Bob Anderson wrote looking for help with a Swedish childhood rhyme. Here’s his question:
Do you know of a children’s verse my dad (born 1879) used to do with the grandkids? He would bounce them on his knees, holding their hands, and at the climax, open his knees and drop them down as if to drop them on the floor to their squeals of fear and delight (that he didn’t do it). I can’t do the Swedish, but I’ll try to do a transliteration.
Anders Peters kroka, Hun skal ut y oka
Inga hadda hun som steer di
So fur hun heit, so fur hun deit (swung them to one side and then the other)
Und so fur hun near y deekit (opened his knees and dropped them down and up again)
Anders Peters (something) He shall go out to ride
He didn’t know how or didn’t have a way to steer
So he went this way and that way
And then he fell in the ditch.
I am a first generation Swede and am almost 93. My dad lived to be almost 99. My wife and I went to China at ages 65 and 66 and taught English for 20 years. Now we are really retired and live in Loves Park, Illinois. I enjoy remembering good things from the past. I wish I had had my dad put more of it in writing.
Bob Anderson
If anyone can help Bob, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Games Around the World, Languages, Lap Rhymes, Lap Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Rhyme Games, Rhymes by Theme, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Nursery Rhymes. 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.
September 28th, 2014 at 4:32 pm
Hello Bob Anderson
The song your dad was singing for you was.
Prästens lilla kråka skulle ut och åka ingen hade hon som körde.
Prästens lilla kråka skulle ut och åka ingen hade hon som körde.
Så en slank hon dit, åh en slank hon dit.
Och en slank hon ner i diket.
This song is still very popular in sweden.
From Sweden
September 28th, 2014 at 4:55 pm
Thank you for helping Ingererd! -Mama Lisa
September 30th, 2014 at 7:44 pm
We have a version of this on Mama Lisa’s World’s Swedish song pages called Mormors lilla kråka.
March 21st, 2015 at 6:21 pm
It’s also a german children’s song ! Same actions……….
Hoppa hoppa Reiter
wenn er fällt dann schreit er
fällt er in den graben
Fressen ihn die Raben
fällt er in den sumpf
macht “die Huckleberry” (insert child’s name) plumps
September 13th, 2017 at 10:17 pm
My grandfather, born in the 1870s or so, would hold us on his knee (or top of his foot) and recite:
Trot trot to Boston
To buy a penny cake.
Home again, home again,
Met a black snake.
(While gently bouncing us up and down)
Picked up a stone,
Broke his back bone
And went Galloping,
Galloping, all the way home.
(More vigorous bouncing)
April 3rd, 2021 at 8:25 pm
My mother would put us on her knee and bounce us up-and-down and sing this song.
Trot trot to market to buy a penny cake on name Way She met a great snake, Picked up a stone and broke its back bone then she went Galloping galloping home.
April 3rd, 2021 at 8:27 pm
Another one she would sing is
.. Giddyup horsy go to town giddyup horsy go to town giddyup horsy go to town to buy little name some candy.
July 13th, 2023 at 1:56 pm
I’m also searching for somebody to help me remember a Swedish bouncy song my Swedish/Estonian mother used to do for us: it started off bouncing gently, saying “so nett, so nett, so nett”. Then a little harder, saying something I can’t remember. Then the finale is bouncing really hard saying “klum-pe-DUNZ.”
Anybody out there know this?? Thanks!