Ten Thousand Swedes

[j***@gmail.com]

Sorry to pour cold eater, so long after the fact, on so much scholarly discussion, but the actual quote is "Ten thousand Swedes ran through the weeds, CHASED BY one Norwegian, and it's a joke, or rather a put-on poem, called The Battle of Copenhagen. I gather it did not originate in Scandinavia, but in the Great Lakes area of the United States, probably in Minnesota, where the Swede v. Norwegian rivalry is probably more active than in the Old Countries. There are about a dozen colloquial versions out there on the Net. There's also a much-expanded version published by Ernest Hemingway, but I think he stole it from the folk version.

"About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment." --Josh Billings, c. 1865.

[m***@gmail.com]

It was one Norwegian chase 3000 Suites across the weeds it kind of sums it all up

[k***@gmail.com]

My grandfather recited some of this now and then. I believe the correct version is 10000 swedes went thru the weeds....at th battle of Copenhagen . ...c 8n firmed by numerous similiar versions here. I came to f7ind out what it referred to:)

[h***@gmail.com]

There was a 1948 film called "I Remember Mama" and one of the characters recites that poem. I believe it was Oscar Homolka, who played Uncle Chris.

[m***@gmail.com]

My dad, Carl Jensen, used t o recite a line from that poem. I remember it as, "Ten thousand Swedes died in the weeds, at the Battle of Copenhagen." I never knew what the story was.

[a***@gmail.com]

My Irish American grandfather often sings a little ditty that went “Ten thousand Swedes ran through the weeds, at the Battle of Copenhagen, Ten thousand Swedes ran through the weeds, chasing one Norwegian”. He would change all of the “w” sounds to “v” sounds to give it a Scandinavian accent and the tune was pretty close to Polly Wolly Doodle. I have never asked him where he got it from. I have also seen it rendered as “chased by one Norwegian”, probably just depends on whether one sympathizes more with Norway or Sweden. Historically speaking it doesn’t make much sense to me as I didn’t think Norway and Sweden ever fought against each other in any of the Battles of Copenhagen.

[h***@hotmail.com]

I remember my grandfather singing a little ditty that had this line,forty Swedes were shot in the weeds at the battle of Copenhagen.

[s***@gmail.com]

There was a play about Norwegians in the U.S. in the early 1900s called,
I think, "I remember Mama." From that, I appear to recall a couple of
Ten thousand Swedes went through the weeds
Chasing one Norwegian.
Can anyone tell me what this is all about? Does it have to do with
Norwegian independence from the Swedish kingdom in ?1895?
Thank you. "Tack so mycket".
--
Aadu Pilt

Dad said this in swedish ,i remember 44 svedes ver chased thru the veeds by
von lone norvegian. This was in Swedish.

[b***@comcast.net]

There was a play about Norwegians in the U.S. in the early 1900s called,
I think, "I remember Mama." From that, I appear to recall a couple of
Ten thousand Swedes went through the weeds
Chasing one Norwegian.
Can anyone tell me what this is all about? Does it have to do with
Norwegian independence from the Swedish kingdom in ?1895?
Thank you. "Tack so mycket".
--
Aadu Pilt

My grandfather's second verse went like this -

10,000 more were held at the door
by one Norwegian whore

It was mixed marriage (swede and Norwegian, some of the arguments were interesting . . .