Fieldwork Archive
Riqui ran, los maderos de San Juan
Performed by Santiago Quintana.
Recorded August 11, 2023 in Katonah, New York.
Learned as a youth in Mexico City.
This is a variant of a well-known children's song sung throughout Latin America. It is often sung as a lullaby and sometimes associated with the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. It is speculated to originate from an old Spanish divination game, rocotín rocotán or recotín recotán (nowadays this game is recognized in some parts of Latin America as a children's game). It may have undergone a Christianization in concurrence with pagan summer solstice (midsummer) festivals.
Riqui ran, riqui ran,
los maderos de San Juan
piden pan, no les dan;
piden queso y les dan hueso
y se les atora en el pescuezo.
los maderos de San Juan
piden pan, no les dan;
piden queso y les dan hueso
y se les atora en el pescuezo.
Scrape chop, scrape chop,
the lumberjacks of Saint John
ask for bread, they don't get any;
ask for cheese and they get a bone
and it gets stuck in their throats.
the lumberjacks of Saint John
ask for bread, they don't get any;
ask for cheese and they get a bone
and it gets stuck in their throats.
Variants
930 · Aserrín aserrán1643 · Aserrín, aserrán (Wood Chips)