But what does
"Am Stram Gram" mean?
A magic spell? Old Latin? Or just funny sounds? Investigating the most famous playground rhyme.
🇫🇷 The (Very) Mysterious Origin
Everyone in France knows the song: "Am, stram, gram, Pic et pic et colégram...". But no one really knows where it comes from! Here are the most serious theories:
The Germanic Track 🇩🇪
Some linguists think it's a distortion of medieval German "eins, zwei, drei" (one, two, three) transformed into singing sounds during invasions. The sounds evolved over centuries to give us the current rhyme.
The Universal Sounds Track ✨
Other researchers simply see phonemes easy to pronounce that sound good together. Like "la-la-la" or "tra-la-la", these sounds were chosen naturally for their rhythm, without real meaning.
💡 The verdict? Nobody really knows! What is certain is that these rhymes have existed for centuries and are passed down from generation to generation, with variations in every region.
🌍 Chance speaks all languages
Everywhere on Earth, children need to choose someone at random. Here is how "Am Stram Gram" (or "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe") is said by our neighbors, with the full translation:
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch a tiger by the toe.
If he hollers, let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."
📖 Note: The most famous version in English-speaking countries. Often used to choose "it" in a game of tag.
Pito, pito, gorgorito
"Pito, pito, gorgorito,
¿Dónde vas tú tan bonito?
A la era verdadera,
Pin, pon, fuera."
📖 Translation: "Pito, pito, little chirp, where are you going so prettily? To the real threshing floor, Pin, pon, out!"
Ene, mene, miste
"Ene, mene, miste,
es rappelt in der Kiste.
Ene, mene, meck,
und du bist weg!"
📖 Translation: "Ene, mene, miste, it rattles in the box. Ene, mene, meck, and you are gone!"
Uni duni tê
"Uni, duni, tê,
Salamê, minguê,
O sorvete colorê,
O escolhido foi você!"
📖 Translation: "Uni, duni, tê, salamê, minguê, the colorful ice cream, the chosen one was you!"
Ambarabà ciccì coccò
"Ambarabà ciccì coccò,
tre civette sul comò
che facevano l'amore
con la figlia del dottore."
📖 Translation: "Ambarabà ciccì coccò, three owls on the dresser making love with the doctor's daughter."
どちらにしようかな (Dochira ni shiyō kana)
"どちらにしようかな、
天の神様の言う通り。"
(Dochira ni shiyō kana, ten no kamisama no iu tōri)
📖 Translation: "Which one shall I choose? According to what the god of heaven says." (We let destiny decide!)
🔍 Fascinating Common Point
All these rhymes use repetitive and rhythmic sounds that are easy for children to memorize. It's a universal phenomenon: every culture has developed its own magic formula to let chance decide fairly!
No matter the language, the goal is the same: let destiny choose in an impartial and playful way. If you are too lazy to sing the rhyme, our wheel does it for you in 1 second!
🎰 Use the Modern Wheel