Hi!
I have read some intereting threads here on mudcat about children's rhymes, and found some that I recognised partly from Scandinavian children I've listened to, so I thought it was worth a try with this question: There is a special rhyme that I have started collecting versions of, as many as I can find (for my own pleasure, not for research - it's more fun than stamps and takes less space). It's known here in Scandinavia as "So makaroni" or "Sam makadam" and there seem to be innumerable versions. Since some of the versions I've found remind me of English language rhymes I wonder if any of you people have an English version of this rhyme?

Here's one example of the "so makaroni" branch:

Si macaroni
marosti, marosti
Deo, deo, dippdippdipp
Deo, deo, dippdippdipp.
En, två, tre!


One example of the "Sam makadam" branch:

So mackadam, so fairy,
Mariann, Mariann,
Lion, lion, sea, sea, sea,
lion, lion, sea, sea, sea,
One, two, three!


And the version I learned as a kid, with nonsense words partly replaced by real words:

Slå makadam på färden
Marianne, Mariann
//Lejon lejon tjipp tjipp tjipp//
one, two three!

If you have this in any other language, even another SCandinavian version, please post it, I'm always happy for new versions to my collection!