[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Sayings and Tales

[Ed S]

The complete verse is

 Hoppa, hoppa Reiter                   (Huppe. huppe rider)
Wenn er fallt denn schreit er    (When he falls then cries he)
Wenn er fallt im Graben             (When he falls in the ditch)
Fressen ihm die Raben              ( Eat him the Ravens)
Faellt er in den Sumpf          (If he falls in the swamp)
Macht der Reiter PLUMPS   (The Rider will go SPLASH)

At the word splash the adult holding the child on their knee would
spread them and the child would fall between.

> Hi
>
> When my Mom and Dad, who came from the Chelm-Lublin area of Poland bounced
> little children/babies on their knee they would sing:
>
> Huppe, huppe Reiter                   (Huppe. huppe rider)
> Wenn er fallt denn schreiter er    (When he falls then cries he)
> Wenn er fallt im Graben             (When he falls in the ditch)
> Fressen ihm die Raben              ( Eat him the Ravens)
>
> Pardon my broken Deutsch.
> I believe this is the only German my Grandchildren know.
>
> Then there is the story about the Lutheran Pastor who is making his yearly
> rounds and on Monday morning after preaching fire and brimstone in the
church
> in Cycow on Sunday. On the way out of town he lost his way and stopped to
ask
> some boys," Where is the road to Michelsdorf?" The boys are amused by the
> question and reply, "Yesterday you knew the road to Heaven and the road to
> Hell and now you don't know the way to Michelsdorf ".
>
> Ted Belke
>
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