Roger Greiner wrote asking for help with a French Belgian children’s song. Here’s his email:

“I write to you in the hope of finding out if you know of a children’s song that my grandmother (born, Milene, Belgium) use to sing to me and my cousins as little children. Please bear with me as I try to write the lyrics, which – phonetically – go something like…

Ye, ye, da, da, da,
Seta a cheval grandpa-pa,
Grandpa-pa ne pa sai sei,
Le pac tee,
Ya pari,
No, no, eh la pa tee seeeee!

I have also attached a recording of my aunt who remembers the song as such. You can listen to it here.

I write this email as well because I am in an MFA program and one of the projects is to design a children’s book, of which I am to do about this song sung to me as a child.

Thank you so much in advance.

Sincerely,
-Roger Greiner

Monique, who works with me on the French and Spanish versions of the site, worked out the following spelling with me:

In French:

“Hi, hi, à dada
Sur le cheval est grand-papa (We’re not sure of this line in the recording)
Grand-papa n’est pas ici,
Il est parti à Paris.
Non, non, il est ici.”

In English

“Ya, ya horsie!
Grandpapa is on the horse.
Grandpapa isn’t here,
He’s gone to Paris.
No, no, no, he’s here.”

Is anyone familiar with this song? If so, please help us out with any info by commenting below.

Thanks in advance!

-Mama Lisa