Notes

Hear the Tune Here

Here's a version from "Moeder de Gans. Baker- en kinderrijmpjes" (Mother Goose, Nursery and Kids Rhymes) by Marie Hildebrandt (1915)…

Roze, roze, meie,
Twintig in de reie,
Dertig in den rozenkrans,
Veertig in den poppendans,
Al de kindertjes tien!

Translation:

Pink, pink, May,
Twenty in the room,
Thirty in the rosary,
Forty in the doll's dance,
All the kids ten!

Note: Roze can be translated as rose or pink.

Game Instructions

The kids go around in a circle and bow to each other. On the last word they fall down.

Comments

One source said this is probably about the winding of wreaths. The numbers can best be understood as years of life, even if the original meaning is no longer recognizable.

Please email me to let us know if this is still sung in the Netherlands. Thanks! -Mama Lisa

Thanks and Acknowledgements

This song can be found in "Nederlandsche Baker- en Kinderrijmen, verzameld" (Dutch Nursery and Kids Rhymes) collected by Dr. J. van Vloten (1894).