Taler, Taler, du musst wandern
"This is sung to a game where a coin is passed secretly from one child to another, and children guess who ended up with the coin at the end of the song." -Lisa
This song is sometimes sung as, "Ringlein Ringlein du musst wandern" (Ring, Ring, Must You Wonder).
Taler, Taler, du musst wandern
Coin, Coin, You Must Wander
Circle Game
Circle Game
(German)
(English)
Taler, Taler, du musst wandern,
Von dem einen
Zu dem andern
Das ist schön
Das ist schön
Niemand darf der Taler seh'n!
Coin, coin, you must wander
From one
To another
That is nice
That is nice
No one should see the coin.
Notes
A taler (also spelled "thaler") is any of various silver coins that served as a unit of currency in some Germanic countries between the 15th and 19th centuries. The word "dollar" has its origins in the German word "taler".
There are many variations of this song.
Denali shared an alternative version:
Taler, Taler, du musst wandern,
Von der einen Hand zur andern
Oh wie herrlich, oh wie schön
niemand darf den Taler seh'n.
English Translation:
Coin, coin, you must wander,
From one hand to the other
Oh how wonderful, oh how beautiful
No one is allowed to see the coin.
Variation:
Taler, Taler, du musst wandern,
von der einen Hand zur andern.
Das ist schön, das ist schön,
Taler lass dich ja nicht seh'n!
English Translation:
Coin, coin, you must wander,
From one hand to the other.
That's beautiful, that's beautiful,
Don't let anyone see you!
Game Instructions
This song can be played in a circle. You give a little something (a pebble, a coin…) to one child and he has to pass it to the next child without letting it show.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Lisa Stephan from the German Australian Playschool in Canberra, Australia, for contributing and translating this song and the picture. Thanks to Denali for sharing the alternate version.
Vielen Dank!
