I received this email today about Rita Rita Runkin…
I too am looking for the correct spelling and words for Rita Rita Runkin in Norwegian. I understand it to read this way in English…
Ride Ride the Runkin horse
To the millers house….I don’t know the next lines except that it is about a kittapus (cat) and it goes MEOW.
Please let me know if anyone can help…
I need it for Mothers’ Day! I’d be happy to find the words after that too, of course!
R. BERG
Please comment below if you can help.
Thanks!
Lisa
P.S. Check out a previous post and comments about Rita Rita Runkin.
This article was posted on Sunday, May 7th, 2006 at 7:40 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Languages, Norway, Norwegian, Questions, Rhea Rhea Runkin. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
16 Responses to “Looking for the Norwegian Version of the “Rita Rita Runkin” Poem”
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April 9th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Here are the lyrics for the song, the cats ” meow ” is not on the original bur the kis always put it in after – ein liten kattepus
Ride ride ranke
Til møllarens hus
Ingen annan heime enn
Ein liten kattepus
Hanen til å gala
Mølla til å mala
To små hundar seier
Vov vov vov
To små hundar seier
Vov vov vov
May 30th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
This song came up while treating one of my patients today.
He was talking about his grandmother singing
ride ride ranka
then something about a ‘planka’ or that it was made of wood.
I remember my gramma singing:
‘ride ride ranka,
heston heda blanca, (s/p?)
then ride a horse
ride a white horse.’
Is anyone familiar with verses like these?
I had never heard of the cat and the miller before.
Thanks.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Don’t laugh o.k.?? My foster grandmother was from Norway and I was very small when she sang it too us but, this was how it sounded to me. Rita, Rita Runkin Heson vot to Brunkin. Sol on vot to silkatee peekaboo to nextadee. A deets scavadeea
June 10th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Hi Sharon and Betsy. My grandmother also used to sing this song to us. The line I remember is ride ride runkin, hestanet a brunkin. She said it was about riding a bronco or horse. I too am looking for the rest of the song. If you find it would you let me know. i’ll also look. This was 65 years ago when I was hearing it.
Good luck and thanks.
October 21st, 2007 at 9:07 pm
This is the version I remember. Norwegian version:
Ride Ride Ranke
Hesten heter blanke
Hvor skal vi ride
til Kongsgard a fri
til ei lita pike
hva skal hun hete
Jomfru Margrethe
Den tykke og den fete
der er ingen hjemme
uten to sma hunder
som ligger under benken
og gnager pa lenken
Den lille sier Voff, Voff
Den store sier Voff, Voff, Voff.
However, there are many versions.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
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If so, mail me at this E-Mail ad
June 5th, 2010 at 8:31 am
When I was a young boy, my grandfather sang the song to me, and bounced me on his knee… He was born back in 1882, and of course, he spoke OLD Norsk, not the new (Ne) Norsk. My relatives in Norway today can’t read or speak Old Norsk. But My father learned the song and continued to sing it to me. The song is well engrained in my head. BUT it’s not the version that is popular today in Norway. I can’t spell the words correctly, I don’t speak Norsk (Norwegian). Words such as “Ride” are (were?) pronounced like “Reed-a”.
Ride Rida Runkin
Hesta Hide a plunkin
Hesta Hide a hup-lik-a
Sit a need a yunkin pa
Skull, skull a ride
…
If this makes sense or helps, let me know… I’ll try to write the rest of it.
George
May 16th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
George Brungot, your version sounds like the one my dad used to sing to us kids back in the 40’s, when I was young. It was so much fun sitting on his foot while he sang the song and shook his foot, that I never remembered to get the song memorized. When we had family get-togethers, all of the grandkids would line up to get their turn with grandpa.
September 9th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Found this…
http://www.legehjoernet.dk/pi/Hest_74cm_2190_103.aspx
and some variations on a theme.
I too remember this poem. seems that in “my” version, there was the big bad dog belonging to the blacksmith.
Another rhyme containing the phrase, “Huldery Buldery” (spelling mine, not official” invited the listener to guess how many fingers the speaker was holding up behind his/her back. Those two words seem to imply “well mixed” like names shaken in a hat…
A final one invoked some magic when carving a willow whistle… this chant seemed to aid in making the bark “slip” — while I don’t remember the words, I can still hear my dad chanting it.
Ken
March 5th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
The version my grandfather and great uncle retold was
(Phoenetically)something like this:
Rhea Rhea runkin
Hesta boo a bunkin
Hooska da vita
Bearta gomma snea
Dava come (insert child’s name) Cheyenne
Dava icka noa hemma
Two small hoondt
Ondasia bow wow wow
Indasia woof woof woof.
nd their rough translation is we took a
ride on a carriage through the woods
going to their friends/relatives house
But when they get there no one us home,
Save two small dogs of which the first
one says bow wow wow and the second
one says woof woof woof.
Anyone heard this version? Could you
tell me how to find the true spelling/words?
March 15th, 2013 at 6:04 pm
I am writing in response to your post about the Norweigan nursury rhyme “Rita Rita Runkin”. My great grandfather was from a small village near Oslo. He used to bounce us grandkids on his knee and sing us that song. (I wish now that I’d paid more attention to his lessons then.) I too am looking for the complete version. To my best recollection, this is what I remember. Keep in mind, I’m probably not using the correct spelling, but spoken, will sound similar. Here goes:
Rita Rita Runkin
Honna hesta plunkin
Ma ta hit ta luttin goo (no clue as to words)
Han….Veshla kata poose
Cotton hamarra
Han en hangarda
Kee kee la kee
Like I said, I don’t know the actual words, and it may not be complete. If you do happen to find the complete version, would you please forward it to me? Thanks and God Bless.
March 16th, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Hi Jeff – We have three versions of Ride Ride Ranke with English translations on our Norwegian Songs Page. Click the link and scroll down to access them in the list of songs. I hope this helps! -Mama Lisa
July 1st, 2019 at 1:08 am
My aunt groaned when we sang:
Rita Rita Runken has a brass pumpkin. Hasn’t got some applesauce to serve at her luncheon.
So sorry but makes me laugh to think about that :)
October 1st, 2019 at 7:54 pm
I’m sure the version I remember my grandmother singing is severely butchered. Went something like:
Rita Rita Runka
Hasten haten blanka
Var ska du reden
Tillen litten peegen
Oon dori kom to kingenskor
Eva Inga himen
Und sa woof woof
There’s a verse or two that I can’t remember…something about Margrit…. Anyway, know I sing it completely wrong but it’s something I’ll never forget and I find it very comforting, just like my grandma. Miss her.
November 5th, 2019 at 8:02 am
Rea Rea Runka
Hiss Tata Bunka
Eini On the Obblegoos
Oosh Mana Hoona
A Bla Blinka
Shlika Shlika Slinka
Woo Woo Woo Woo Woo!!
At least that is the way my grandpa said it, and he is 1/2 Norwegian
September 10th, 2021 at 3:01 am
My grandfather’s parents were from Stjørdal and immigrated to north eastern North Dakota. As children he would bounce us on his knee and sing and when he would get to the end (the Meow) you would be dropped between the legs.
Ride ride ranke
Til møllarens hus
(This is where it gets lost)
Funkin de heime
Tak kattapus
So long as a say eesa
Meow
I have read all that I can find and see the originals that mention the dog barking “voof voof voof” but not the “meow” – if you know what it could be please let me know!