I’ve been asked several times for the Pennsylvania Dutch Version of the German rhyme Dies Ist der Daumen – This Is the Thumb. Today I received the version below thanks to Luke and Mary Martin. Here’s what Luke wrote…
My wife and I are also familiar with many of the German songs. This morning while looking for them, I found the finger rhyme, and your question about the Pennsylvania German variation. This is the song my father used to sing to us – seven children. Pennsylvania German has many varieties of spelling, and perhaps you can sharpen up the spelling. (My wife, Mary, and I worked at the pronunciation and spelling of the Pennsylvania German Finger Song. Mary grew up speaking Pennsylvania German.) Here it goes…
Des ist die Daume
Des ist die Daume
Der schittelt die Plaume
Der laest sie ouf
Der traught sie Haem
Und des glae Bopplemaul
Bopplet alles mit’n ahnna da Haem.This is the thumb.
This [one] shakes the plums,
This [one] picks them up,
This [one] brings them home,
And this little tattletale tells everyone at home.It was always spoken, not sung.
Thanks for your work in collecting old songs.
Luke Martin
(Pennsylvania)
If anyone would like to give other variations of the spelling, feel free to in the comments below. Many thanks to Luke Martin for sending this version of the rhyme to us!
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Des ist die Daume, Dies Ist der Daumen, Finger Plays, German, German Nursery Rhymes, Germany, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dutch, Pennsylvania Dutch, Pennsylvania Dutch Nursery Rhymes, Questions, USA, 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.
4 Responses to “Pennsylvania Dutch Version of Dies Ist der Daumen – This Is the Thumb”
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November 14th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Hi, Mama Lisa,
I don’t know, how old the a.m request is.
Here the korrekt spoken German words (to the South German slang):
Das ist der Daumen, (thumb)
Der schuettelt die Pflaumen, (finger next to the thumb)
Der hebt sie auf, (the middle finger)
Der bringt sie nach Haus, (ring finger)
und der Kleine isst sie alle alle auf. (little finger)
(Des ist die Daume
Der schittelt die Plaume
Der laest sie ouf
Der traught sie Haem
Und des glae Bopplemaul
Bopplet alles mit’n ahnna da Haem.
Germany – North, 14th November 2009
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:02 pm
i thought it was a little off color but dont know why
my Dad’s german nurse taught him (in 1910)
Das ist die Daumen
Der schuetullt die pflaumen
Der lasst sich aus
der braucht sie nach Haus
und diese kleine Schelm isst sie alle auf
February 7th, 2022 at 3:46 pm
My grandfather’s name was Schweitzer, his parents spoke German, so I always assumed that the German version he taught me was authentic somewhere in Germany. Each of four fingers did something with the plum. It began with “this one picked the plum.” He finished this verse with
“alle, alle, alle, auf.” A loose translation was “and this one ate is all, all, all up.”
December 2nd, 2023 at 6:00 pm
My gram taught this to my mom and she taught it to me but it sound different than this