Peerd van Ome Loeks (Uncle Luke's Horse) by sim1
Okay, I know whe only have walked a few metres, but we have to make a stop here to see the "Peerd van Ome Loeks" (Uncle Luke's Horse). It is right in front of the station. Everyone in Groningen knows the "Peerd van Ome Loeks", although the story is always a bit harder to remember :-)
Loeks was the Groninger Lucas van Hemmen, who was born in the Slingerij (tavern) on the A-straat in Groningen. This tavern also served as a stable. On market days, farmers came from far afield and stalled their horses there. Lucas became a jockey when he grew up. At the turn of the century he had made a name as a participant in (inter)national horse trotting.
When he was 25 years old, he was already known as 'Ome Loeks' (Uncle Luke). In 1910, one of his last horses died. The animal had attacked one of the stable lads and, coming to his aid, Hemmen grabbed a pitchfork and stabbed the horse in the nostril. The wound was not large but the animal caught convulsive gripes and died three days later.
A few boys who saw Hemmen grieving with his horse, started to tease him and started to sing this song :
---------------------------------------------'t Peerd van Ome Loeks is dood, Loeks is dood, Loeks is dood .
't Peerd van Ome Loeks is dood,
Hailemoal dood.
Guster nog goud gezond
Sluig e mit steert in't rond.
't Peerd van Ome Loeks is dood ....'
(It is sung to the tune of an old German song called "oh mein kleiner Augustin ")
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It didn't stay with this one time, the song was sang until his death in 1955. Four years earlier the song got so famous that they made a statue for it.
I wish I could translate the text for you, but it sounds not even close when I try that. It The song is in local dialect, and it starts like this...
"The horse of Uncle Luke is dead, Luke is dead, Luke is dead.
The horse of Uncle Luke is dead,
very much dead....."'
Hahaha, now I have this song in my head!!! ;-))
