Comments on: Does Anyone Know the Dutch Song, “”Klap eens in je handjes, blij blij blij”"?

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 29 May 2013 12:28:36 +0000

Tekst is
Klap eens in je handjes blij blij blij
Op je b(r)oze bolletje allebei
Twee handjes in de hoogte
Twee handjes in je zij
Zo varen de scheepjes voorbij
Zo varen de scheepjes voorbij

Another Variant
Klap eens in je handjes
Blij, blij, blij
Op het boze bolletje, allebei
Handjes omhoog
Handjes omlaag
Handjes in de zij
En het neusje voorbij

Being Dutch, living in Netherlands everyone is brought up with this song, that’s why many emigrants use it stil.

Here a video how it is pronounced. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z385cJc_QQ

By: Graffiki

Graffiki — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:11:05 +0000

We have a facebook page for all of our dutch indo friends that would like you join, you can get any dutch translation. My family and family friends were some of the first to come to america after the war broke out and some of them that had to come from fleeing indonesian territory. Its called i’m an indo are you my cousin oma opa tente
http://www.facebook.com/groups/219937204727115/ feel free to join :-) we welcome all.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:13:05 +0000

Oh my goodness my Oma has always sang this song to us growing up:)…i now have 2 children of my own and she sings to them as well :) i have the same issue of not being able to say it correctly etc in fact there is a middle verse i am unable to see anywhere in here my Oma sings…still cant for the life of me say it and my sister and i when we we started to sing it ourselves would sing tie your knockers in a knot :P as that was the action shown lol

Omas Verson goes something along the lines of

Klap eens in je handjes,
blij, blij, blij.
Op je kliene bolletje,
allebei.
“insert part i can never say lol”

Zoooooooo varen de scheepjes voorbij

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:14:22 +0000

@Greg (July 30th, 2008 at 10:10 am)

My dad and oma used to sing a version that mentioned windmills and I in turn sang it with my children. I don’t know what the words are as I never saw it written down, but my best guess is possibly this:

Klapjes in de handjes,
Klap! Klap! Klap!
Strike! Strike! Strike!
Alle mooier molentje kleintje tocht elijk

If anyone recognizes this version (possibly localized to the north of the Nederlands) and knows the correct words, I’d be grateful if they can be confirmed or corrected.

Thanks

By: Kristal

Kristal — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:04:46 +0000

Awww my mum used to sing that to me!!!

By: Casey

Casey — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:43:36 +0000

Try this and see if Oma still laughs?

Klap eens in je handjes,
blij, blij, blij.
Op je kliene bolletje,
allebei.

Handjes in de hoogte,
Handjes in je zij.

Zo varen de scheepjes voorbij.
Zo varen de scheepjes voorbij.

claap ains in yu han-yes
bly, bly, bly
op ya klyna bol-et-ya
al-uh-by
Han-yes om hoogh
Han-yes om zy
Zo vaaren duh schaepees for-by
Zo vaaren duh schaepees for-by

By: sara

sara — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 23:06:57 +0000

My oma sang this song to my father,than me, and now she sings it to my sons i try but i have to ask her over and over how its done correctly. she laughs every time she hears me because i can’t get it right.. any one able to give a break down on how to pronounce each word!?

By: sara

sara — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 23:06:33 +0000

By: Annemarie

Annemarie — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 08:30:43 +0000

Hey everyone,

It’s so lovely to read here, that moms far away from holland are singing this song for your little children. I am Dutch and I search for the lyrics, because I was not sure about the words I sang. My little daugter is 6 month now and she loves this song!

By: Michael Patrick King

Michael Patrick King — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:01:01 +0000

My mother sang this song to me and all of my siblings when we were babies. Usually, she sang it while bathing us in the bathinette (awww!). Anywhom, her lyrics vary somewhat from those posted here.

She sang:

Klap eens in de handjes,
Blij! Blij! Blij!
Op je kleine bolletje,
Allebei.

Handjes omhoog!
Handjes omlaag!
Handjes opzei!
Als Mikhael en school gedekt,
Den is his mama blij!

(I don’t speak Hollands; my mother is from Amsterdam.)
She said the words mean:

Clap once in the hands (”little handsies”),
Happy! Happy! Happy!
Up on your little noggin,
Both together.

Handsies up high!
Handsies down low!
Handsies to sides!
When Michael goes to school,
His mama will be happy.

If I made any errors in grammar or spelling, chalk it up to the fact that I don’t know the language! :-)

By: Zoe Green

Zoe Green — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:21:06 +0000

Thank you for posting these lyrics and translations. My Mom is from the Netherlands and she (and my Oma, Opa, Tantes and Ooms) used to sing this to us as kids. Nowadays, everytime there’s a baby in the room, I’m compelled to sing the song to them because it produces such terrific giggles. I only know the song phonetically and never knew the actual words. At the end of “That’s the way the (little) ships sail away” my family always adds “Toot! Toot!” with a pumping gesture. Good times :)

By: Velvet Cook

Velvet Cook — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:48:04 +0000

My dutch Grandmother sang this song to her children,grandchildren,and greatgrandchildren. Now I have my first grandson and she is gone, I sing it to him. One month old,and he loves it. Really he smiles when I sing it to him. ;)
I was never sure of meaning either. Always figured it as happy,happy,happy. Why is the baby happy. Hands on his head. Hands on his side. lol. We sing it Blij,blij,blij. Vat is de baby blij? Hends en hes head, and hends en hes side. Phonetically spelled of course because sadly Nanny never taught us any dutch really.
I really miss her accent :) and humor.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:04:22 +0000

I forwarded your comment Belinda.

By: Belinda Mears

Belinda Mears — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:05:36 +0000

I do not know if you can help, Debbie van Baalen is a friend from Australia and I have been trying to reconnect with her. We lost contact about 5 years ago and noticed she left a comment on your site. Do you have an email address that you could forward to me or could you forward mine onto her. I hate to be bother, but she is not on facebook and this the only reference I can find on Google. Regards, Belinda

By: Mindert de Boer

Mindert de Boer — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:54:02 +0000

why does everyone sing dutch songs to their kids? you crazy north American people!

By: Cilie

Cilie — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:26:03 +0000

I made an english version to the song to sing to my daughter after the dutch version.
It matches the tune and the meaning but it’s not a word for word translation.
Remember the actions!
Clap once with your hands for fun, fun, fun
put them on your big (boof) head everyone,
put your hands up high,
put them by your side,
sway like the ship’s mast sailing by.

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:10:00 +0000

My family sings this song as well, but its a longer verse. It’s the same as Yoka’s version, only after the “ships sail away” (Zo varen de scheepjes voorbij) there is a line about all the windmills turning together.
If anybody is familiar with this version, and has a translation, it would be great.

By: Yoka

Yoka — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:47:39 +0000

Hello,

I’m not sure how old this request is but this is how we use to sing Klap eens in je Handjes when we were little.
I now sing it to my own grandchildren.

Klap een in je handjes blij, blij, blij (action:you clap your hands)
Op je boze bolletje allebei (action:you put your hands on the side of your head)
Zoooooooo varen de scheepjes voorbij
(translation: this is how the ships sail by)
(Action:you make a swaying motion with your hands still on your head)
Zoooooooo varen de scheepjes voorbij

Klap eens in je handjes…….etc

It is interesting how everyone has their own version. Our grandchildren love the song.

Yoka

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:04:12 +0000

My opa used to sing this song to me. I would sit on his knees. At the end, when the ship sails away, he would sway me from side to side, then open his knees to let me fall through before catching me at the last second… – vital for making the little ones laugh I would think!

By: Korynn

Korynn — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:12:15 +0000

HI! My Oma sang me this song when I was little (about 18 yrs ago) and I remember the beginning and some of the actions – always wondered what it meant! THANK YOU!
Korynn in Regina SK Canada