San Juan del Dedo
"San Juan del Dedo" refers to Saint John the Baptist that painters pictured with a raised forefinger because the Bible says he pointed at Jesus saying "The Lamb of God".
San Juan del Dedo
Saint John of the Finger
Juego en círculo
Circle Game
(Spanish)
(English)
San Juan del Dedo,
del dedo señor Juan,
jugaba a la era
del truqui truqui tran.
Por la vía pasa el tren,
por la carretera el coche,
por la puerta de María
pasa el novio to' los días,
le pregunta qué hora es,
son las tres menos diez,
es la hora de comer
papas fritas con bistec.
Saint John of the finger,
Of the finger, sir John,
Was playing in the area
Of the truqui truqui tran.
On the tracks goes the train,
On the road goes the car,
By Mary's door
Goes her boyfriend every day.
He asks her "What time is it?"
"It's ten to three,
It's time to eat
Fried potatoes with beefsteak.
Notes
Another Version:
San Juan del dedo,
San Pedro y Santos Juan. [sic]
Cantaban en la era
el triqui - triqui - tran.
San Pedro, como era calvo
le picaban los mosquitos
y su padre le decía:
"Ponte el gorro, periquito."
English Translation
Saint John of the finger,
Saint Peter and the Saints John
Were singing in the area of
The triqui - triqui - tran.
Saint Peter, since he was bald,
The mosquitos would sting him,
And his father would tell him,
"Put your cap on, Petey"*
The last part is from another song, A Pedro como era calvo.
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 in time to the tune as you pass your shoe to the next person on the right and pick up the shoe from the person on the left who placed their shoe in front of you. So every shoe is passed one place around the circle in time to the beat. However, when the line "Triqui triqui tran" begins you hold onto the shoe, bang it down to the left and then pass it to the right. You do it the same at the end on "con bistec". You sing it faster each time you sing it.
Comments
Sylvia wrote, "I am an English grandmother, 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 it from 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 around 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 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."
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Sylvia Thorne for pointing out this game and the different versions of the song that goes with it.
Image: St. John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci.
