Abstract & Overview
Staffan Var En Stalledräng - Swedish Christmas Carol by Farya Faraji & World Musicians Published at YouTube on November 23rd, 2025. _________________________________________________________________________ This is the official song collection of Farya Faraji, a Canadian-Iranian musicologist, documentary filmmaker and public educator dedicated to fostering a deeper appreciation for the authentic traditional sounds of the world’s musical cultures in order to preserve the cultural, historical, social and artistic value of our species across peoples and nations with no distinction between them, for the purposes to keep alive humanity's soul. _________________________________________________________________________ Video's Description: Reupload from 2023 to fix issues. Arrangement & vocals by Farya Faraji. This is a traditional Christmas carol from Sweden. Many different versions exist in different melodies, some of the more well known one being in the major scale and arranged for choirs. This one however is from a less well known version in the minor scale, and my arrangement owes a lot to Folk & Rackare's rendition. The instrumentation I used consists of a Scandinavian zither and a Swedish nyckelharpa, alongside sleigh bells. The combination of the zither and nyckelharpa gives this an older and more traditional touch, as much of Scandinavian folk used such instruments rather than more newly introduced ones like the acoustic guitar or accordion. The video was filmed in Sweden across Stockholm, Visby, and the Sápmi region of Sweden north of the Arctic Circle. Lyrics in Swedish: Staffan var en stalledräng, Håll dig väl, fålen min! Han vattna sina fålar fem. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Ingen dager synes än, synes än! Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Två de voro röda, Håll dig väl, fålen min! De tjänte väl sin föda. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Och de voro vita, Håll dig väl, fålen min! De var varandra lika. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Den femte han var apelgrå, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Den rider Staffan själv uppå! Allt för den ljusa stjärna. Ingen dager synes än, synes än! Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Innan tuppen galit har, Håll dig väl, fålen min! Han i stallet redan var. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Hastigt lägges sadeln på, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Innan solen månd uppgå. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Skinnpäls och mössa, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Hundar och bössa. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än! Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Framme han till skogen var, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Innan någon vaknat har. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Orrar och tjädrar, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Hundarna vädrar. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Dagen den lider, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Fålen hemskrider. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än! Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Lutfisken luktar, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Bränvinet fuktar. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Kära far i huset, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Ge oss ut i kruset. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Får vi inget brännvin i våra krus, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Slår vi era fönster ut. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än! Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Kära mor vid lullan, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Låt oss smaka bullan. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Kuse och kake, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Låt oss få smaka. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Låt oss mera dricka få, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Innan harpan börjar gå. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Ingen dager synes än, synes än! Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. Drängarne hoppa, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Piporna stoppa. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Nu rider Staffan å gåle, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Han kommer ej igen förr'n ett åre. Allt för den ljusa stjärna. - Uppå Julen, broder Knut, Håll dig väl, fålen min! - Som på visan gör han slut. Hjelp Gud och Sancte Staffan! - Ingen dager synes än, synes än! Men stjärnorna de blänka på himmelen. English translation: Stephen was a stableboy, Steady now, steed of mine! - He watered his horses five. All for the shining star.- No dawn is yet seen, yet seen! But the stars they sparkle in the sky. Two were red, They earned their keep well. And they were white, They were eachother alike. The fifth he was dapple-grey, That one Stephen is riding upon himself! No dawn is yet seen, yet seen! But the stars they sparkle in the sky. Before the rooster has crowed, He already was in the stable. Quickly the saddle is put on, Before the sun is risen. Leather coat and cap, Dogs and rifle. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen! But the stars they sparkle in the sky. He reached the forest, Before anyone has awaken. Black and wood grouses, The dogs are sniffing. The day is reaching its end, The steed proceeds home. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen! But the stars they sparkle in the sky. The stockfish is smelling, The brandy is moisturing. Dear father in the house, Give us in the tankard. If we don't get any brandy in our tankards, We will bang your windows out. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen! But the stars they sparkle in the sky. Dear mother by the cradle, Let us taste the bun. Bread and cake, Let us have a taste. Let us get some more to drink, Before the harp starts sounding. No dawn is yet seen, yet seen! But the stars they sparkle in the sky. The farm-workers jump The fifes stop. Now Stephen is riding thence, He will not return until after a year Upon Christmas, brother Knut, Like the song he ends with. Help God and Saint Stephen. - No dawn is yet seen, yet seen! But the stars they sparkle in the sky. glimbous' Comment: One of the most underrated aspects of this channel is the breathtaking cinematography of each and every video. Even the shots that seem to be "simple" are not merely beautiful — they're engaging, they make you curious and fully immersed in the song, and they feel like a separate, but indispensable, entity of their own. At 1:04, the way the fire forms the silhouettes and the way you capture it genuinely made me stop the video for a few moments and observe the scene it created like I've never seen people, or fire, or color contrast before. Marvelous work as always! About Songs of the World: Songs of the World forms the foundation of Farya Faraji’s work. He is best known for his collaborations with traditional musicians from across the globe, through which folk and traditional songs are performed with deep respect for their authentic cultural context and living traditions. Collaborators have included July Vitraniuk, Vigneshwari V.S, Ido Romano, Paul Johnson, Anna Vasylchenko, Dimitrios Dallas, Michael Burnyeat, Marina Koleva, Ali Farbodnia, and many others, each bringing deep musical expertise rooted in the regions and traditions they represent. Most foundational to the project is the desire to bring people of different cultures together. By performing songs of diverse cultures alongside its practitioners, Faraji wishes to show the universality of music, and how it connects us all. Herebefore, a list of links regarding other biographies within this project you might find interesting or consider consulting. Farya Faraji — Official Collection If you wish to support their project, you can donate to their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FaryaFaraji / Backup The official site with descriptions of their projects and methodology: https://www.faryafarajiofficial.com/ / Backup — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Archived with the purposes of preservation.