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Dutch schoolyard songs with music and English translation

Content website: dutch children's songs from holland translated in english translation more than 300 dutch lullabies the most well-known famous classic traditional popular songs from the netherlands lullaby lullabies nursery rhymes rhyme cradle songs children's song lyric lyrics songtext songtexts translation translations melody melodies music musical notation musical notes note tone staves text and music mp3

Keywords: children's songs from around the world dutch songs for children songs netherlands nederland holland dutch folk songs dutch song european folk songs from europe dutch language folk music niederlandische kinderlieder kinderlied niederlaendische niederländische lieder kinderreim kinderreimen liedchen aus die niederlande cancion infantil canciones infantiles de paises bajos holanda comptine comptines rondes chansons enfants pays bas

Variants: children's game dutch children's games
Dutch schoolyard songs
Dutch school children's songs with English translation



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(translated in English)






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A little gipsy-girl was sitting
on a stone and cried
cried o cried and
she was all alone.
Get up gipsy-girl
and dry off all your tears
you can choose another child
and dance together now!

La la lalalala lalalala la
la la la la lalalala la!



Er zat een klein zigeunermeisje,
huilend op een steen.
Huilend, huilend
helemaal alleen.
Sta op zigeunermeisje
droog je traantjes af
kies een kindje uit de kring
want anders ben je af!

La la lalalala lalalalala,
la la la la lalalalala.



dutch lyric Er zat een klein zigeunermeisje :
Songs E or Songs from school children

commentary: The children are standing in a circle, holding hands, one is sitting in the middle. Line 1-4: the children walk slowly around in the circle, hand in hand. The child in the middle pretends to be weeping.

Line 5-8: the children dance around (skipping/bobbing) in the circle, still holding hands. The child in the middle gets up and walks in the opposite direction. On the last word the child picks another child.

Line 9-10: the two children dance together in the circle (holding hands crossed en skipping in circles). Afterwards that other child sits down in the middle and the play starts all over again.










   Play music   -   or click here.


Two farmer's children are dancing in a circle
I ask you to join in, I ask you to join in.
But if you don't want and stay out, my best friend
then you and me will dance round the world, far and wide!

Just like troelala, troelala, troelala lala
just like troelala lala, just like troelala lala.
And if you don't want and stay out, my best friend
then you and me will dance round the world, far and wide!



Twee boerenkinderen die dansen in de kring
kom jij d'r maar 'ns in, kom jij d'r maar 'ns in.
En als je niet meedoet mijn beste vriendin
dan dansen wij samen de wijde wereld in!

Van je troelala, troelala, troelala lala
van je troelala lala, van je troelala lala.
En als je niet meewilt mijn beste vriendin
dan dansen wij samen de wijde wereld in!



dutch lyric Twee boerenkinderen die dansen in een kring :
Songs from school children

commentary: Description of the game will follow.









Handkerchief down and
tell nobody
cock-doodle-doo our rooster crowed.
I put on two pair of shoes
one of cloth and one of leather
I'll put down my handkerchief here.



Zakdoekje leggen
niemand zeggen
kukelekuu zei onze haan.
Twee paar schoenen heb ik aangedaan.
Eén van stof en één van leer
hier leg ik mijn zakdoekje neer.



dutch lyric Zakdoekje leggen :
Songs Z

commentary: All toddlers are sitting in a circle, eyes closed. One child, with a handkerchief in his hand, walks quietly around the circle while the others sing the song. He (child A) puts it behind the back of a child (child B).

At the end of the song all children look behind their back, the one that finds the handkerchief (B) has to catch the other child (A). If child A has taken the empty place before catched by B, then B has to walk with the handkerchief when the song is sung again.










White white swans and black black swans,
who will sail with me to far far England?
Nowadays England is locked
the key, too bad, is broken.
Can you find no carpenter
who can make the key for us?

Let pass through, let pass through
and we will catch the last .... one!



Witte zwanen, zwarte zwanen
wie gaat er mee naar Engeland varen?
Engeland is gesloten
de sleutel is gebroken.
Is er dan geen timmerman
die de sleutel maken kan?

Laat doorgaan, laat doorgaan
wie achter is moet voor....gaan!



dutch lyric Witte zwanen, zwarte zwanen :
Songs from school children

commentary: Last line, variant: The last one will be first one.

Song can have two meanings. Engeland (England) can also be understood as engelland (land of angles). Then, of course, the song would have a religious meaning.

Description of the game: Two children (in secret they have decided one of them is the 'apple', one of them the 'pear') make a gate by holding hands high. All the other children walk through the gate, singing. On the last word, the children put down their arms and catch a child. This child has to choose (whispering!): apple or pear? (Sometimes: golden apple or silver pear?) The child stands with the child of his choise.

The game repeats untill all children has chosen a side. It can be an independant game or a way to devide children into two random groups.










   Play music   -   or click here.


Get two buckets full of water
pump two buckets water
girls on wooden shoes and
boys who have a wooden leg
you can pass my little street.

Just like quick, quick, quick,
our king drives in the rain.
Just like forth, forth, forth,
our king does pass the gate.
Just like urch, urch, urch,
our king drives through the church.
Just like one, two, three!



Twee emmertjes water halen
twee emmertjes pompen
meisjes op de klompen
jongens op hun houten been
rij maar door mijn straatje heen.

Van je ras, ras, ras
rijdt de koning door de plas.
Van je voort, voort, voort
rijdt de koning door de poort.
Van je erre, erre, erre
rijdt de koning door de kerk.
Van je één, twee, drie!



dutch lyric Twee emmertjes water halen :
Songs from school children

commentary: Children are standing in two long lines, facing each other. Line 1-5: the children hold hands crossed en move arms forwards and backwards (simultaneously right arm forward and left backward and then reversed).

Line 6-7: Children step back and clap hands. The first pair holds hands and skip between the rows to the other side of the lines. Line 8-9: the second pair follows. Line 10-11: the third pair follows. Line 12: all children step toward each other and the game starts again (untill all children have had their turn to hop through the 'street').









   Muziek afspelen   -   or click here.


Gras is green, gras is green
under my bare feet, feet.
I did lose my closest friend
I will have to find him.

Hey, you, quickly make some
room for this young lady.
And the cuckoo on the roof
sings a song so leisurely.
O my darling Augustijn,
it will be this lady.



Groen is gras, groen is gras
onder mijne voeten.
'k Heb verloren m'n beste vriend
'k zal hem zoeken moeten.

Hé daar, plaatsje maken
voor de jongedame.
En de koekoek op het dak
zingt een lied op zijn gemak.
O, mijn lieve Augustijn,
deze dame zal het zijn.



dutch lyric Groen is gras :
Songs from school children

commentary: The children walk hand in hand in a circle. One is walking outside the circle in the opposite direction. Line 5-6: the circle breaks open and the child walks into the circle to the other side and leaves the circle again on 'lady'. Last line, on 'this': the child picks one other child.

The game starts over again. Now two children, holding hands, are outside the circle. Then three, then four, and so on: the circle gets smaller and the row of children longer. The word 'lady' in line 6 has to be sung longer every time.










   Play music   -   or click here.



Skipper, can I cross the river, yes or no?
Do I have to pay you money, yes or no?

Skipper, can I cross the river, yes or no?
Do I have to pay you money, yes or no?



Schipper, mag ik overvaren, ja of nee?
Moet ik dan nog geld betalen, ja of nee?

Schipper, mag ik overvaren, ja of nee?
Moet ik dan nog geld betalen, ja of nee?



dutch lyric Schipper mag ik overvaren :
Songs from school children

commentary: Variant of the second line: Do I have to pay you toll, yes or no.

Game to cross over the schoolyard. All children stand on one side of the schoolyard, one child is in the middle (the 'skipper'). The children sing the song, the child in the middle answers with: yes. The children run to the other site, the one in the middle tries to catch one. That one has to be the skipper as the game repeats.









   Play music   -   or click here.


Look, the river named the Rhône flows real wild
would you like to cross it, you can try this way:
two of you in a full gallop to the other side
don't look down into the water, hop, we reach the land.



De rivier de Rhône is een wilde vloed
wil je oversteken, kijk dan hoe het moet.
Met z'n tweeën in galoppas naar de overkant
en niet in de diepte kijken, hup we zijn aan land.



dutch lyric De rivier de Rhône :
Songs from school children

commentary: the Rhône is a river in France.

Description of the game: two children stand opposite to each other, holding hands (crossed: right hand in left hand other child and vice versa). They hop simultaneously to the right (4 times) and then to the left (also 4 times). This repeats every sentence.









   Play music   -   or click here.



When the campfire burns at night
and moon and stars are shining in the prairie-sky
the cowboys sing their country songs
and they play on their guitar
when the campfire burns at night.

Yippy ayoo, yippy ayee,
the echo joins in softly from the mountain side.

When the campfire burns at night
and all the cows are grazing in the prairie-land
they sit together round the fire
telling famous cowboy tales
when the campfire burns at night.

Yippy ayoo, yippy ayee,
the echo joins in softly from the mountain side.



's Avonds als het kampvuur brandt
als maan en sterren aan de prairie-hemel staan
dan zingen cowboys met elkaar
bij muziek van hun gitaar
's avonds als het kampvuur brandt.

Jippie ajoo, jippie ajee,
vanaf de heuveltoppen zingt de echo mee.



dutch lyric 's Avonds als het kampvuur brandt :
Songs A or Songs on holidays

commentary: Campfire song, sung during a holiday - around the campfire of just in the evening, sitting outside. (Or simply at the fireplace at home, of course).









   Play music   -   or click here.


Ride a bike (ringe ringe ring) ride a bike,
it is lovely and it is very cheap.
It brings you far in open country
where birds do sing, without a penny.

Ride a bike (ringe ringe ring) ride a bike,
it is lovely and it is very cheap.
You feel really healthy and peddle around
on you horse of steel! Tjiedel diedel djom pom!



Op de fiets, tingelingeling, op de fiets
ga je heerlijk en 't kost bijna niets.
Hij brengt je beslist zonder duiten
ver weg waar de vogeltjes fluiten.

Op de fiets, tingelingeling, op de fiets,
ga je heerlijk en 't kost bijna niets.
Je voelt je gezond en je trapt er op los
op je stalen ros! Tjiedel diedel djom pom!



dutch lyric Op de fiets, tingelingeling :
Songs O

commentary: Is sung on bicycling tours.






Complete list of all Dutch children's songs
with English translation:
on the homepage.



©   translation  R. van Leeuwen  (2007)
©   sheet music  R. van Leeuwen  (2005-06)
http://www.childrens-songs.overtuin.net



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