Helan Går Explained
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.
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The song's origin is uncertain because it is rarely noted in historical documents.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
Helan gårSjung hopp faderallan lallan lejHelan gårSjung hopp faderallan lejOch den som inte helan tar* Han heller inte halvan fårHelan går(Drink)Sjung hopp faderallan lej
- In the classic version, "trår" is used instead of "tar". "Tar" is modernized, and doesn't rhyme.
English version
Here's the firstSing "hup fol-de-rol la la la la"Here's the firstSing "hup fol-de-rol la la"He who doesn't drink the firstShall never, ever quench his thirstHere's the first[drink]Sing "hup fol-de-rol la la"
A more verbatim translation might be:The whole goes downSing "hup fol-de-rol la la la la"The whole goes downSing "hup fol-de-rol la la"And he who doesn't take the wholeDoesn't get the half eitherThe whole goes down[drink]Sing "hup fol-de-rol la la"
The phonetic version for English speakers who want to sing in Swedish:Hey-lan goreHung hop father lala lala layHey-lan goreHung hop father lala layOh then some in the hey-lan tarHan hell eh in the hall van foreHey-lan goooooore[drink]Hung hop father lala laaaay
And a parodic meta-version (Staffan Waltré):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! The half, or "halvan" in the lyrics above refer to the name traditionally given to the second snaps. The meaning is therefore "the one who doesn't drink the first snaps won't get the second one either"
References (Swedish)
- Christina Mattsson, Helan går. 150 visor till skålen, Atlantis, 2002.
- Christina Mattsson, Från Helan till lilla Manasse, Atlantis, 2002.
Notes and References
- Book: Djurgårdens IF 100 år: 1891-1991 . Rehnberg . Bo . Wickman . Mats . 1991 . Sellin & partner förlag . Swedish . Stockholm, Sweden . 136 . 91-7055-029-8.
- News: Larsson. Jan-Erik. Energiknippe fyller 75 år. 19 November 2010. Norrländska Socialdemokraten. Swedish. 21 September 2010.
- News: Brändström . Leif . Europarekord för Frölunda på Ullevi . 19 November 2010 . . Swedish . 23 December 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100502162748/http://www.dn.se/sport/ishockey/europarekord-for-frolunda-pa-ullevi-1.1018695 . 2 May 2010 .
