Besedilo (Lyrics)
Celotno besedilo pesmi »Črni kos« z angleškim prevodom.
Pleši, pleši črni kos, kak' bom plesal ker sem bos, kupil si pa čevlje bom, polke tri zaplesal bom.
#Plesal bom s siničico, lepo, mlado ptičico, z nogo tolkel bom ob tla, tresla se bo zemlja vsa.
#English translation
Dance, dance, black blackbird, how shall I dance, for I'm barefoot, but I'll buy myself some shoes, and dance three polkas through. I'll dance with a little titmouse, a lovely young little bird, I'll beat my foot upon the ground, and the whole earth will shake.
#Črni kos at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- Sung in
- Slovenian
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- Slovenian folk song; author unknown
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- dancing, playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
How to sing it
- Dance a little polka in a ring as you sing "pleši, pleši črni kos".
- Point to your bare feet on "ker sem bos", then mime putting on new shoes.
- Stamp your foot hard on "z nogo tolkel bom ob tla" so the "earth shakes".
Meaning and origin
This is a dancing song about a reluctant dancer. The blackbird is told to dance, dance — and objects, quite reasonably, that he can’t, because he is barefoot. His solution is grand: he will simply buy himself shoes and dance three whole polkas. Then he takes as his partner a pretty young titmouse and stamps his foot so vigorously that, the song claims, the whole earth shakes. It is a small comedy of an ordinary bird deciding to make an event of himself.
It is a Slovenian folk song with no known author, and it is meant to be danced as much as sung — usually as a bouncy little polka in a ring, with a good stamp on the line about beating the ground. The mismatched couple, the barefoot excuse and the earth-shaking finish make it exactly the kind of merry animal dance song that country tradition does so well, and it has kept Slovenian children hopping for generations.
Common questions
- What is "Črni kos" about?
- A blackbird who wants to dance. Told to "dance, dance, black blackbird", he protests that he can't, because he is barefoot — so he decides to buy himself shoes and dance three polkas. Then he dances with a pretty young titmouse, stamping his foot so hard that the whole earth shakes.
- Is "Črni kos" a dancing song?
- Yes. It is a lively folk dance song, usually sung while dancing a little polka in a ring, with stamping on the line about beating the ground. The mismatched pair — a blackbird and a titmouse — makes it a playful animal love-and-dance song.
- Where is "Črni kos" from?
- It is a Slovenian folk song ("ljudska pesem") with no known author, part of the country's tradition of merry animal dance songs for children.
