Drei Chinesen mit dem Kontrabass

Rules of the game: Lyrics

The first stanza is sung in correct German:

Drei Chinesen mit dem Kontrabass saßen auf der Straße und erzählten sich was. Da kam die Polizei, ei was ist denn das? Drei Chinesen mit dem Kontrabass.

Three Chinese with a double bass Sat on the street and chatted. Along came the police: ‘Now what is this?‘ Three Chinese with a double bass.

At least eight stanzas follow, in which all the vowels are consecutively interchanged by the eight monophthongs found in the German language, following the order A, E, I, O, U, Ä, Ö, Ü. Thus, the second stanza goes

Dra Chanasan mat dam Kantrabass
saßan af dar Straßa and arzahltan sach was.
Da kam da Palaza, a, was ast dann das?
Dra Chanasan mat dam Kantrabass.

Sometimes the game is extended to diphthongs (ai, au and so on). In another variation one of the players announces the next vowel change by shouting `Nochmal!` (Again!), or, rather nachmal,nechmel, etc.