Jennifer wrote:
Hi Lisa,
I came across your website and hope you can help me. My grandfather was a little old Mexican man, who couldn’t talk very well. Anyway, he always would say this rhyme to us in Spanish. He would use his fingers (for legs) and “walk” up our arm and at the end of the rhyme he would tickle us. All we can remember is that its about a little man walking up a hill. We never learned to speak Spanish and he passed away several years ago. We all reminisce and wish we knew what it was saying. I know it’s a long shot and not much to go on, but I thought I’d ask for any help!
Thank you,
Jennifer Williamson
If anyone can help out with this rhyme, please comment below.
Thanks!
-Lisa
This article was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 12:39 am and is filed under Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Languages, Mexico, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions, Spanish. 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.
10 Responses to “Can Someone Help with a Mexican Rhyme about a Man Walking Up a Hill?”
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January 9th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Oh, the grand old duke of York
He had 5000 men!
He marched them up to the top of the hill –
and he marched them down again
And when they were up they were up
and when they were down they were down
and when they were only half way up –
they were neither up nor down!
Obviously this is not Mexican but many diverse rhymes share a once common ancestry so I thought I’d shoot it out there to you.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
The only one that sounds similar isn’t about a little old man, but about an ant.
Esta hormigita
cortaba su leñita
cayó un aquacero
y se metió a su casita
Translation:
This little ant
was chopping her wood
the rain began to pour
and she ran into her house (On this line you stop slowly walking your fingers up the child’s arm and scurry them to his or her neck and tickle them.)
Hope this helps.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I also know a similar one about an ant…
Había una hormigita
Buscando comidita
Se vino una llubesnita
y corre, corre a su cobechita
Translation:
There was a little ant
Looking for some food
It started to rain and it
ran, ran, ran inot its little cave.
(While singing the song your finger walk slowly up the child’s arm and when it starts to rain your fingers scurry up the child’s armpit or neck and tickle….my mom always did the armpit.
February 4th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
My grandmother used to say one similar to Sandra’s only it was about a little old lady:
Una viejita
juntando leñita
llegó el aquacero
y se metió a su casita
Translation:
A little old lady
was gathering wood
the rain came
and she ran into her house.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
The version I know is:
Había una viejita
pelando su leñita
lego la lluvisnita
y corrio corrio a su casita
My dad used to say it to me when I was a little girl and he would also use his fingers as legs and walk up my arm and tickle me @ the end. Hopes this help! :o)
February 20th, 2015 at 2:03 pm
aqui van un vejito buscando llenita, se veno un aquacerdo and se metrio en la cuevita. (excuse my spelling, it has been quite a while since I have written anything in spanish)
February 23rd, 2015 at 10:08 pm
Then it’s:
Aquí va un vejito buscando leñita, se vino un aguacero y se metió en la cuevita.
The “aquacerdo” is funny since un cerdo is a pig.
May 6th, 2015 at 11:57 pm
My grandma used to tell me the same little riddle. Such memories. I tell my kids the same riddle when I wake them up. Don’t know what I’m telling them but it brings back memories.
September 8th, 2016 at 7:04 am
Por aqui va un Viejito
con su cargita de lena
lo agarra un lluvisnita
y corre y se mete en su cobashita cobashita cobashita
There goes an old man
with his load of wood
when it rains on him
he runs up and goes in his hut, hut, hut
August 30th, 2022 at 1:06 am
My mother would wake us up in the morning by walking her fingers up our arms sayin something like this (sounded like):
“Pon, pon, pon (went?) el anciento (viejito?) con el baton”
Supposed to be like “click click click went the old man with the cane” as he walks up your arm (hill?)yuu. My mom’s mother or grandmother shared it w her when she was a little girl.