Chanting while Sawing Wood (Keo cua lua xe)
Both boys and girls play the game of keo cua lua xe. Two children sit opposite each other, holding each other’s hands tightly. While reciting a song, they push and pull each other’s arms and pretend as if they are sawing a piece of wood between them.
They say each word as they push or
pull. The song goes as follows:
Keo cua lua xe (Keo cua means “to
‘pull’ a saw”; lua xe means “to adjust the saw to the wood grain)
Ong tho nao khoe (The worker who is
strong)
Ve an com vua (Returns to eat the
king’s rice)
Ong tho nao thua (The worker who cannot
catch up)
Ve bu ti me (Returns to suck his
mother’s milk)
Or, an alternate version:
Keo cua lua xe
Lam it an nhieu (Work a little, eat a
lot)
Nam dau ngu day (Sleep wherever we lie
down)
No lay mat cua (They steal the saw)
Lay gi ma keo (How will we saw?)
