# Stari Medo "Stari Medo" ("Old Bear") is a playful Slovenian children's song with a growling "brunda gunda" refrain: an empty bowl means Old Bear goes to sleep, but a bowl full of honey and he'll gladly dance for you. ## At a glance | | | |---|---| | Country of origin | Slovenia | | Sung in | Slovenian | | Words by | Traditional | | First known | Slovenian children's song; author not established | | Best for ages | 2–7 | | Mood | playful, traditional | | Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/stari-medo/ | ## Lyrics ### Verse 1 (sl) Brunda gunda, brunda gunda - meda polna skleda! Stari Medo - bistra glava: prazna skleda - Medo spava... ### Verse 2 (sl) Brunda gunda, brunda gunda - meda polna skleda! Če pa vidi polno skledo, rad vam pleše stari Medo! ### Verse 3 (sl) Brunda gunda, brunda gunda - meda polna skleda! ### English translation (en) Brunda gunda, brunda gunda — a bowl full of honey! Old Bear — a clever head: an empty bowl — and Bear goes to sleep… Brunda gunda, brunda gunda — a bowl full of honey! But if he sees a full bowl, Old Bear will gladly dance for you! Brunda gunda, brunda gunda — a bowl full of honey! ## Common questions **What is "Stari Medo" about?** A honey-loving bear. Old Bear is a "clever head": when the bowl is empty, he just goes to sleep — but if he sees a bowl full of honey, he will gladly dance for you. The growly refrain "brunda gunda, brunda gunda — a bowl full of honey!" runs all the way through. **What does "brunda gunda" mean?** It is a nonsense growl — the sound a bear makes, turned into a refrain. It has no literal meaning; it is there to be rumbled and grumbled like a contented, hungry bear. **Who wrote "Stari Medo"?** No reliable author could be found for it, so it is treated here as a traditional Slovenian children's song, of the kind handed down and sung in nurseries. ## Sources - [Micka.si — Stari medo](https://www.micka.si/stari-medo/) - [Oton Župančič: Mehurčki (PDF, vsebuje pesem Stari medo)](https://domzalec.si/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Oton-Zupancic-MEHURCKI-1.pdf)