Has the rain a father
Where does the hippo go?
Do you speak from riddles
His tail's like a cedar tree
The tendons of his thighs like rope
His bones like tubes of bronze
Ribs like bars of iron
And the mountains bring him food
And he takes the shield of gold

Loves the river like a father
Where does the hippopotamus go?
Underwater secret garden
Bones like tubes of bronze, tubes of bronze

The mountains bring him food
And the spring rain falls around
He waddles in the water
And the mudholes in the ground
The fat builds up around his neck
And he only feeds at night
He's running around in the water
With tusk like swords of old
And he takes the shield of gold

Loves the river like a father
Where does the hippopotamus go?
Underwater secret garden
Bones like tubes of bronze

The birds sit on his back, pick off the bugs
The sun beats down upon his ears, and all that mud
And you don't make jokes if you're not as big as him

Hippopotamus, hippopotamus, hippopotamus