De Frühlig isch au scho uf d'Berge cho
De Frühlig isch au scho uf d'Berge cho
Spring Has Come
Children's Song
Children's Song
(Swiss German)
(English)
De Frühlig isch au scho uf d'Berge cho,
Er het üs vom Hüttli de Schnee weg gno.
Der Gugger het gschraue, er isch so froh,
Der Mai, der Mai isch cho.
(Chorus)
Jo ho-li ho-o-li hol-la-li-ho
Jetz cha de üses Veh scho go,
Jo ho-le-li ho-o-li hol-la-li-ho
Jetz cha denn 's Veh scho go.
Und sit er so staht i siner Pracht,
Die Chrütli, die Blüemli si au erwacht,
Die Senneri singt: I bi so froh,
Der Mai, der Mai isch cho.
(Chorus)
Do rüeft si em lustige Sennebueb,
Er johlet und juchzet de Alpe zue.
Läb wohl du Tal, das i meide soll,
I scheide recht freudevoll.
(Chorus)
Now Spring has come even to the mountains
And has melted the snow from the roof of the alpine hut.
The cuckoo is calling merrily,
Because May has come.
(Chorus)
Yo ho-lee ho-o-lee hol-la-lee-ho,
Soon up to the Alps our cows can go.
Yo ho-lee ho-o-lee hol-la-lee-ho,
Soon up to the Alps our cows can go.
And as Spring stays here in its beauty,
Herbs and flowers awake also,
The cowgirl sings "I am so happy,
Because May has come".
(Chorus)
She calls to the merry cowherd-boy,
He sings and yodels up to the mountains,
"Farewell you valley,
I part with joy from you!"
(Chorus)
Notes
Here's an English version that was sent to us from the Embassy of Switzerland about 12 years ago. It's singable in English to the tune and you can see how it rhymes nicely...
Spring Has Come
Now springtime is here and the soft winds blow
To melt from the mountains the ice and the snow.
The cuckoo is calling in vales below
To say that this is so.
Yo holee, holee, hola leeho,
Up in the mountains the cows will go.
Yo holee, holee, hola leeho,
Up to the mountains go.
The herdsman looks up at the blue spring sky;
He shouts and he sings to the mountains high.
"Goodbye, little valley, goodbye, goodbye,"
You hear his lusty cry.
Yo holee, holee, hola leeho,
Up in the Alps where the grasses grow.
Yo holee, holee, hola leeho,
Up to the Alps we'll go.
Comments
Dries helped us find the original lyrics to this song. She wrote to the Haus der Volksmusik in Switzerland and here is what they said,
"The song you are looking for has the German name "Der Früelig isch au scho uf d'Berge cho…". The translation of the text (that is, the Swiss dialect) is the English translation above.
*****
Emma Schneeberger, who created this song, was then 19 years of age and student at the Bernese teachers college. Later she married the owner of a textile factory and lived in Uster, in the canton of Zurich.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Christelle Marmi at the Embassy of Switzerland for contributing the song, sheet music and illustrations. Many thanks also to Dries Chaerle for helping with the search of the original version and to the Haus der Volksmusik in Switzerland for contributing the translation of the lyrics from Franck Petersohn's site.
Dank schön!
