Bake Kake Søte

Traditional children’s song from Norway
Recording © 2004 Grammofon, used by permission

If you are looking for songs from all the way around the world, we cannot think of a better site than Mama Lisa's World, headed by CMN member Lisa Yannucci. Songs from Norway are not ubiquitous, probably because, as one Norwegian told us, “There are only four million Norwegians and they all speak English.”

Mama Lisa’s treasure chest of songs includes over forty Norwegian songs with translations, including a charming children’s clapping song (something akin to “Pat-a-Cake”) that every Norwegian grows up learning. It is interesting that the melody of the third and fourth lines—“først i sukker, så i vann, så kom det en gammel mann”—is virtually the same as the melody of the third and fourth lines of  “Une Souris Verte” (“A Green Mouse”), a silly and ancient French children’s song.