| English Songs | |
| Nursery Rhymes Numbers and Letters Move and Dance Rhymes & Fun Rock the Kings Ancient Times Ballads and Stories Folksongs for Children Around the World Lullabies |
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Traditional English Folk Songs Rap Rock & Learn English! |
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| German Songs | |
| German Nursery Rhymes |
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| German Poems set to music |
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Learn Grammar with Music! |
ABCDEFG - Das Alphabetlied |
ABCDEFG - The Alphabet Song |
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Mutter hör nur, was ich kann, |
Listen mother, what I can do, |
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Description / Origin |
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Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir |
Little Brother, Dance With Me |
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1. Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir, |
Little brother dance with me |
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Description / Origin The song dates back to the end of the 19th century. It is actually a part of the opera "Hänsel und Gretel", composed by Engelbert Humperdinck. The tune became popular for small children, and is still used a lot in Kindergardens in order to make little children sing and dance. |
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Bruder Jacob (Frere Jacques, Brother John)
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Brother Jack (Frere Jacques, Brother John) |
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Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, |
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, |
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Description / Origin This is one of the few folk songs that are similarly famous in different countries. The origin of this tune is french of course but the English version (Are You Sleeping) and the German version (Bruder Jakob) are quite as popular as the French original. This version plays around with a mix of the French, English and German versions. |
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Bunt sind schon die Wälder |
The Forests Turn Coloured Now |
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1. Bunt sind schon die Wälder, |
1. The forests turn coloured now |
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Description / Origin This joyful song dates back to 1799, lyrics were written by Johann Gaudenz Freiherr von Salis-Seewis (1762 - 1834), the tune composed by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814). The beautiful tune is still the most popular autumn song in Germany. |
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Der Mond ist aufgegangen |
The Moon Has Risen |
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Der Mond ist aufgegangen. |
The moon has risen, |
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Description / Origin This song is based on a poem by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815). Many composers have put the poem into music, like Carl Orff and Franz Schubert to name just a few, but the most famous tune was composed by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (1747 – 1800). The song is very famous in Germany but almost unknown in England. However, there is an English version to be found on the Nursery Rhyme Collection |
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Die Affen rasen durch den Wald (Wer hat die Kokosnuss geklaut?) |
The Monkeys Are Dashing Through The Forest (Who has Stolen The Coconut?) |
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Die Affen rasen durch den Wald, |
The monkeys are dashing through the forest, |
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Description / Origin This is one of the most popular nonsense songs in Germany. The writer is unknown. Propably the verses were invented whilst singin by some boy scouts some decades ago. Just guessing! Anyway, the song became popular during the 1950 and got included into many children's song books since that time. |
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Die Gedanken sind frei |
The Thoughts Are Free |
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1. Die Gedanken sind frei,
wer kann sie erraten? Words & Music: Traditional |
1. The thoughts are free,
no-one can guess them, |
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Description / Origin The text of this tune appears for the first time at 1780. The tune was written between 1810 and 1820 by an unknown composer. "Die Gedanken sind frei" became an early protest song with a very clear massage: "No matter how badly I may be oppressed, no one can stop me from thinking my own thoughts". So even if I get imprisoned, my thoughts keep free. |
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Geh aus mein Herz |
Go Out My Heart |
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1. Geh aus mein Herz und suche Freud Words & Music: Traditional |
1. Go out my heart and seek for joy |
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Description / Origin This text was written by the famous writer of sacred hymns Paul Gerhardt (1607 - 1676). He studied Theology in Wittenberg, the city in which Martin Luther declared his famous 95 theses that led to the split of the Roman Church. Paul Gerhardt was a Protestant and admired Luther a lot. This particular song was written during the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) and was supposed to bring back joy and delight to the people suffering from war. It should last more than a century until the tune was put into music by the composer August Harder (1775 – 1813). Ever since it is one of the most popular sacred hymns of the Protestants in Germany. |
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Guten Abend, gut' Nacht |
Good Evening, Good Night |
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1. Guten Abend, gut' Nacht mit Rosen bedacht, |
1. Good evening, good night,
With roses adorned, |
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Description / Origin This is one of the best known German lullabies, composed by Johannes Brahms in 1849. In England it's known as “Brahms Lullaby”. The original words are very hard to understand, even for Germans as it contains many words that are not used anymore. (e.g. “Näglein” or “bedacht”). Also the grammar used in the verses is very old fashioned and hard to understand. So nowadays it is not possible to use a construction like "schau im Traum' s Paradies" for "im Traum das Paradies". |
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Hänschen klein ging allein |
Little Hans Went Alone |
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1. Hänschen klein ging allein |
1. Little Hans went alone |
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Description / Origin |
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Kein schöner Land in dieser Zeit |
No Land More Beautiful Around This Time |
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1. Kein schöner Land in dieser Zeit, |
1. No land more beautiful around this time, |
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Description / Origin |
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Mondnacht |
Moon Night |
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Es war, als hätt' der Himmel |
It appeared as if heaven |
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Description / Origin |
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Nehmt Abschied, Brüder |
Say Good-Bye Brothers |
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1. Nehmt Abschied, Brüder, |
1. Say good-bye, brothers Chorus: 3. So in each start |
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Description / Origin This is a German version of the famous tune “Auld lang syne”, written by Claus Ludwig Laue in 1946. It is traditionally used by the boy scouts movement at the end of meetings, so it has become a traditional farewell song. |
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Nun will der Lenz uns grüßen |
Now Spring Wants To Hail Us |
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1. Nun will der Lenz uns grüßen, |
1. Now spring wants to hail us |
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Description / Origin |
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Oh, du lieber Augustin |
Oh, You Dear Augustin |
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1. Oh, du lieber Augustin, |
1. Oh, you dear Augustin, |
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Description / Origin The melody sounds familiar to English people because it's also used for the English Tommy Tucker rhyme. The German version refers to a real person who lived in Vienna, Austria: Markus Augustin (1643 – 1685). He was very popular because he made the people laugh around a time when the pest desease raged in Vienna. He was kind of an early comedian, singing in bars. But very rarely he managed to get any money out of any bar because he spent it on wine whilst earning it. One evening, during the pest disease 1679, he was so drunk that he fell asleep in a roadside ditch. People thought he was dead and threw him on a carriage with dead bodies. However, he managed to awake before getting buried alive. He survived and people thought that wine actually helps to outplay the pest. Augustin wrote a song about his own misfortune and it is said that this song was the first version of the song “Oh du lieber Augustin” as we know today. |
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Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein steh'n |
Saw A Boy A Little Rose |
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1. Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein steh'n, |
Saw a boy a little rose, |
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Description / Origin The text is a famous poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, written 1771. It tells the story of a young man in love who is recected by the girl. The story ends quite badly for both. Around the time when he wrote this poem Goethe stayed in Strasbourg and he was in love with Friederike Brion. It is thought that the poem addresses to her. It has been set to music by many composers. The music of our version was written by Heinrich Werner in 1829. |
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Schneeflöckchen Weißröckchen |
Little Snowflake, Little White Skirt |
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1. Schneeflöckchen Weißröckchen, |
1. Little snowflake, little white skirt |
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Description / Origin This is one of the most popular winter songs in Germany. An early version of the lyrics was done by Hedwig Haberkern (1837-1902) who lived in Breslau und published stories and tales for children. This text was included in her first book (1869): Stories of the snow cloud. |
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Sternenhimmel Schlaflied |
Star Sky Lullaby |
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1. Die Augen so klein, |
The eyes so small |
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Description / Origin A new lullaby written by Mike Wilbury. A version with English lyrics was released on the Nursery Rhyme Collection 1 in 2009 |
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Von den blauen Bergen kommen wir |
From The Blue Mountains We Come |
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1. Von den blauen Bergen kommen wir, |
From the blue moutains we come |
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Description / Origin This is a German version of the well known Nursery Rhyme “She'll be coming round the mountain”. The lyrics are very “wild west” and you shouldn't spend to much time investigating what it's all about. |
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Weil heute dein Geburtstag ist |
Because It's Your Birthday Today |
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Heute ist ein Tag, wie ihn jeder mag, |
Today is a day
that everybody enjoys |
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Description / Origin Another original Song written by Mike Wilbury for the New Song Collection |
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Wenn alle Brünnlein fließen |
If All Fonts Are Flowing |
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1. Wenn alle Brünnlein fließen, |
1. If all fonts are flowing, |
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Description / Origin Very old, very traditional, very popular. The song was written by Philipp Friedrich Silcher (1789-1860). The language is quite old fashioned and hard to understand, even for Germans. |
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Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär |
If I Was A Little Bird |
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1. Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär |
If I was a little bird |
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Description / Origin This is one of the well known German Folk Songs that is to be found in the traditional Song Collection "Des Knaben Wunderhorn", first published in 1805 by the poets Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano. |
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Winter ade |
Winter Good-Bye |
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Winter ade, scheiden tut weh. |
Winter good-bye, departing hurts |
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Description / Origin Some people consider this tune a winter song, some consider it a spring song. It's a bit of both actually, but it doesn't matter because it's simply a beautiful tune with some nice chords added to by Mike Wilbury. |
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