Hi Erika,
That sounds something like it. The grandfather who taught it came from
Nienburg on the Weser River. One of the people on the list said the dialect
changes from village to village so I suppose it's almost impossible to get
the exact words again. At least I know now, that it's a traditional German
song/poem, carried on for 3 generations in America.
Thank you for your reply.
Marilyn in Ohio