Pål på Haugen -- Paul on the Hill

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From the booklet for JD207 - Sonja Savig: Nu Takk For Alt
Many Norwegian folk songs are about animals (dyrevise). This one concerns a little boy named Paul who's taking care of the family chickens, and he loses one of them to a fox.

Pål på Haugen Paul on the Hill
Pål sine honor på haugen utslepte,
Hønom' so lett yver haugane sprang
Pål kunde vel på hønom fornema,
Reven var ute med rumpa so lang.
Klukk, klukk, klukk, sa høna på haugorn, (2)
Pål han sprang og rengde med augom:
"No tor' eg inkje koma heim åt ho mor! "

Pål han gjekk seg litt lenger på haugen,
Fekk han sjå reven låg på høna og gnog,
Pål han tok seg ein stein uti neven,
Dugleg han då til reven slo.
Reven flaug, so rumpa hans rists. (2)
Pål han gret for høna han miste:
"No tor' eg inkje koma heim åt ho mor! "

 Inkje kan ho verpa, og inkje kan ho gala,
Inkje kan ho krypa, og inkje kan ho gå.
Eg faer gå meg åt kverni å mala
Og få att mjølet eg miste i går.
"Men pytt! " sa'n Pål, "eg er inkje hangen, (2)
Kjeften og modet hev hjelpt no so mangen,
Eg tor' nok vel koma heim åt ho mor! "

Paul let his chickens out on the hillside,
The chickens ran easily all over the hill.
Paul could tell the way the chickens were acting
That the fox was about with his long back end.
Cluck, cluck, cluck, said the chickens on the hillside (2)
Paul ran and rolled his eyes
"Now I don't dare go home to my mother!"

Paul went a little bit further on the hillside
There he saw the fox gnawing on a chicken.
Paul picked up a rock in his fist
And threw it so hard that the fox ran away.
The fox flew so fast his back end was shaking. (2)
Paul cried because he'd lost a chicken:
"Now 1 don't dare go home to my mother.

She can't lay eggs and she can't cackle,
She can't creep and she can't walk.
I'd better go down to the mill and do the grinding
And make the flour 1 lost yesterday.
"Oh heck" says Paul, "I'm not worried (2)
A glib tongue and courage have helped so many
Now 1 do dare go home and tell my mother!"

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