# Uboga, uboga ježeva mati

"Uboga, uboga ježeva mati" ("Poor, Poor Hedgehog Mother") is a short comic Slovenian children's rhyme sympathising with the hedgehog's mother, who had to give birth to a prickly baby that pricked her all the while.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Slovenia |
| Sung in | Slovenian |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | Slovenian children's rhyme; author unknown |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/uboga-uboga-jezeva-mati/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (sl)

Uboga, uboga ježeva mati,
kolko je, kolko je mogla prestati,
morala je, morala
ježa rodili,
pa jo je, pa jo je
pikal po riti.

### English translation (en)

Poor, poor hedgehog mother,
how much, oh how much she had to endure,
she had to, she had to
give birth to a hedgehog,
and it pricked her, it pricked her,
all over her behind.

## Common questions

**What is this rhyme about?**

A comic show of sympathy for the hedgehog's mother. It marvels at how much she had to endure — she had to give birth to a hedgehog, and it pricked her all the while with its spines. The joke is the absurd, deadpan pity for a mother whose own baby is covered in prickles.

**Is "Uboga, uboga ježeva mati" meant seriously?**

No — it is a piece of nonsense humour. It takes the obvious fact that baby hedgehogs are spiky and turns it into mock-sympathy for the poor mother, which children find very funny.

**Who wrote "Uboga, uboga ježeva mati"?**

No author is recorded; it is treated as a traditional Slovenian children's rhyme, of the short comic kind passed on by word of mouth.