Gini Smith sent me the following email with a Slovakian nursery song…
It is an old song which I know the English and the Slovakian. However, I could not write the Slovak, only phonetically.
My grandmother taught it to us kids and we loved it.
The Slavonic translation may have variations depending on the area the people lived in Slovakia.
The word Dance is tantsui – which is pronounced tant -su
My word Tin-u is like us saying LA LA LA LA or ba bum, ba bum
It is used more like a sound but could be a child’s way of saying tant-su.
Well here it is:
Tin-u – tin-u, tin-u, tin-u
Dido zabyv sviniu (Daddy kills pig)
Mama placheh (Mama cries)
dity scatchit (children jumping)
Tin-u, tin- u, tin-uThe Pig Song
(Full English Translation)Dance, Dance – Dance, Dance,
Daddy’s killing the pig,
Mother’s crying,
The kids are dancing,
Dance, Dance, Dance.It was as endearing to me as any other Nursery Song because it came from beloved grandmother – Baba.
Thank you.
Submitted by Gini Smith, Slovakian-American.
If anyone can provide the original Slovakian text, please let us know in the comments below or email me at lisa@mamalisa.com
Many thanks to Gini Smith for sharing this song with us!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 9:58 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, English, Languages, Mama Lisa, Questions, Slovak, Slovak Nursery Rhymes, Slovakia, Slovakian Children's Songs. 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 “Slovakian Nursery Song”
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February 25th, 2010 at 3:10 am
I am sorry, I do not know the correct version, but in Czech it could be like this:
Tancuj – tancuj, tancuj – tancuj
Táta zabil svini
Máma pláče
dítě skáče
tancuj, tancuj, tancuj!
September 7th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Hello,
I don’t know the song you are talking about but Slovak translation of what you wrote would be:
Tancuj, tancuj, tancuj, tancuj,
Dedo zabil sviňu,
Mama plače,
Deti skáču,
Tancuj, tancuj, tancuj, tancuj.
Where ‘dedo’ doesn’t mean daddy but grandfather. Daddy would be otec, ocko, tato or tatko
I hope this helps
November 28th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
can someone help us with some childrens songs that our mom taught us in slovak but we do not know what they mean? she passed this past january at the wonderful age of 96… i am not sure how to spell the words but we can print them as phonetically possible…
koo koo lang ka desi bo la, ke ta tu ha zima bo la, i yi yi, koo koo koo, sed de las sem na bo koo, i yi yi, koo koo koo, sed de las sem na bo koo!!!
the other song is: sphee pope koo sphee, shey coley shey, mama u zetu, sphee ppope koo sphee!!!
thank you anyone for your help
December 6th, 2011 at 6:34 am
Hi Jonella
It is possible to find the lyrics and the translation of the first song here:
Kukulienka, kde si bola
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc4OnCEjJPg&feature=related
Slovak folk song
Slovenská ľudová pieseň
Slová :
Kukulienka, kde si bola, keď tá tuhá zima bola?
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, sedela som na buku. :]
Sedela som na tom dube, kde Janíčko drevo rúbe.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, sedela som na buku. :]
Sedela som na tej lávce, kde Janíčko krpce láce
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, sedela som na buku. :]
Keď som včera prala šaty, stratila som prsteň zlatý.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, hľadajme ho tu i tu. :]
Vrabec kričí spoza kríčka, že je prsteň u Janíčka.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, hľadajme ho tu i tu. :]
Sova volá spod jedličky, že je prsteň u Aničky.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, hľadajme ho tu i tu. :]
Hajajaj, kukuku, sedela som na buku.
Lyrics :
Cuckoo, where have you been, when the severe winter was?
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, I was sitting on a beech. :]
I was sitting on that oak, where Janíčko cuts the wood.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, I was sitting on a beech. :]
I was sitting on that footbridge, where Janíčko darns peasant’s shoes.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, I was sitting on a beech. :]
When I was washing clothes yesterday, I lost my gold ring.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, find it here and here! :]
A sparrow is shouting from behind the shrublet, that Janíčko has the ring.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, find it here and here! :]
An owl is shouting from under the fir, that Anička has the ring.
[: Hajajaj, kukuku, find it here and here! :]
Hajajaj, kukuku, I was sitting on the beech.
The second song is a lullaby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRIrR_dBDSA
“Spi dieťatko spi že” or the same meaning is ” Spi bábätko spi”
March 14th, 2012 at 12:03 am
Hi Hana,
I saw your reply to Jonella’s question above and recognized the sentence “Hajajaj, kukuku, sedela som na buku” from a song my grandmother used to sing to me, but the melody was different from the one in the YouTube video. Do you happen to know another song that has this same sentence?
I remember the song also had the following words: Kelta kavelka lia bila. But that is all I can remember.
Thank you in advance!
March 24th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Hi Yael
what about this melody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-QtmbjZ7Cc
I am sorry, I do not know “your” song.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:02 am
Thank you Hana, but unfortunately that is not the right melody either.
July 29th, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Hi, Yeal,
words “Kelta kavelka lia bila” are maybe in slovak “keď tá veľká zima bola”. It’s another version of the verse “keď tá tuhá zima bola”. Meaning is the same. Melody of some songs can vary. If text which you remember is (with some differneces) same like this above, it’s probably the same song.
December 17th, 2015 at 11:57 pm
Kukulenka desi bola
Ke tatua zima bola
Sedelasom nabuku
A kricsalasum kukuku
Kohutik jarabik
Ne hodz tu zachradik
Vikopes la liu
Potom ta zabiju
May 13th, 2022 at 12:33 pm
Thank you, wonderful people. My great grandmother (Stalka), my grandmother (Monka) and my mother sang this. My mother sang it to all her grandbabies. My girls would squeal with joy. After my mother passed, I struggled to remember the words! I am now weeping with joy. In my mind’s eye, well ear, I can hear it again fully and completely. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU