Are we singing all the Happy Birthday lyrics correctly in English? Are there versions in other languages?
“Happy Birthday” is the world-famous song that is traditionally sung to celebrate a person’s birthday. Other tunes sung in similar occasions include For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow in English-speaking countries and Las Mañanitas in Mexico.
According to the 1998 Guinness World Records, “Happy Birthday to You” is the most recognized song in the English language. However, the tune has been adapted to lyrics in many languages too, and we present them to you in this article.
Table of Contents
- Printable Happy Birthday Lyrics PDF
- Traditional Happy Birthday Lyrics in English
- Funny Happy Birthday Lyrics
- Happy Birthday Lyrics in Spanish
- Happy Birthday Lyrics in French
- Happy Birthday in Italian – Lyrics
- Happy Birthday Lyrics in German
- Happy Birthday Portuguese Lyrics
Printable Happy Birthday Lyrics PDF
Click on the button to download a
PDF file with lyrics to Happy Birthday for free.
Traditional Happy Birthday Lyrics in English
Are there any lyrics to Happy Birthday that we don’t know?
Well, no. Although several versions circulate around the web, there are no official sources, neither in books nor online, saying that there are more lyrics than the traditional ones:
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday, dear [name]
Happy Birthday to you
Funny Happy Birthday Lyrics
The waltz rhythm of the song must have been one of the reasons why Happy Birthday became popular in Europe too. Another clue to its popularity in countries like Germany is the development of parody lyrics that are widely known among children.
In the United States, a popular parody that kids know is
“Happy birthday to you,
you live in a zoo,
you look like a monkey,
and you smell like one too,”
According to Robert Brauneis, kids in Germany are likely to know
“Happy birthday to you,
Marmelade im Schuh,
Aprikose in der Hose,
und ein Bratwurst dazu”
(i.e., marmalade in the shoe, apricot in the pants, and with those a bratwurst – a nonsense rhyme).
Happy Birthday Lyrics in Spanish
Many Spanish-speaking countries have adopted the melody of Happy Birthday and created Cumpleaños Feliz, which goes like this:
Cumpleaños feliz
Cumpleaños feliz
Te deseamos todos
Cumpleaños feliz
Literal translation from Spanish to English:
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
We all wish you (a)
Happy Birthday
Another Happy Birthday song that is popular in Spain but doesn’t use the popular melody is the one interpreted by the famous artist Miliki, which is known as Feliz en tu día:
Feliz, feliz en tu día,
Amiguito/-a, que Dios te bendiga,
Qué reine la paz en tu día,
Y qué cumplas muchos más.Feliz, feliz en tu día,
Amiguito/-a, que Dios te bendiga,
Que reine la paz en tu día,
Y que cumplas muchos más.
In Argentina and other South American countries, the lyrics are different:
Que los cumplas feliz
Que los cumplas feliz
Que los cumplas [nombre de la persona]
Que los cumplas feliz
which, considering the Spanish expression uses the verb “cumplir” (complete) to say “I complete 25 years“, literally translates as:
May you complete them happy
May you complete them happy
May you complete them, [name]
May you complete them happy
In Colombia and Peru, the song gets two verses. In Venezuela and Chile, only the first one of these verses is usually sung:
Cumpleaños feliz
te deseamos a ti
cumpleaños (name)
cumpleaños feliz.Que los cumpla feliz,
que los vuelva a cumplir,
que los siga cumpliendo,
Hasta el año 3000.
which means:
Happy Birthday
we wish to you
birthday (name)
Happy BirthdayMay you complete them happy
May you complete them again,
may you keep on completing them
until the year 3000.
Happy Birthday Lyrics in French
The French also have their own version, “Joyeux Anniversaire“:
Joyeux anniversaire
Joyeux anniversaire
Joyeux anniversaire [name]
Joyeux anniversaire
which literally says just “Happy Birthday” and the celebrant’s name.
In Canada, the song is called “Bonne fête à toi” (or just “Bonne fête“) and its lyrics are:
Bonne fête [name]
Bonne fête [name]
Bonne fête, bonne fête,
Bonne fête [name]
Happy Birthday in Italian – Lyrics
“Buon compleanno” or “Tanti auguri a te” is the Italian version of the birthday song:
Tanti auguri a te
tanti auguri a te
tanti auguri a [name]
tanti auguri a te
which literally translates to “Many wishes to you“.
Happy Birthday Lyrics in German
“Zum Geburtstag viel Glück” is the German Happy Birthday tune. Its lyrics are:
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück
Zum Geburtstag alles Gute
Zum Geburtstag viel GlückZum Geburtstag viel Glück
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück
Zum Geburtstag alles Gute
Zum Geburtstag viel GlückZum Geburtstag alles Gute
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück
Literal translation from German to English
Much luck for the birthday
Much luck for the birthday
All good for the birthday
Much luck for the birthday
Happy Birthday Portuguese Lyrics
The melody of the English Happy Birthday song is used in Brazil for “Parabéns a você“:
Parabéns a você,
nesta data querida,
Muitas felicidades,
Muitos anos de vida
Literal translation from Portuguese to English:
Happy Birthday to You,
in this especial date,
Best wishes,
Many years of life
Karaoke Video with Lyrics
Click on the button to watch a sing-along video
and download a instrumental mp3 of this song for free.
♥ To sing the song yourself, click here
for a Free Happy Birthday to you (Karaoke Version)
To download a free instrumental mp3 of the track you can listen to below, click on the button above.
See also: How to Play Happy Birthday on Piano – Easy Notes & Tutorial
Click on the button for a printable PDF file with Guitar Chords,
Tabs and Sheet Music with Notes and Tablature for this song for free.
Click on the following button to download a free printable PDF file
with glockenspiel/xylophone sheet music and a note chart of this song.
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