vyssan lull

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Swedish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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vyss ("lull," as an interjection) or vyssa (to lull) + lull ("lull," as an interjection). Compare Danish visselulle (to lull, to hushaby).

Interjection

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vyssan lull

  1. Used to lull (a child) to sleep.
    • 1936, Evert Taube (lyrics and music), “Byssan lull [variation, possibly inspired by byssan (the galley)]”‎[1]:
      Byssan lull, koka kittelen [kitteln] full, där kommer tre vandringsmän på vägen. Byssan lull, koka kittelen [kitteln] full, där kommer tre vandringsmän på vägen. Den ene är så halt, den andre är så blind, den tredje har så trasiga kläder.
      Byssan lull, cook ["boil," but also used for cooking through boiling] the cauldron full, [over] there comes three wanderers on the road. Byssan lull, cook the cauldron full, [over] there comes three wanderers on the road. One is so halt [limping, lame], the other is so blind [sic – "so blind" sounds the same in Swedish], the third has such tattered clothes [Ene/andre is usually used of two people, like in English, but occasionally of more people].

Usage notes

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  • Now mostly only appears in lullabies.
  • The variation "byssan lull" appears in a well-known lullaby.

References

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