Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen

Subject: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 06 - 06:54 PM

My Austrian Grossmutti used to sing a simple song that began:

Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
Und a Tschechische Kuh,
Das gibt mir mein Vater
Wenn ich heirate tu.

Ho la diri a, ho la di o
Ho la diri a, ho la di o

[Tr: Two black-brown bullocks and a Czech cow,
That's what my father will give me if I marry you.]

ABC:

X:1
T:Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
K:C
M:3/4
L:1/4
G | c c c | e c G/G/ | c B c | d2 G |
d d e | f d G/G/ | B A B | c2 z |
c c>d | e2 c | c B>c | d2 z |
d d>e | f2 d | B A>b | c2 ||

It supposedly had many more verses, but they were "too dirty" to sing in front of us kids. My mother heard her mother and other relatives sing them, but as she never learned German, all she could understand was the laughing afterwards.

Anyone familiar with this song, and have other verses?

---

To play or display ABC tunes, try concertina.net

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Wolfgang
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 11:21 AM

I can't make the tune play for me, but from the form it is one verse of one of thousand a variants of "da droben aufm Berge". Search for "auf dem Berge da steht" for many many verses.

Da oben auf dem Berge, da steht mein Freund Franz Der hat einen ganz unheimlich großen ... Hund (the expected but avoided rhymeword is "Schwanz", i.e. "prick")

my singable translation: Up there on the mountain you can see my friend Dick,
who has a tremendously oversize....dog. Holla...

These verses are just made up to fit the situation. If I would have to write, for instance, some funny verses to sing with everybody at a wedding I might use this tune, hand out the new text and everybody could just sing along at least the holladihi chorus.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Oct 06 - 03:20 PM

Dang, Wolfgang, I thought a "Schwanz" was a tail. Where did I go wrong in my German education?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Artful Codger
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 12:10 AM

Schwanz is also a euphemism for penis.

However, I doubt this is really the same song. First, the scansion of Wolfgang's sample verse doesn't fit the tune I posted. (I typed it in directly, and didn't try to MIDIze it myself, so there may be some simple syntax error.) Secondly, there is no attempt in the two verses I know to substitute a tamer - and non-rhyming - word for a cruder one. Nevertheless, my thanks, and I'll check your lead further.

I should also clarify, I'm not especially interested in dirty verses, just additional ones. I don't get much enjoyment out of gratuitous crudity. ;-}

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 02:30 AM

Translation is wrong.

Should read "When I marry do"

tun = to do, Ich tu = I do

Those kind of songs are called Schnakenhuepfer, gnat hoppers

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Wolfgang
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 10:36 AM

Some verses in Palatinate dialect

Verses in High German

Still assuming that it is sung to the tune of "da droben auf dem Berge". (sometimes two quick syllables to one note)

Dort oben auf dem Berge
Da steht ein Franzos
Hats Mädel im Arme
Und küsset drauflos.

Dort unten im Teiche
Da schwimmt ein Fisch
Und mein Schatz ist mir lieber
Als das Geld auf dem Tisch

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Artful Codger
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 09:36 PM

Thanks for the correction to the translation; also, it should be "heiraten" (infinitive).

As for the ABC, I see I put the K line too early - it must immediately precede the tune.

Here's the other verses I have:

Ich weiß nicht warum 's Rindfleish
So 'nen grossen Preis hat;
Bei uns ist ein Ochsen
Gewiß keine Not.

Der Advocat melkt die Ochsen,
Die Bäuerin melkt die Kuh,
Und die Genze gehen barfuß:
Sie haben keine Schuh.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: GUEST,Mainit
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 01:34 AM

Heirate or heiraten depends if one speaks a Southern German dialect.

In schwäbisch-allemanisch one would say "heirate du", soft "t".

"Genze" ist Gänse

Da unten am Bache
wo die Weiden sich biegen
da rauf'n sich 2 Kahlköpf
dass die Haar nur so fliegen.

Der Dackel der wackelt
mit dem Schwanz hin und her
der Schwanz kann es nicht
denn der Dackel ist ihm z'schwer.

Bei Ebefeld-Barmen da ist ein Tunnel
wenn man reinfährt
wird's dunkel
wenn man rausfährt wird's hell.

Da oben auf'm Berge
da steht a Kapell
da läuted der Pfarrer
mit der eigenen Schell.

Da oben auf'm Berge
da steht a Soldat
der traut sich net runter
weil er d'Hosen voll hat.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 02:00 AM

"Wenn," surprisingly, usually translates to "if" (not "when") - so it would be "if I marry you."
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: GUEST,Mainit
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 02:15 AM

Still not "you" it is "do", "if(when) I do marry"

if, akin to German ob, fals

when, akin to German wann, wenn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: GUEST,Mainit
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 02:43 AM

Mei Schatz isch a Köchin
die kocht mir es Muß
sie sitzt auf'em Pfannstiel
und rührt mit dem Fuß.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 08:24 AM

All these verses are of a form called "Schnadahüpfln" in Bavaria.
Often the tune is sung, and every member in the round has to improvise a stanza, sometimes about another member, sometimes about politics, or puns and so on. Who fails to create a stanza has to stand the next round (sometimes, depends on the fellows).

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Wolfgang
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 01:55 PM

To confuse if and when is the plague of a German who at last has understood that "who" isn't "wo".

even more verses

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Wolfgang
Date: 30 Oct 06 - 02:40 PM

I don't think 29 Oct 06 - 02:30 AM got the etymology of Schnaderhuepferl, Schnadahuepfel (many different spellings) correct. Schnader (I did read) comes from "schnatter(n)", verbatim the gaggle of the geese, in a transferred sense human chatter. "Huepfen" is "to hop", so "Schnaderhuepfer" was chatter in verseform to dance music.

Wilfried, is that correct? You have the access to the relevant books.

It is defined as a fourline stanza (usually ABAB), made up in the moment (or shortly before) it is sung, it has to be funny and is often a bit crude or vulgar which is accepted as long it is funny.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zwei schwarz-braune Ochsen
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 02 Nov 06 - 02:53 AM

Characters: Western (ISO-8859-1)

Dt. Wörterbuch = German Dictionary of the Grimm Bros.:

SCHNADERHÜPFEL,-HÜPFLE,-HÜPFLEIN, n.,
oberdeutsche bezeichnung eines für gesang bestimmten sprüchleins, das gewöhnlich aus vier oder zwei zeilen besteht. meist improvisiert oder nach gelegenheit umgestaltet, lustigen, auch höhnenden inhaltes wird es seiner eigentlichen bedeutung nach zum tanze gesungen. hierauf bezieht sich der zweite bestandtheil des wortes. der erste wird von SCHMELLER 2, 587 mit schneiden in verbindung gebracht (wechselnde formen: schnider-, schnader-, schneder-, schneider-, schnoder-, schnuderhipfl), sodasz sich das wort ursprünglich auf den tanz beim erntefest bezöge.


Abstract: Upper German. Ditty, 2 or 4 lines, possibly sung to a dance celebrating harvest.
Funny, often jeering, improvised or changed to occasion.