ext_282052 ([identity profile] mistress-elaine.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] muckefuck 2005-08-04 04:02 pm (UTC)

As a child I did this all the time, as indeed did most of my friends and classmates.

Are you familiar with the Dutch phenomenon of Sinterklaas?
If so, you may know that children sing special Sinterklaas songs before Sinterklaas is due to arrive -- rather like Christmas carols, but more cheerful. Anyhow, one famous Sinterklaas song officially opens as follows:

Sinterklaas is jarig
'k Zet mijn schoen vast klaar.
Wellicht dat hij hem vol doet
Met -- ja, wist ik het maar! [1]

When I was young, though, it was usually sung as follows:

Sinterklaas is jarig
Zet hem op de pot
Laat 'm lekker stinken
Doe de deur op slot [2]

Which is rather less... formal.

I sung the "dirty" version so many times as a child that I had a hard time remembering the official lyrics the last time I had to sing Sinterklaas songs.

Anyway, knowing these lyrics will greatly boost your status amongst Dutch speakers, so your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to learn them by heart. :-)

----------

[1}
It's St Nicholas' birthday
I'll get my shoe ready now
Perhaps he'll put something into it
If only I knew what!

[2]
It's St Nicholas' birthday
Put him on the bog
Let him spend some time stinking there
Make sure you lock the door behind him!

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