Grün Grün Grün

German Text Grün, grün, grün sind alle meine Kleider, Grün, grün, grün ist alles, was ich hab. Darum lieb ich alles was so grün ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Jäger, Jäger ist. Darum lieb ich alles was so grün ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Jäger, Jäger ist. Weiβ, weiβ, weiβ sind alle meine Kleider, Weiβ, weiβ, weiβ ist alles was ich hab. Darum lieb ich alles, was so weiβ ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Bäcker, Bäcker ist. Darum lieb ich alles, was so weiβ ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Bäcker, Bäcker ist. Schwarz, schwarz, schwarz sind alle meine Kleider, Schwarz, schwarz, schwarz ist alles, was ich hab. Darum lieb ich alles, was so schwarz ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Schornsteinfeger ist. Darum lieb ich alles, was so schwarz ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Schornsteinfeger ist. Blau, blau, blau sind alle meine Kleider, Blau, blau, blau ist alles, was ich hab. Darum lieb ich alles, was so blau ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Seemann, Seemann ist. Darum lieb ich alles, was so blau ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Seemann, Seemann ist. Bunt, bunt, bunt sind alle meine Kleider, Bunt, bunt, bunt ist alles, was ich hab. Darum lieb ich alles, was so bunt ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Maler, Maler ist. Darum lieb ich alles, was so bunt ist, Weil mein Schatz ein Maler, Maler ist.

Literal English Green, green, green, are all my clothes, Green, green, green is everything I have. So I love everything that's green, While my darling is a hunter, hunter. So I love everything that's green, While my darling is a hunter, hunter. White, white, white, are all my clothes, White, white, white is everything I have. So I love everything that's white, While my darling is a hunter, hunter. So I love everything that's white, While my darling is a baker, baker. Black, black, black, are all my clothes, Black, black, black is everything I have. So I love everything that's black, While my darling is a chimney sweeper, chimney sweeper. So I love everything that's black, While my darling is a chimney sweeper, chimney sweeper. Blue, blue, blue, are all my clothes, Blue, blue, blue is everything I have. So I love everything that's blue, While my darling is a sailor, sailor. So I love everything that's blue, While my darling is a sailor, sailor Many-colored, colored, colored, are all my clothes, Many-colored, colored, colored is everything I have. So I love everything that's colored, While my darling is a painter, painter. So I love everything that's colored, While my darling is a painter, painter.

Singable version: Green, green, green is the color of my clothing, Green, green green is everything I have. I wear green, the color can't be seen, I wear green since my love's a hunter. I wear green, the color can't be seen, I wear green since my love's a hunter. White, white, white is the color of my clothing, White, white white is everything I have. I wear white, shining and bright, I wear white since my love's a baker. I wear white, shining and bright, I wear white since my love's a baker. Black, black, black is the color of my clothing, Black, black black is everything I have. I wear black, both front and back, I wear black since my love's a sweeper. I wear black, both front and back, I wear black since my love's a sweeper. Blue, blue, blue is the color of my clothing, Blue, blue, blue is everything I have. I wear blue, sea water blue, I wear blue since my love's a sailor. I wear blue, sea water blue, I wear blue since my love's a sailor. Colorful are the colors of my clothing, Colorful is everything I have. Brown, yellow, white, dark and light, I wear colors since my love's a painter. Brown, yellow, white, dark and light, I wear colors since my love's a painter.

(Click here for a PDF version of the music)

This German folk song is said to have originated in Pomerania. Most Germans know it, and Ross Sutter picked it up from a teacher in Minnesota.

The song shows that the Folk Process lives. Ross Sutter tends to sing this as a fill-in-the-blank song -- that is, letting the students he's working with supply the occupation. One day, singing the song in English, he was singing something like

Brown, brown, brown is the color of my clothing,
Brown, brown brown is everything I have.
I wear brown, up the hill and down,
I wear brown, because I....

And an alert first grader, without missing a beat, produced "work for UPS!"

Source: The German text is as Ross Sutter sings it. Note that the printed melody has to fit both German and English words, and the slurs are somewhat affected by this. I've slurred just about anything that is slurred in any verse, English or German.

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