Music Appreciation Monday: Ong Dal Saem

I freely admit this wasn't my own idea. My sister, as far as I know, was the inventor of the term and I haven't asked to use it. But I don't think she'll mind, especially since her last MAM was in January. I'm planning on posting classical music, folksongs, and hymns that we're listening to at our own house. (If I can keep up with my bloggy habits while I have a baby crawling all over the house, I might even consider turning this into a Mr Linky deal, too, complete with a banner.)

But enough of that. Ong Dal Saem (옹달샘) is a Korean song about a mountain spring and a rabbit who comes to drink from it early in the morning. The tune is the same as the German song Drunten Im Unterland, but the meaning is completely different. Here is a rough translation of the Korean lyrics (Junkmale or Iris can correct me if I've made any gross mistranslations):

Deep in the mountains is a spring.
Who will come to take a drink?
Clear and pure is spring,
Who will come to take a drink?
In the dawn a rabbit
Rubs his eyes and wakes up
He came to wash his face
He drinks water, then he goes.

This is my favorite version, with all the parts sung by the same person. It is based on a single from a popular Korean boy band, TVXQ. They titled the song "Mountain Spring":

And here we have two adorable boys singing the song, complete with hand motions:



And lastly, the tune used as a background for a yogurt commercial: