Helan Går
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Helan går is a popular Swedish drinking song, or snapsvisa. Helan ("the whole") is an expression signifying the first (small) glass of spirit (commonly akvavit or vodka) in a series, and går means "goes (down)"; loosely translated as, "Bottoms up!" Thus, it is commonly sung as a toast, typically for the first glass of spirit at a seated dinner. The song has also become quite common in Finland, especially at academic dinners.[citation needed]
When Sweden's ice hockey team won the 1957 World Ice Hockey Championships in Moscow, not all of the Swedish players knew the lyrics to Du gamla, du fria, the de facto Swedish national anthem, so the players sang Helan går instead.[1][2][3]
The song's origin is uncertain because it is rarely noted in historical documents. One early mention occurs in an operetta in 1843. Several composers have written variations of the melody, including Franz Lehár. In 1959 The Belafonte Folk Singers recorded Heylan Går on the album Drinking Songs Around The World RCA LSP1992. The song, in an instrumental version under the title Helan, is present as a ringtone on some Nokia mobile phones, possibly as a nod to Nokia's Nordic (Finnish) heritage. It is Sweden's theme in Civilization VI.
Lyrics
[edit]
Helan går ("he-lan går")
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Here's the first
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The whole goes (down)
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Hey-lan gore
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*In the classic version, "trår" (wants) is used instead of "tar" (take), which rhymes with the following verse-ending "får". The change to "tar" stems from "trår" being mispronounced and misheard, as well as "tar" being easier to say and being a more conventional word than "trår".
The whole (Swedish: helan) and the half (halvan) in the lyrics above refer to the names traditionally given to the first and second snaps (names exist up to number 18). The meaning is therefore "the one who doesn't drink the first snaps won't get the second one either".
"Hell and Gore!" parody
[edit]A parodic meta-version by Staffan Waltré goes:[citation needed]
Hell and Gore!
Chung hop, Father Alan, Alan Lay!
Hell and Gore!
Chung hop, Father Alan Lay!
And handsome in the Hell & Tar,
and hail are in the Half & Four:
Hell and Gore!
Chung hop, Father Alan Lay!
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Rehnberg, Bo; Wickman, Mats (1991). Djurgårdens IF 100 år: 1891-1991 (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Sellin & partner förlag. p. 136. ISBN 91-7055-029-8.
- ^ Larsson, Jan-Erik (21 September 2010). "Energiknippe fyller 75 år". Norrländska Socialdemokraten (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ Brändström, Leif (23 December 2010). "Europarekord för Frölunda på Ullevi". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
References (Swedish)
[edit]- Christina Mattsson, Helan går. 150 visor till skålen, Atlantis, 2002.
- Christina Mattsson, Från Helan till lilla Manasse, Atlantis, 2002.