The River Song
Sailing up the river:
The well-known Danish song was written about Odense River. It originally had several verses and a different text from the one sung today.
The lyric of ‘Sejle op ad åen’ was written by Laurits Stephan, and the tune composed by Emilius Carl Wilhelmi.
The song was probably performed for the first time on 12 or 13 July 1895 at Odense Sommertheater by the tenor Edvard Agerholm.
In 1934, Crown Prince Frederik (later Frederik IX) conducted the Band of the Life Guards at their rehearsal rooms in Rigensgade in Copenhagen. A musician sat playing with the melody of ‘Sejle op ad åen’. When Crown Prince Frederik heard it, he said to the conductor of the life guards: ‘That’s a pleasant tune – we often sing it when we are out sailing. I think you should play that one on the football pitch.’ This was duly done – and with considerable success, it has to be said.
In the spring of 1981, a television interview was broadcast with Queen Margrethe in which she talked about her impressions of Japan. She was asked, among other things, if she felt that Danes could be brought to understand the Japanese mentality. The queen replied in the affirmative, although we would never he able to ‘sail up the river’ together.
To sail up river together has since become a concept that embraces a more than usual understanding of each other. Sailing up river together means that good friendship is the order of the day, preferably in a festive mood and in good spirits.
We all know that when Danes meet in a festive mood, whether it is in the local parish hall, at a football match or on the beaches of southern Europe, one can often hear them burst into song – and the song they all sing is:
Sailing up the river,
sailing down again
That’s a song that loves to rhyme,
let’s just sing it one more time.
Sailing up the river,
sailing down again.
Etc.
sailing down again
That’s a song that loves to rhyme,
let’s just sing it one more time.
Sailing up the river,
sailing down again.
Etc.
You can keep on singing it ad infinitum – as long as your lungs and your desire to do so last. And it does not call for all that much memory.
People often link arms and sway from side to side. This symbolises boating on the river and helps to increase the party spirit.
All of Denmark is familiar with this popular song – and people in Odense are well aware that it is Odense River that is being sung about. But, then again, they’re used to sailing on it.
Trips are still sailed on the river every summer, from 1 May to 30 September.
(From the book ‘Sailing up river’ by Vibeke Brandt)
