Notes

*Or "grain"

*****
Other Versions:

1. Els esclops de Déu fan guerra,
Sant Joan triava el grà,
sant Pere li va al darrera
amb el tripi, tripi, trap.

English Translation

God's clogs were making war
Saint John was sieving seeds/grain,
Saint Peter goes behind him
With the tripi tripi trap.
("Tripi tripi trap" has no meaning.)

2. Els esclops de Déu
fan guerra a Sant Joan.
Tirau-li fang.
Sant Pere li va al darrere
Amb el trico trico trac.

English Translation

God's clogs
Are making war on St John,
Throw mud at him!
St Peter goes behind him
With the trico trico trac.

Game Instructions

Sit in a circle on the floor or around a table and take one of your shoes (or a stone) in your right hand. Sing this song and in time to the tune you pass your shoe to the next person on the right and pick up the shoe from the person on the left who had placed the shoe in front of you. So every shoe is passed one place around in the circle in time to the beat. However when the line "Trico trico trac" begins you hold onto the shoe, bang it down to the left and then pass it to the right.

Sing it faster each time you sing it.

Comments

Sylvia wrote that she thought the song was in Spanish (Castillian), "I am an English grand-mother, I do not know any Spanish.

As a child (1950's) we played a singing game taught to us by the father of a friend whose parents were Spanish. I remember the words phonetically, but I was a young child so there needs to be some imagination to get it. I have tried to find this song or to learn of anyone who has played this game to no avail…

…The game that goes with this song, I remember very clearly because we loved to play it, there would have been six or more of us. We sat in a circle on the floor, or round a table and took one of our shoes in our right hand. We would begin to sing this song and in time to the tune would pass our shoe to the next person on the right and pick up the shoe from the person on the left who had placed the shoe in front of me, so every shoe is passed one place round in the circle in time to the beat. However when the line 'Trica trick track' began we had to remember to hold onto the shoe, bang it down to the left and then pass it to the right."

Listen

Download MIDI Tune

Sheet Music

Sheet Music - Els esclops de Déu

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Sylvia Thorne for pointing out this game and the different versions of the song that goes with it.