śpią
Dobra wróżka opowiada
Bajkę którą śnią.

Księżyc wplata w warkoczyki
Kolorowe sny
Śpij laleczko moja mała
Śpij córeczko, śpij.

Agnieszka Magnucka and I came up with this English translation…

SLEEP MY BABY DOLL

Under the blanket of dark night
In the glimmer of silver stars
It is whistling its lullabies…
- Singing wind.

The Moon is braiding in plaits
Colorful dreams
Sleep my baby doll
Sleep my daughter, sleep.

Between the tea rose* leaves
Thumbelina is sleeping
Also some overtired little cricket
Fell asleep while playing.

All the good little children
Are sleeping for so long
The good fairy is telling that story
They are dreaming of.

The moon is braiding in plaits
Colorful dreams
Sleep my baby doll
Sleep my daughter, sleep.

*Tea Rose is called Herbaciana which is a rose with peachy/yellow leaves that sometimes have a little pink or cream in them.

*****

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

PS Thanks so much for your help Agnieszka!

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Posted in Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Languages, Lullabies, Mama Lisa, Poland, Polish, Polish Kids Songs, Polish Lullabies, Questions, Readers Questions | 4 Comments »

Pennsylvania Dutch Version of Dies Ist der Daumen – This Is the Thumb

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

I’ve been asked several times for the Pennsylvania Dutch Version of the German rhyme Dies Ist der Daumen – This Is the Thumb. Today I received the version below thanks to Luke and Mary Martin. Here’s what Luke wrote…

My wife and I are also familiar with many of the German songs. This morning while looking for them, I found the finger rhyme, and your question about the Pennsylvania German variation. This is the song my father used to sing to us – seven children. Pennsylvania German has many varieties of spelling, and perhaps you can sharpen up the spelling. (My wife, Mary, and I worked at the pronunciation and spelling of the Pennsylvania German Finger Song. Mary grew up speaking Pennsylvania German.) Here it goes…

Des ist die Daume

Des ist die Daume
Der schittelt die Plaume
Der laest sie ouf
Der traught sie Haem
Und des glae Bopplemaul
Bopplet alles mit’n ahnna da Haem.

This is the thumb.
This [one] shakes the plums,
This [one] picks them up,
This [one] brings them home,
And this little tattletale tells everyone at home.

It was always spoken, not sung.

Thanks for your work in collecting old songs.

Luke Martin
(Pennsylvania)

If anyone would like to give other variations of the spelling, feel free to in the comments below. Many thanks to Luke Martin for sending this version of the rhyme to us!

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Des ist die Daume, Dies Ist der Daumen, Finger Plays, German, German Nursery Rhymes, Germany, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dutch, Pennsylvania Dutch, Pennsylvania Dutch Nursery Rhymes, Questions, USA, USA | No Comments »

Does Anyone Know an Old Serbian Rhyme that Sounds Like, “Studda Bubba rumpa tee”?

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Connie wrote:

I was hoping you could help me with an old Serbian rhyme. My mother-in-law grew up in a Serbian neighborhood. She always remembered one old rhyme. Now that she has Alzheimer’s that poem is the only thing she connects too. Problem being we only know the beginning of it, don’t know how to spell the words correctly and don’t know what it means.

It goes something like this… (forgive the spelling)

Studda Bubba rumpa tee
Polenta cookin poperdy
Hoy hoy mommy say…

That is all she can remember anymore, but it makes her smile and when we say it to her she joins in. I wish we could know how to finish it and what it means. If you have ever heard it and can help I would really appreciate it so much. Thanks for any help you could give me.

Connie

If anyone can help Connie, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Languages, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions, Serbia, Serbian, Serbian Nursery Rhymes | No Comments »

Birthday Chant and Jump Rope Rhyme – Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

My daughter and her friend Marisa taught me this birthday rhyme in the car the other day. They chant this in class to talk about birthdays and months of the year.

Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums

Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums,
Tell me when your birthday comes?

January, February, March, April,
May, June, July, August, September,
October, November, December?

Some people only chant the first 2 lines and then another person will answer with their birthday.

This is also a jump rope rhyme. Two kids hold a long jump rope and swing it around in a circle. They chant the rhyme. You jump in on your birthday month. Then the girls start counting 1, 2, 3, etc. until they reach the number of the day you were born on. Then you jump out.

The other way to play the jump rope game is to skip the numbers. You still jump “in” when your birthday month is called. The other kids then repeat the rhyme and you jump “out” when you hear your birthday month the second time around.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in American Nursery Rhymes, Countries & Cultures, England, English, Games, Jump Rope, Jump Rope Rhymes, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, USA | No Comments »

Can Anyone Help with a Czech Rhyme that Sounds Like “Hou-py, hou-py, hou-py”?

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Anna wrote:

Do you know the nursery rhyme that begins:

Hou-py, hou-py, hou-py,
Ko-cka sue-dla krou-py
Do-cour hruch

I’ll try my best to write this poem-rhyme out for you. Of course, I will not be able to add the correct accent marks, punctuations marks, etc. The writing I have to copy is very small, so I hope my letters are accurate! Here goes!

Hou-pa-cka

hou-py, hou-py, hou-py!
ko-cka sue-dla krou-py,
ko-cour hrac
na ka-mnach;
ko-la-la se hue-va-ly,
ze jim ta-ky ne-da-ly.
hou-py, hou-py, hou-py!
by-ly vsec-ky hlou-py.

A friend of mine gave me a beautiful framed gift of this rhyme… he says his grandfather would sing it to him. But he doesn’t know what it means.

My mother is Czech, Vlasta, but she no longer can help me with this.

Your help would be very nice.

Thank you, Anna Vdolek Bratney

If anyone knows the correct spelling of the rhyme and/or if you can provide an English translation, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks in advance!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Czech, Czech Nursery Rhymes, Czech Republic, Flower Arranging, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Poetry, Questions, Readers Questions | 3 Comments »

Can Anyone Help with a Maori Song that Sounds Like, “Nane paku ana”?

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Sharon wrote:

Hi Lisa,

This is really a shot in the dark, but I’m wondering if you know of a song, which I believe is Maori. A friend of mine taught it to me, but she doesn’t know the translation or anything else about it. I’m wondering if you’ve heard of it, and if so, if you could tell me anything about it – what it means, who sings it, etc, and perhaps the proper words. My best attempt at writing it out is as follows:

Nane paku ana
Nane paku ana
eh eh eh ua
ua ua
ipea ipea ipea
Kuana Kuana Kuana Kuana Kua…Choo!
Kuana Kuana Kuana Kuana Kua…Choo!

It is a rhythmic song with clapping on the off beats.

Does this seem at all familiar?

Thank you so much!

-Sharon

If anyone can help Sharon with the original Maori words to this song and/or an English translation, please let us know in the comments below. If you have the original text, please email me a copy at lisa@mamalisa.com – so I can make sure the accents show up properly.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Folk Songs, Languages, Mama Lisa, Maori, New Zealand, New Zealand Children's Songs, Questions, Readers Questions | 1 Comment »

Can Someone Help with a Hungarian Lullaby that Sounds Like, “Boulah boulah…”?

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Nicole wrote:

I have been trying to find an old Hungarian lullaby that my grandmother sang to me and I sing to my kids. I do not know what it means and I do not know all the words. The verse is something like:

Boulah boulah, boulah, boulah boopin do ya.

I am sure I am misspelling everything.

Do you know it? Can you help me find the whole song and the meaning?

Thank you,

Nicole

If anyone can help Nicole with the original Hungarian words to this lullaby and/or an English translation, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Hungarian, Hungarian Lullabies, Hungary, Languages, Questions, Readers Questions | No Comments »

Chanda Mama – “Moon” Video by Playing for Change

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Chanda Mama is a song from India about the moon. Different versions exist in the various languages of India. This one is in the Telugu language, a language mainly spoken in southern India.

Playing for Change made the Chanda Mama video with musicians around the world. Playing for Change creates music all over the world to make money to build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope. Music and art can have meaning across cultures and be appreciated by people of all economic classes and educational backgrounds. What better way to improve the world!

The lyrics to the Playing for Change version of Chanda Mama (in the video) are something like this…

Chanda maama chanda maama raavayyaa
nannu yettukoni muddulaadu kovayyaa

maaraalu nenenni cesinaa gaaraalu nive cupinaa
maaraalu nenenni cesinaa gaaraalu nive cupinaa

Chanda maama chanda maama raavayyaa
nannu yettukoni muddulaadu kovayyaa

If anyone can help with the meaning of these lyrics (and/or if you can verify or correct the original lyrics), please let us know in the comments below.

We have another version of Chanda Mama which is a Telugu children’s rhyme, with an mp3. You can click the link to hear it and to read the lyrics in Telugu with an English translation.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Chanda Mama, Chandamaama, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Folk Songs, India, Indian Folk Songs, Indian Nursery Rhymes, Languages, Mama Lisa, Music, Nursery Rhymes, Playing for Change, Telugu, Traditional Music, YouTube | No Comments »

Robert Frost’s Proverb: “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Friday, September 18th, 2009

The proverb “Good fences make good neighbors” has been around for a couple of centuries in different forms. One place it can be found is in Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin. His version is: “Love your neighbor; yet don’t pull down your hedge.”

It’s interesting that the specific wording of the proverb, “Good fences make good neighbors” is fairly modern. It comes from Robert Frost’s poem Mending Wall from 1914. The poem centers around this concept and questions whether it’s true or not. Here’s the poem…

Mending Wall

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, “Good fences make good neighbors”.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
“Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there,
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Listen to an MP3 of Mending Wall as read by Alan Davis-Drake for LibriVox

Listen to a different MP3 of Mending Wall as read by Teresa Montgomery for Librivox

The narrator of the poem is annoyed by his neighbor’s insistence that there has to be a fence between them. If only his neighbor would get beyond his father’s beliefs – originating in an old proverb – and reconsider his thinking.

What’s ironic is that Frost coined the new wording of a proverb: “Good fences make good neighbors”, while questioning the very wisdom behind it!

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Posted in Authors, Benjamin Franklin, Countries & Cultures, English, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, Languages, Mama Lisa, Mending Wall, Poetry, Poets, Poor Richard's Almanack, Proverbs, Robert Frost, USA | No Comments »

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Posts

“You’re Not Supposed to Say That!” – Mama Lisa’s Thanksgiving Silliness

Walt Whitman’s Woods and his Poem "Miracles"

Can Someone Help with a German Lap Rhyme?

Ghost of John – Halloween Song with MP3 Recording

A Good Morning Song Featuring African Languages with an MP3

Laughing is Contagious – A Song from Cameroon with an MP3 Recording

There was an Old Woman All Skin and Bones – A Hallowe’en Song and Video

Can Anyone Help with a Greek Translation of Palamakia (Clap)?

Two French Goodbye Songs with Recordings

Grandma’s Sayings

Can Anyone Help with a Croatian Song that Sounds Like, “Kille killi jakasaka okoama bum”?

Can Anyone Help with a Polish Lullaby that Translates as “Sleep My Baby Doll”?

Pennsylvania Dutch Version of Dies Ist der Daumen – This Is the Thumb

Does Anyone Know an Old Serbian Rhyme that Sounds Like, “Studda Bubba rumpa tee”?

Birthday Chant and Jump Rope Rhyme – Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums

Can Anyone Help with a Czech Rhyme that Sounds Like “Hou-py, hou-py, hou-py”?

Can Anyone Help with a Maori Song that Sounds Like, “Nane paku ana”?

Can Someone Help with a Hungarian Lullaby that Sounds Like, “Boulah boulah…”?

Chanda Mama – “Moon” Video by Playing for Change

Robert Frost’s Proverb: “Good fences make good neighbors.”