Rida rida ranka

 My father used to say this Norwegian rhyme when I was little, while rocking me on his knee or his foot.   He did it with his grandchildren as well.

 Somewhere we have a sound movie of Courtney, age four months, sitting on my Norwegian grandmother's lap, in 1978, while my grandmother said it.

My dad always ended it with "woof woof woof".   I went to visit my dad when he was in a nursing home, with dementia.  He remembered the whole rhyme and for the first time I cam remember, he actually translated it for me.  That was the last time I saw my father.

  

This is another version:

The children's version is different. It's delightful, rhyming nonsense. My English interpretation:

Ride, ride the horsie

To the Miller's house

There's no one there but two little cats

The cat calls

The mountain girl "squalls" (my word to make it rhyme)

Two small dogs say,

"Woof woof woof"