Al ánimo
"Al ánimo" is a distortion of the Arabic phrase "alaa 'alima l'aalimuun" – meaning "hey, let all those who must know know". It's what the Andalusian town criers would say before announcements were made many centuries ago. It's similar to the English, "Hear ye, hear ye", or perhaps more recently "Attention citizens!"
Al ánimo
Hear Ye, Hear Ye!
Juego cantado
Singing Game
(Spanish)
(English)
1. Al ánimo, al ánimo
La fuente se rompió
Al ánimo, al ánimo
Denle reparación.
Uí, uí, ua,
La muerte va a pasar
Uí, uí, ua
¿A quién se llevará?
2. Al ánimo, al ánimo,
La fuente sirve ya
Al ánimo, al ánimo,
De nuevo alegrará.
Uí, uí, ua,
La muerte va a pasar
Uí, uí, ua
¡A nadie llevará!
Hear ye, hear ye,
The fountain broke
Hear ye, hear ye,
Fix it.
Ooie, ooie, ooah
Death will come
Ooie, ooie, ooah
Who will it take?
Hear ye, hear ye,
The fountain now works
Hear ye, hear ye,
The people will rejoice.
Ooie, ooie, ooah
Death will come
Ooie, ooie, ooah
It won't take anyone!
Notes
*"Al ánimo" and its other versions such as al alimón, al alimó, a la lima a la limón, alé limón, lirón lirón, mirón mirón etc. are a distortion of the Arabic phrase "alaa 'alima l'aalimuun" (hey, let all those who must know know) that the Andalusian town criers would say before announcements many centuries ago.
Game Instructions
One version of this game is played like "Oranges and Lemons": One child is the "orange" (or something else) and the other is the "lemon" (or another thing). They join hands to form an arch and sing the song, while the other children pass under the arch in a line. At the end of the song, the two children forming the arch bring their arms down on the child passing under the arch. The one under the arch has to decide whether to be an orange or a lemon, and lines up behind that kid. When all the children have been caught there is a tug of war to decide whether the oranges or the lemons are stronger.
Comments
This is also sung and played in Cuba with somewhat different lyrics.
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Translated by Lisa and Monique.
