Here are three requests for help I’ve received about Polish nursery rhymes and songs…
1) Carol wrote:
I am trying to find nursery rhyme, from Poland, my mother use to tell us in Polish. It was about a hen and my mom would peck on the palms of our hand saying in Polish – tim o dawa tim o dawa – that’s what it sounded like to me but the spelling may be different in polish. I would appreciate it if someone could let me know if they have heard this. Thank you Carol
2) Shifra wrote:
My husband’s grandmother used to sing in Polish to the children – we continue to sing the one “Stuck” – I have tried in vain to discover what it means – if anything…
Here is the mangled version:
Choo choo baba, choo choo baba, choo choo baba, choo choo baba, (tapping on the palm of the baby’s hand)
Tommy tella, Tommy tella, Tommy tella, Tommy tella, Tommy tella, (holding and ‘wiggling’ each of the baby’s fingers)
Feesala feesala (tickling up to the elbow twice)
Polychava!! (tickling all the way.Usually followed by a very enthusiastic “again!!” by the child.
Any ideas?
We thought “train baby, train baby”… didn’t get much further.
Thanks in advance.
Shifra
3) Abi wrote:
Hi, my grandad used to sing a polish nursery rhyme to me but all i can remember is the english translation of the first line which is something like ‘a dog ran into a kitchen and stole a piece of meat…’ I can’t find it on the internet, any chance you’ve heard of it because i would love to remind him of it?
Thanks
Abi
If anyone can help with the original lyrics and/or translations of any of these songs and rhymes, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 8:22 pm and is filed under Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Poland, Polish, Polish Kids Songs, Polish Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions. 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.
25 Responses to “Can Anyone Help with Some Polish Songs and Nursery Rhymes?”
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March 17th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Thank You Shifra thats the one I think
March 18th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Agnieszka Magnucka wrote:
SHIFRA:
It’s one of the versions of…
http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=959&c=70
I also know this:
SROCZKA KASZKE WARZYLA,
OGONEK SPARZYLA
TEMU DALA BO MALUTKI
TEMU DALA BO KROCIOTKI
TEMU DALA BO SIE PROSIL
TEMU DALA BO WODE NOSIL
A TEMU NIC NIE DALA (as on website)
March 28th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
When I was young my grandparents would sing this song while bouncing me on their leg..I dont know the Polish spelling only english phoentic version…can u help?
hooshu hooshu
stary trushu…nie be **** ****** (the rest is blank)
another was
Oolie oolie Anka Clenknie na kolanka
po tem cie se bochkie
****** varcockie
Ring a bell? Any feedback appreciated! :)
December 17th, 2010 at 6:03 am
you can find a lot of Polish songs and books in this Polish Bookstore
February 5th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Carol, I too would like the words to the poem about pecking the palm of the hand with the words that began with “the mu dala”. You got a reply from Shifra. Thank you.
February 12th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
My mother’s family came from northern Poland in the Bialystok area. She did what sounded like “tu, tu, tu, kaska, tu, tu, tu, kaska (in the palm of my hand), then pulling gently on each finger “temu dolla (5 times). Touching the inside of the wrist: “to sank; the inside of the forearm: “to pyank”; touching the inside of the elbow: “to kloda”; touching the inside upper arm: “to voda”; and then tickling under the arm: “to ZHMNAVADA!!!”. Shifra’s reply was helpful in the translation, which no one in my mother’s family could really remember. Perhaps there are variations on rhymes and songs as there are in the US. If anyone knows more, bring it on please.
June 10th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Tu kokoszka jajeczko znosila
Temu dala bo byl maly
Temu dala bo byl grzeczny
Temu dala bo byl ladny
Temu dala bo byl glodny
A temu nie dala
Wytargala go za uczy i “frrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuu” odleciala
August 26th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
@Sue
Reply to the comment from March 2010
The second rhyme goes:
Moja Ulijanko, klęknij na kolanko,
Podeprzyj se boczki,
Chwyć się za warkoczki,
Umyj się,
Uczesz się,
i wybieraj kogo chcesz,
Czy dziewczynke czy chlopaka czy samego karkowiaka.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Kasia, could you please translate it for us?
November 15th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
When I was little it went:
Moja Julijanko,
Klęknij na kolanko,
Ujmij się pod boczki,
Chwyć się za warkoczki,
Umyj twarz,
Włoski czesz,
Kogo chcesz,
Tego bierz.
And it meant something like:
My Juliana,
Kneel on one knee,
Hold your waist,
Grasp your pigtails,
Wash your face,
Brush your hair,
And who you want,
Take.
December 19th, 2011 at 11:51 am
I know this version:
Tu kokoszka kaszkę ważyła
ogonek sparzyła
temu dała na miseczkę
temu na łyżeczkę
temu w talerzyku
temu w skorupeczce
a temu główkę (or: ogonek) urwała
i frruuuuu tutaj się schowała!
It’s about a mamma bird that is weighing food (groats) for her little chicks
each finger is a chick…
but when she comes to the last, fifth chick – ‘finger’, well, let’s just say she’s cruel to the chick…and so she flies away to hide somewhere
where she hides is where the child gets tickled.
February 20th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Abi (3)
Jedna z możliwych wersji:
Wpadł pies do kuchni, porwał mięsa ćwierć
A kucharz, co był głupi, zarąbał go na śmierć
A kuchcik, co był mądry i dobre serce miał,
Zmajstrował mu nagrobek i taki napis dał.
(i znowu…)
lub
Wpadł piesek do kuchni, porwał mięsa ćwierć
A kucharz, co był głupi, zarąbał go na śmierć
A kuchcik, co był mądry i dobre serce miał,
Postawił mu nagrobek i tak mu napisał.
January 27th, 2014 at 2:13 pm
Can anyone help? My mother learner a song from a polish neighbor and she can’t. Remember what it means. She keeps singing it over and over. It is something like hoopie shoopie hoopie shoopie donna what’s a makeronna …
Thanks
August 11th, 2014 at 7:01 pm
I am trying to translate a Polish song my Grandmother sang to my mother as a child. My Mom wrote it out phonetically. It’s about little apples, I believe.
This is how she wrote it out:
Po swawa mie matka,
Na gojzie po yapka,Ah ya zg(y?)orie, na pozsirie
V(U)ysiepava yapa.
Na gojzie pulzy dzujie
Subrn chervony yaka
Ah ya zgorie, na przurie
V(U)ysiepawa yapkr.
I think the first line is
After my mother….
At the ….of the…..
THANK YOU!
October 16th, 2015 at 10:15 pm
Hi Mary.
first part goes like this:
Posłała mnie matka / My mother sent me
Na górę po jabłka /Upstairs to bring apples
a ja – z góry na pazury / and me – from above to the claws – IDIOM – means falling down or running down.
wysypałam jabłka./I’ve spilled the apples
link to this song:
http://www.sadki.pl/files/media/10_-_Poslala_mnie_matka.mp3
Regards
May 16th, 2016 at 8:41 pm
When I was little it was this
Kukułka ważyła Jagiełki (finger circling the baby’s hand)
Temu dała (hold baby’s thumb)
Temu dała (hold baby’s forefinger)
Temu dała (middle finger)
Temu dała (ring finger)
A temu nie dała bo nie miała wiec łeb mu urwała i odleciała. (pinky finger)
Basically the cuckoo is weighing kasza jagiellońska which after I believe is called millet in English (I’m not sure correct me if I’m wrong as I’m not English.
So she’s weighing millet and she gives it to every finger except the pinky finger because she didn’t have enough so she rips of his head and flies away.
November 21st, 2016 at 4:14 am
Hello Friends. I am searching for a song my Babcia used to sing to me. I know the first line, and please excuse my spelling: “Gdybym byl jesczie chlopiec maly…”. I cannot seem to find this anywhere. This is the 40th anniversary of my Dziadzia’s passing, so would be so happy to get a lead. Thank you! Dziencuje!
February 14th, 2017 at 4:42 am
My mother used to sing an upbeat song to me that she referred to as “Go Tell Mommy”, phonetically it sounds like Siski Dishki Provna Mommy but I’m wondering if it’s more like
iść powiedzieć mamie. Any clues?
May 22nd, 2017 at 11:36 pm
My bobcia used to do the chicken thing to me too!! I remember it all but can’t spell any of it. I remember it like Carol described it. When bobcia plucked my fingers she’d say (phonically) to peench to qwadda, to peench to qwadda, etc. Then (phonically) timudowa, as she moved up my arm before the tickle. I was mortified when I grew up and my aunt told me it was about killing a chicken lol. I miss my bobcia.
March 22nd, 2019 at 12:11 pm
MY MOTHER USED TO DO THIS RHYME WITH MY CHILDREN:
I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO SPELL THE WORDS IN POLISH
BUT IT WENT LIKE THIS IN ENGLISH:
where did the mama chick peck? (tap the palm of your hand)
Here, here , here
gave to this one (the thumb)
gave to this one ( the index)
gave to this one (middle finger)
gave to this one (ring finger)
and this one got its head ripped off (the pinky)
flew to alaska and brought back with more food.
August 28th, 2020 at 8:23 pm
Deborah wrote:
“Hello,
My Mom used to sing a song to us when it was time to sleep, so I’m guessing it was a lullaby. I don’t speak Polish but I’d love to find the song and know its meaning. It had a refrain of …”coo coo la la, coo coo la la, coo coo la, la, la, la, la, la, la.” It was soft sounding is all I know.
Thank you for any help.”
-Debra Krawczykiewicz
December 22nd, 2020 at 5:52 am
i am looking for the same song my babci would sing to me..i will also ask my mom
May 4th, 2023 at 5:50 pm
Looking for a song my mom sang to my kids –
Choo Choo Choo Choo yagale
Poyyeegem doe babale
Temu DALA Temu daka temu nitz
Nemalla –
Temu molejala ; ran home
May 4th, 2023 at 7:14 pm
Sarah, I think it’s a version of the rhyme/song at the link below…
https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=959
July 4th, 2023 at 9:30 pm
I used to say a rhyme to my son but do not know the English translation. Can someone help. Spelling may be strange: Abraham, nie chodz tam, bo cie mishka, zrobi ham. I think it says Abraham, don’t go there. If you do, the bear/mouse will get you.