# French childrens song: Vera jaka? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 15, 2001, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945 "2001-06-15T15:30:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/21 "2001-06-17T00:22:53Z")
I always heard it as: Sarah Jacqueman, Sarah Jacqueman, How’s by you? How’s by you? How’s your sister Shirley? She goes to work real early? That’s nice too. That’s nice too. Harvey Bockman, Harvey Bockman, So what’s new? So what’s new? How’s your brother Seymour? Seymour joined the Peace Corps? That’s nice too. That’s nice too. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/22 "2001-06-17T00:40:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > **…Sarah Jacqueman (sic) …** Allan Sherman’s [Sarah Jackman](http://members.aol.com/lschu17/videos.html) (requires Real player) [Lyrics](http://php.indiana.edu/~jbmorris/LYRICS/sherman.folksinger.html#6) are halfway down the page ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/23 "2001-06-17T01:58:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by screech-owl \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > > **…Sarah Jacqueman (sic) …** > > Allan Sherman’s [Sarah Jackman](http://members.aol.com/lschu17/videos.html) (requires Real player) > > [Lyrics](http://php.indiana.edu/~jbmorris/LYRICS/sherman.folksinger.html#6) are halfway down the page \*\* So **that’s** where it came from! Thanks, Screech! That’s a real blast from my past! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/24 "2001-06-21T22:41:57Z")
irishgirl said “blah blah blah” [paraphrased] Just wanted to say, Hey there. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2001, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/25 "2001-06-21T23:12:03Z")
_Vader Jakob, Vader Jakob, Slaapt Gij nog? Slaapt Gij nog? Alle klokken luiden, alle klokken luiden, Bim-Bam-Bom, Bim-Bam-Bom_ Didn’t want to deprive you of the Dutch translation! Literaly, it means: _Father Jacob, Father Jacob, Sleepeth thou still? Sleepeth thou still? All the bells are ringing, all the bells are ringing, ding ding dong, ding ding dong_ (I hope I got the Old English right there) As you can see, the translator’s granted himself some liberties. But man, does it ever rock! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/26 "2001-06-23T05:34:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishgirl \* > \*\*Hamish is scottish gaelic, in irish James is Seamus (Shamus)and John is Sean (Shaun)…but then this is a language where Seoirse (Shorsha)is George and Sorcha (Sorucca)is Sarah. \*\* Not quite right on a number of points. _Hamish_ is not Scottish Gaelic. It’s an Anglicized version of the Scottish Gaelic _Séumus_. “John” is traditionally _Eoin_. _Seán_ is a later phonetic translation of “John”, much as “Joseph” became _Seosamh_. _Sorcha_ bears no actual relation to “Sarah” - it just looks that way (kind of). I seem to recall it being related to “Claire”, but don’t quote me on that … ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/27 "2001-06-23T07:42:13Z")
Further convincing that Jacques is French for James, not John: English-speaking Montrealers used to know Rue St-Jacques as St. James Street. ---
**Author:** ![Chickenhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chickenhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenhead)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/28 "2001-06-23T12:44:16Z")
I think that might should could be “sleepest thou” ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/29 "2001-06-23T13:32:42Z")
You think so, Chickenhead ? – Looks about right to me as it is and it also seems to work rhythmically. **Ding Dong !** as the great Terry Thomas used to say. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/30 "2001-06-23T13:34:51Z")
And just for the sheer hell of it: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ruadh \* > I seem to recall it being related to “Claire”, but don’t quote me on that … ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/31 "2001-06-23T20:34:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chickenhead \* > \*\*I think that might should could be “sleepest thou” \*\* Uh-uh. ‘Sleepest thou?’ would be “_dors-toi?_”. Too bad English speakers have lost any sense of the distinction between second person singular and plural. Just about every other language in the world that I’ve ever seen (and I’ve looked at hundreds) maintains the distinction. Only modern English (post-16th century) has lost out. In fact, the thou/you distinction remained alive in English poetry up until about World War II when it too was lost. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/32 "2001-06-23T23:47:58Z")
Speak for yourself, you damn yankee! _You_ is second person singular. Second person plural is _you all_ (or _y’all_) in **proper** English! ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/33 "2001-07-02T01:48:59Z")
Ummm… There’s some confusion in these last few posts. Chickenhead was correct that the Dutch “Slaapt Gij nog?” should be “Sleepest thou still?” not “Sleepeth thou still?” Then other people started arguing about whether “dormez vous?” means “sleepest thou?” Well, it’s actually a plural form used as a polite singular, so it translates into English as “Are you sleeping?” but not in this case as “Are y’all sleeping?” considering one person, Frere Jacques is being addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/34 "2001-07-02T06:37:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \*‘Sleepest thou?’ would be “_dors-toi?_”. “Sleepest thou?” or “Dost thou sleep?” would be “dors- **tu**?” ---
**Author:** ![Wump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed655f/32.png) [@Wump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wump)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945/35 "2001-07-02T07:37:26Z")
I always learnt it as “Ding **Dang** dong” but as i’ve seen from this thread; there’s one hell of a lot of variations of this song about some guy who drank too much the night before and can’t be bothered to get out of bed to do his job… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-childrens-song-vera-jaka/68945.md?page=1)