This is a children's nursery rhyme song that is sung while walking in a circle. This is the kids song in Israel!

Notes

Transliteration
Uga, Uga

Uga, uga uga
Ba-ma-a-gal na-chu-ga
Nis-to-veyv ad kol ha-yom
Ad a-sher nim-tsa ma-kom
La-she-vet la-kum
La-she-vet la-kum
La-she-vet v'-la-kum.

Muriel wrote from France about this rhyme: "Circle isn't the proper translation for 'ouga' in the first line. Ouga should be Cake (Gâteau in French) as if a round cake (gâteau) was going round and round."

I came up with the following translation to go with the "cake" theme (keeping in mind that it's a circle game). -Mama Lisa

Cake, cake, cake,
Let's celebrate in a circle
Round and round all day
Until it is your turn!
Sit, rise,
Sit, rise,
Sit, rise,
Sit and rise!

*****

Julie wrote, "For the song, Uga Uga, yes uga means a cake, 'ad asher nimtsa makom,' means 'until we find a place' (to sit down, to stand up, etc).

Yael wrote, "The word 'uga' does mean 'cake'. But in this song, the word means 'let's turn'. It's an outdated form.
You must know that Hebrew is based on a system of roots. Here the root is 'og', circular, from which derived the word 'uga' for cake, but also ma'agal: circle. The second word na'choga is a similar word from which derived the word for 'compass' for example."

Julie wrote, "I looked it up and my dictionary does give the word 'Uga' as meaning cake and circle. My Israeli husband didn't know that, so I think it's kind of obscure. Thanks for sharing!"

Comments

Here's the computerized text: (we apologize if it doesn't display properly on your screen):

עוגה, עוגה, עוגה

עוגה, עוגה, עוגה
במעגל נחוגה
נסתובבה כל היום
עד אשר נמצא מקום
לשבת - לקום
לשבת - לקום
לשבת - לקום
לשבת ולקום

Download MIDI Tune

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Ken Jaffe for contributing this song and to Marina Dodzina and her daughter Miriam (native-Hebrew speaker) for the Hebrew text. Thanks also to Muriel for her input on the meaning of "Uga". Many thanks also to Julie Danan and Yael Polat for their help.

Thanks to Gracie Gralike for sharing her drawing of Circles!

Toda raba!