San Juan, San Pedro
There are different versions of this song.
San Juan, San Pedro
Saint John, Saint Peter
Canción infantil
Circle Game
(Spanish)
(English)
San Juan, San Pedro,
San Pedro, San Germán,
jugaba a la era
el triqui triqui tran.
Desde Córdoba a Sevilla
han puesto una gran pared,
por la pared pasa una vía,
por la vía pasa un tren,
¿qué tren, qué tren?
Saint John, Saint Peter,
Saint Peter, Saint Germain
Were playing on the area of
The triqui triqui tran.
From Cordoba to Seville,
They put up a big wall.
On the wall goes a track,
On the track goes a train.
What train? What train?
Notes
Another version:
San Juan del dedo
San Pedro y San German
San Pedro jugaba a la era
Del triqui triqui tran.
Por la vía pasa el tren
Por el tren una señora
La señora va diciendo
¡Viva España! ¡Viva España!
Y yo también.
English Translation
Saint John of the finger,
Saint Peter and Saint Germain.
Saint Peter was playing in the area
Of the triqui triqui tran.
On the track goes the train,
In the train [goes] a lady,
The lady says
"Long live Spain! Long live Spain!"
And I do too.
Game Instructions
Sit in a circle on the floor, or around a table and take one of your shoes (or a stone) in your right hand. Sing this song in time to the tune as you pass your shoe to the next person on the right and pick up the shoe from the person on the left who had placed the shoe in front of you. So every shoe is passed one place round in the circle in time to the beat. However when the line "Triqui triqui tran" begins you hold onto the shoe, bang it down on the left and then pass it to the right. You do the same at the end on "¿qué tren, qué tren?"
Sing it faster each time you sing it.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Sylvia Thorne for pointing out this game and the different versions of the song that goes with it!
Image: Griffoni Polyptych: St Peter and St John the Baptist (1473) by Francesco del Cossa.
