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Bilingual Bedtime/German songs
ErzählliedStory song

Summ, summ, summ.

The melody of Summ, summ, summ on a staff, as engraved in the book
Download the tune

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

Verse 1

  1. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  2. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!
  3. Ei, wir tun dir nichts zu Leide,ai, veer toon deer nikhts tsoo lai-duh,Oh, we do you no harm,
  4. flieg nun aus in Wald und Heide!fleek noon ows in vahlt oont hai-duh!fly out now into wood and heath!
  5. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  6. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!

Verse 2

  1. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  2. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!
  3. Such in Blumen, such in Blümchenzookh in bloo-muhn, zookh in blewm-khuhnLook in flowers, look in little flowers
  4. dir ein Tröpfchen, dir ein Krümchen!deer ain trerpf-khuhn, deer ain krewm-khuhn!for a little drop, for a little crumb!
  5. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  6. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!

Verse 3

  1. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  2. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!
  3. Kehre heim mit reicher Habe,kay-ruh haim mit rai-kher hah-buh,Come home with a rich load,
  4. bau uns manche volle Wabe!bow oons mahn-khuh fol-luh vah-buh!build us many a full honeycomb!
  5. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  6. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!

Verse 4

  1. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  2. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!
  3. Bei den heilig Christ-Geschenkenbai dayn hai-likh krist-guh-shehn-kuhnAmong the holy Christmas presents
  4. wollen wir auch dein gedenken,vol-luhn veer owkh dain guh-dehn-kuhn,we want to remember you too,
  5. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  6. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!

Verse 5

  1. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  2. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!
  3. Wenn wir mit dem Wachsstock suchenvehn veer mit daym vahks-shtok zoo-khuhnWhen we go searching by wax taper
  4. Pfeffernüss' und Honigkuchen.pfehf-fer-news oont hoh-nikh-koo-khuhn.for spice cookies and honey cake.
  5. Summ, summ, summ!zoom, zoom, zoom!Buzz, buzz, buzz!
  6. Bienchen summ herum!been-khuhn zoom heh-room!Little bee, buzz around!

About this song

Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote this in 1835 and printed it in 1843 under the title Biene, the bee; the tune is an old Volksweise. Sing it in the garden when a bee goes past, and let a finger circle in the air on the Summ lines. A Wachsstock in verse 5 is a coiled wax taper, made of the bee's own wax.

Where it comes from

The words: August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Fünfzig Kinderlieder. Nach Original- und bekannten Weisen mit Clavierbegleitung von Ernst Richter (Haendcke und Lehmkuhl, Hamburg, 1884), Nr. 43 "Biene", S. 49.

The tune: The scan engraves the tune itself, above Ernst Richter's piano accompaniment, so the reference is the page the words come from: Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Fünfzig Kinderlieder (Haendcke und Lehmkuhl, Hamburg, 1884), Nr. 43 'Biene', S. 49, headed 'Munter.' with 'Volksweise.' at the right; G major, 2/4, twelve bars set as eight and then a four-bar close. Every pitch is read off that engraving, each note head measured against the staff lines of its own part of the page. Cross-checked bar for bar against the score block in the Melodie section of the de.wikipedia article 'Summ, summ, summ', which transcribes the 1843 first edition (Funfzig Kinderlieder, Mayer und Wigand, Leipzig 1843, S. 49): same key, same metre, same heading, and all thirty-two notes and four rests agree. G major lies inside the book's C to G range, so the source's key is kept; range g' to d''

From the book

Bilingual Bedtime

Thirty-Seven German Songs for Children

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