# Izidor ovčice pasel

"Izidor ovčice pasel" ("Izidor Herded the Little Sheep") is a Slovenian folk children's song about a shepherd boy who whistles and sings to his flock — with a jingling "cingel cing" refrain — before leaving to become a soldier.

## 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 | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/izidor-ovcice-pasel/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (sl)

Izidor ovčice pasel,
lepo žvižgal, lepo pel,
cingel cing cingel cingel cong,
cingel cing cingel cingel cong,
cingel cing cingel cingel cong,
cingel cing cong.

### Verse 2 (sl)

Ko ovčice je zapustil,
stopil je v vojaški stan, cingel ...

### English translation (en)

Izidor herded the little sheep,
whistled beautifully, sang beautifully,
cingel cing, cingel cingel cong,
cingel cing, cingel cingel cong,
cingel cing, cingel cingel cong,
cingel cing cong.

When he left the little sheep behind,
he joined the soldiers' ranks, cingel …

## Common questions

**What is "Izidor ovčice pasel" about?**

A shepherd boy named Izidor. He herds his little sheep, whistling and singing beautifully while the bells jingle — "cingel cing, cingel cingel cong" — and later, when he leaves the sheep behind, he goes off to join the army. It moves from a peaceful pastoral scene to the boy growing up and going away.

**What does the "cingel cing" part mean?**

It is the sound of the little bells the sheep wear, turned into a jingling nonsense refrain. Singing the bells is half the fun of the song, and children enjoy the long chiming line.

**Where is "Izidor ovčice pasel" from?**

It is a Slovenian folk song ("ljudska pesem"), handed down without a known author, and a familiar part of the Slovenian children's song tradition.

## Sources

- [Slovenske narodne pesmi — Izidor ovčice pasel](https://narodne-pesmi.si/pesmi/otroske-pesmi-izvedbe/izidor-ovice-pasel/)