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Bilingual Bedtime/German songs
FestliedFestive song

Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann.

The melody of Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann on a staff, as engraved in the book
Historische Fassung · Historical version
Download the tune

The melody as written on the staff, so you can learn the tune before you sing.

Verse 1

  1. Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann,mor-guhn komt dair vai-nahkhts-mahn,Tomorrow Father Christmas comes,
  2. kommt mit seinen Gaben.komt mit zai-nuhn gah-buhn.he comes with his gifts.
  3. Trommel, Pfeifen und Gewehr,trom-muhl, pfai-fuhn oont guh-vair,Drum, fifes and rifle,
  4. Fahn' und Säbel und noch mehr,fahn oont zeh-buhl oont nokh mair,flag and saber and more besides,
  5. ja, ein ganzes Kriegesheeryah, ain gahn-tsuhs kree-guhs-hairyes, a whole army
  6. möcht' ich gerne haben!merkht ikh gehr-nuh hah-buhn!is what I would dearly like to have!

Verse 2

  1. Bring' uns, lieber Weihnachtsmann,bring oons, lee-ber vai-nahkhts-mahn,Bring us, dear Father Christmas,
  2. bring' auch morgen, bringebring owkh mor-guhn, bring-uhbring tomorrow as well, bring
  3. Musketier und Grenadier,moos-kuh-teer oont gray-nah-deer,musketeer and grenadier,
  4. Zottelbär und Panthertier,tsot-tuhl-behr oont pahn-ter-teer,shaggy bear and panther,
  5. Ross und Esel, Schaf und Stier,ros oont ay-zuhl, shahf oont shteer,horse and donkey, sheep and bull,
  6. lauter schöne Dinge!low-ter sher-nuh ding-uh!nothing but lovely things!

Verse 3

  1. Doch du weißt ja unsern Wunsch,dokh doo vaist yah oon-zern voonsh,But you know our wish,
  2. kennst ja unsre Herzen.kehnst yah oon-zruh hehr-tsuhn.you know our hearts.
  3. Kinder, Vater und Mama,kin-der, fah-ter oont mah-mah,Children, father and mama,
  4. auch sogar der Großpapa,owkh zoh-gahr dair grohs-pah-pah,and even grandpapa,
  5. alle, alle sind wir da,ahl-luh, ahl-luh zint veer dah,all of us, all of us are here,
  6. warten dein mit Schmerzen.vahr-tuhn dain mit shmehr-tsuhn.waiting for you impatiently.

About this song

Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote these words in 1835, and Germany sings them to the French tune English children know as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Kriegesheer is an old word for an army. The drums and sabers are the 1835 wish list; families today often sing a later version that asks for sweets and a teddy bear.

Where it comes from

The words: Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Funfzig Kinderlieder nach Original- und bekannten Weisen mit Clavierbegleitung von Ernst Richter, achte Stereotyp-Ausgabe (Haendcke und Lehmkuhl, Hamburg, 1884), Nr. 50 Weihnachtslied, S. 57.

The tune: Deutscher Liederschatz. Die schoensten Weisen der alten Sammlung Ludwig Erks (Edition Peters 10613, 1920), Nr. 154 'Der Weihnachtsmann', S. 182, headed 'Hoffmann von Fallersleben, 1835 / Volksweise / Froehlich', F major, 2/4, three systems of four bars. A pre-1926 engraving of exactly this text set to the French Volksweise 'Ah! vous dirai-je, maman', the tune of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'; every note read off that staff. The word source, Hoffmann's own Funfzig Kinderlieder of 1884, engraves Ernst Richter's 1837 setting instead (D major, 4/4), which never caught on and which no family would recognise, so it is recorded in raw/ and not printed. Cross-checked note for note against the score block in the Melodie section of the de.wikipedia article 'Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann' (D major, 4/4): brought to the same tonic the two agree degree for degree through all 40 notes, differing only in meter and in whether the middle strain is written out twice (Liederschatz) or repeated with a volta (Wikipedia)

From the book

Bilingual Bedtime

Thirty-Seven German Songs for Children

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Ich geh mit meiner LaterneAll 37 songsKling, Glöckchen
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