Sandy wrote looking for help with lyrics to a Chinese New Years song. Here’s what she wrote…
Looking for the entire words to an old song “I’m a Little Chinese Doll from across the sea. Where the lovely lotus blooms neath a cherry tree. Paper dragons you will meet on a Chinese New Year, Winding up and down the street on a Chinese New Year. Evil Spirits cannot stay when the dragon’s on his way. Firecrackers POP all day on a Chinese New Year…” Anyone ever heard this song and is there more of it? Please let me know, I need it for my little granddaughter to sing… She so loves it but we think there is more. Thanks for the help.
If anyone know of more lyrics to this song, or if you know anything about the origins of it, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Sunday, October 19th, 2008 at 12:24 am and is filed under Australia, Canada, Children's Songs, China, Chinese Children's Songs, Chinese New Year, Chinese New Years Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, English Children's Songs, Holiday Songs, Holidays Around the World, Hong Kong, Languages, Mama Lisa, Questions, United Kingdom, USA. 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.
17 Responses to “Does Anyone Know the Song, “I’m a Little Chinese Doll from Across the Sea”?”
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October 21st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
My dad used to sing a song in norwegian…something like, rea rea runkin…and at the end it was Bow Wow Wow, that was a dog…do u know it
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 am
We have that version of Ride Ride Ranke on our Norwegian pages. Check it out at the link to see if it’s the one you’re looking for.
Otherwise, check out the discussion going on about Rida rida ranke and its variations in different languages (including Norwegian, Danish and Swedish) on my blog.
Mama Lisa
April 21st, 2009 at 7:11 pm
I was just singing this song yesterday to to my husband. I heard a tune on a computer came my daughter was playing and it jogged my memory. I googled it today to see if I could find all they lyrics. I remembered learning it in 4th grade ( I’m now 35)
aside from the parts you have on here, here is all I can remember.
I’m a little Chinese doll from across the sea, where the lovely lotus bloom, near a cherry tree
Chopsticks are for eating rice, when you live in China
drinking hot green tea is nice, when you live in China
On a flute of “something i cant remember” bamboo, playing tuu laa loo laa loo, is a “pleasant?” “lovely?” thing to do, when you live in China…
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I Need A Break
by Renee S.
This world is heartless, this world is so cold
Must make a million before you get too old.
If you don’t own everything they say you should
You’re not worth knowing. Always be misunderstood.
So if you don’t see me for a while just want you to know
I’m still around just inside my head inside my home.
I need to spend time thinking how to solve my life.
Just overwhelmed by all the vanity and the strife.
[Chorus]
I need a break from all the pressure and the pain.
Feel for my friends whose lives are just so insane.
Seems like I’m on a treadmill going nowhere fast.
Sometimes I wonder just how long this phase can last.
My head is shutting down just need to close my eyes
It may be things won’t seem so bad when I arise.
Should count my blessing. I’m told I’m still alive
Just doesn’t feel I am. Spend my life trying to hide.
Each time I add someone else’s problems to my own
I cloud out my own troubles until I am alone.
Then my head floods with everything I need to think about
I just don’t need the worries forced anxiety and doubt.
[Chorus]
I need a break from all the pressure and the pain.
Feel for my friends whose lives are just so insane.
Seems like I’m on a treadmill going nowhere fast.
Sometimes I wonder just how long this phase can last
Who’ll rescue me? Take me away from this misery.
I need to get away. Somewhere I can feel free.
I need a paradise. I need Eden in my street.
A place that’s tranquil and serene and where I want to be.
[Chorus]
I need a break from all the pressure and the pain.
Feel for my friends whose lives are just so insane.
Seems like I’m on a treadmill going nowhere fast.
Sometimes I wonder just how long this phase can last.
But just call if you need me.
(THE END)
Hope u liked it! btw, i wrote this so you can check youtube or anywhere i didn’t steal it!!
July 9th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I sang this song as a first grader in a Christmas play….I remember all the words:
I’m a little Chinese doll, from across the sea
Where a lovely lotus blooms
Near a cherry (or berry) tree
Chopsticks are for eating rice
When you live in China
Drinking hot green tea is nice
When you live in China
On a flute of light bamboo
Playing too ra loo ra loo
Is a pleasant thing to do
When you live in China
I’m a little Chinese doll
From across the sea
Where a lovely lotus blooms
Near a berry (cherry) tree
Paper dragons you will meet
On the Chinese New Year
Winding up and down the street
On the Chinese New Year
Evil spirits can not stay
When the dragon comes your way
(then the firecracker line, which is not what I recall, but…maybe that’s it)
On the Chinese New Year
repeat chorus
September 18th, 2009 at 9:24 am
I took the i need a break song and wrote a melody to it and everything. my email is fenderman34@yahoo.com let me know if you’d like to hear it!!!!
October 31st, 2009 at 3:14 am
My little sister used to sing this song too. She is now 46!!!
The line Joanne cannot remember is: “firecrackers pop all day”
April 15th, 2010 at 7:45 am
This is crazy!! I can’t believe other people know this song. I learned it in school in about 1961. thanks for posting.
May 17th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
I am going crazy My daddy used to sing a song about a little china girl when I was little. I am now 47 and I don’t remember the words but I thought it was a drunken sailor song. I now have a ten year old and I was talking to her about songs my dad sang to me but when I look at these words they don’t look or sound right it was a silly little ditty. My mom had a stroke many years back and she remembers the song slightly but she to can not remember the words.
December 9th, 2011 at 11:19 am
I sang that Chinese New Year song in first or second grade and I’m now 42, so must have been around 1976. It was at Wilmington Elementary School. Joanne’s lyrics are what I remember, and Graysea’s “firecrackers POP all day!” is correct also.
February 23rd, 2015 at 10:18 pm
My brother sang it to me before I started kindergarten. ..I would love to here it…I am now 54 years old!
February 15th, 2016 at 6:01 pm
I know this is an old thread, but I went to Catholic school in Buffalo K-2, and this was played on an old 45 by my K teacher. We had several Korean kids in class, one barely knew English. Another had a habit of stealing food, which I was told he had to do back in his country. I think they liked the introduction of things like this from the orient in class. This would have been the 71/72 school year. So, I’m amazed that others remember it.
November 17th, 2018 at 11:06 pm
I sang this song Little Chinese Doll in 1970, 1st grade Christmas play. I was singing to one of my friends today. Searched to see if anyone else knew it!!
December 17th, 2018 at 10:35 pm
I sang this song in my first grade play in 1963… I am 62 now, but still remember the first line of the song and the melody… Thank you all, this was driving me crazy not remembering the rest of the lyrics.
November 6th, 2019 at 6:25 pm
I used to teach this song to my students in Lima (Perú). It was a long time ago. Maybe 1980….
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:35 am
I sang this song when i was in first grade and I am now 62 years old. My mother had sewn me an oriental outfit and I learned a dance routine that we performed as the song was sung. Something I was watching reminded me of the song but I could not remember the lyrics. I am thrilled to see others knew the words. Thanks to all who submitted their contributions.
July 8th, 2023 at 1:11 am
I grew up in northern NJ. I am now 46 and we learned this song in 3rd or 4th grade. I also still remember most of the lyrics, and often sing it to my chinese wife who just stares in disbelief.