LL-L "Games" 2005.05.14 (04) [E/German]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 14.MAY.2005 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: "Games" [E]

> From: Thomas Byro <greenherring at gmail.com>
> Subject: LL-L "Delectables" 2005.05.13 (06) [E/LS]
>
> Perhaps this should go under childrens games or  some such topic.  I
> recall that in the schoolyard, we boys would play ball but the girls
> would jump rope or form lines in which they locked arms  and danced
> toward and away from each other, all the time singing and chanting. I
> did not pay much attention to girls at the time but I suspect that
> what they were singing was some very old and traditional songs indeed.
>  Does anybody have any idea of what they were singing?

You know, it would really help if you said where they were!

In the lowalnds of Scotland a typical song for the locked-arms dance that
the girls did would go like this:

The basket, the basket,
The bonnie, bonnie basket,
Me a penny, you a penny,
Turn aboot the basket.

This would be sung to the chorus of "Yankee Doodle Dandy".

Sandy

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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From: Global Moose Translations <globalmoose at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L "Games" 2005.05.14 (02) [E]

Tom Byro wondered:

> Perhaps this should go under childrens games or  some such topic.  I
> recall that in the schoolyard, we boys would play ball but the girls
> would jump rope or form lines in which they locked arms  and danced
> toward and away from each other, all the time singing and chanting. I
> did not pay much attention to girls at the time but I suspect that
> what they were singing was some very old and traditional songs indeed.
>  Does anybody have any idea of what they were singing?

Well, I can only tell you what they used to sing in a schoolyard in
Northeim, in Southern Lower Saxony (in High German) in the 1960s:

" Es kamen zwei Pantoffelchen, u-hu-hu,
es kamen zwei Pantoffelchen, icks acks ucks.

Die sollten einen Brief abgeben, u-hu-hu,
die sollten einen Brief abgeben, icks acks ucks.

Was stand denn in dem Brief drin, u-hu-hu,
was stand denn in dem Brief drin, icks acks ucks.

Ja, morgen soll die Hochzeit sein, u-hu-hu,
ja, morgen soll die Hochzeit sein, icks acks ucks.

Da fehlt ja noch ein Bräutigam, u-hu-hu,
da fehlt ja noch ein Bräutigam, icks acks ucks.

Ja, XYZ soll der Bräut'gam sein, u-hu-hu,
Ja, XYZ soll der Bräut'gam sein, icks acks ucks.

Da fehlt ja noch die Braut, u-hu-hu,
da fehlt ja noch die Braut, icks acks ucks.

Ja, UVW soll die Braut sein, u-hu-hu,
Ja, UVW soll die Braut sein, icks acks ucks.

Da fehlt ja noch ein Baby, u-hu-hu,
da fehlt ja noch ein Baby, icks acks ucks.

Ja, QRS soll das Baby sein, u-hu-hu,
Ja, QRS soll das Baby sein, icks acks ucks."

In the verses where a bride, a groom and a baby were specified, we inserted
the name of a bystander who then had to join the line. The point was, I
suppose, to "bring together couples" as a way of harmless teasing (we were
seven or eight then), and to embarrass somebody, preferrably a boy, who had
to be the baby.

Another, similar song that also named a boy and a girl as a couple was:

"Zehntausend Manne, die zogen ins Manöver,
zehntausend Manne, die zogen ins Manöver.

Bei einem Bauern, da ließen sie sich nieder,
bei einem Bauern, da ließen sie sich nieder.

(I'll leave out the repetitions from here).

Bauer, der hatte 'ne wunderschöne Tochter.

Wie soll sie heißen? Ja, XYZ soll sie heißen.

Wer soll sie kriegen? Ja, UVW soll sie kriegen.

Da sprach der UVW: die will ich gar nicht haben!

Da weint' die XYZ kartoffeldicke Tränen.

Da sprach der UVW: dann muss ich sie wohl nehmen!"

I think there were one or two more songs like that, but these are the only
two I can clearly remember (and after all this time, too!). I have never
encountered them anywhere else in my life, and I have no idea where they
originated or who started them (I skipped first grade after a few months and
joined this class in mid-schoolyear). Also, I don't think I ever saw any
children from other classes play this game. I have always wondered about
this particular piece of folklore, though, because the whole thing seemed
rather traditional - but from where?

Gabriele Kahn

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