Hoppe Hoppe Reiter

This popular German children's song is sung with a child on your lap, bouncing them up and down until the child slides down your legs at the end of the song.

We loved it, our kids loved it, and now the grandchildren are being introduced to it, one by one.




Like many nursery rhymes, it has some pretty sinister lyrics:

Hoppe, hoppe, Reiter
Hop, Hop, Rider
Lap Rhyme

(Many people only sing the 3rd verse)

Hoppe, hoppe, Reiter,
Wenn er fällt, dann schreit er.
Fällt er in die Hecken,
Tut er sich erschrecken.
Fällt er in den Sumpf
Macht der Reiter plumps!

Hoppe, hoppe, Reiter,
Wenn er fällt, dann schreit er.
Fällt er auf die Steine,
Tun ihm weh die Beine.
Fällt er in den Sumpf
Macht der Reiter plumps!

Hoppe, hoppe, Reiter
Wenn er fällt, dann schreit er
Fällt er in den Graben
Fressen ihn die Raben
Fällt er in den Sumpf
Macht der Reiter plumps!


English Translation

Hop, hop, rider,
If he falls, he will cry.
If he falls into the hedges,
He will get frightened.
If he falls into the mud,
The rider falls with a splash!

Hop, hop, rider,
If he falls, he will cry.
If he falls on the stone,
His leg will get hurt.
If he falls into the mud,
The rider falls with a splash!

Hop, hop, rider
If he falls he will cry.
If he falls into the ditch,
He will be eaten by the ravens.
If he falls into the mud,
The rider falls with a splash!


And now for an interesting version by two Israeli Yekkes, Dani and Uri Dothan and their mother, Trude Dothan.