Nursery Rhymes›European Lullabies›Den lille Ole med paraplyen
Den lille Ole med paraplyen lyricsDen lille Ole med paraplyen lyrics
With Nelly · A lullaby from Denmark

Den lille Ole med paraplyen

Key: C major~70 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsTraditional · Denmark

Den lille Ole med paraplyen Lyrics. “Little Ole with the Umbrella” is a beloved Danish lullaby that tells the story of Ole Lukøje, the famous character from Danish folklore who brings sleep and dreams to children. Here you will find the lyrics, English translation, meaning, and chords.

Sing & play

Lyrics & chords

The original Danish words, with guitar & piano chords above each line.

Den Lille Ole med Paraplyen video

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Traditional verse

C         F       G7
Den lille Ole med paraplyen,
C   G7                   C
ham kender hver en lille ven.
F   C                    G7
Han lukker øjnene lidt i skyggen,
C           G7           C
og så bli’r drømmene til herren.
In English

What the words mean

“Little Ole with the umbrella — every little friend knows him. He gently closes your eyes in the shade, and then the dreams take charge of the night.”
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Chords — guitar & piano

C
×
Guitar
CEG
Piano
F
Guitar
CFA
Piano
G7
Guitar
DFGB
Piano
Good to know

What “Den lille Ole med paraplyen” Means

The best-loved Danish evening song, about Ole Lukøje — the Danish “Sandman.” With his little umbrella he tiptoes to children at bedtime and softly closes their eyes; once they are shut, dreams take charge of the night. The figure inspired Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of Ole Lukøje.

More songs to sing & play

Back to all our nursery rhymes and lullabies — each one with a different friend.

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Sources & rights

  • A traditional song. It comes from oral tradition and has no single known author. We credit the tradition and its country.
  • Recording and arrangement: real instruments played by hand, no AI music, by Relax In No Time.
  • Chords: written by us for guitar and piano.
  • Translation: our own meaning-for-meaning translation, written for understanding. The sung words stay in the original language.

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