The song “Backe Backe Kuchen”, which translates to “Bake, Bake the Cake” is a German song I heard being sung by my mother and grandmother since I was a little girl. I never really knew the words but wanted to be a part of the fun, so I would make up my own lyrics to be able to sing the tune along with them. My brother and I always thought that my grandmother had made up the song because there are other songs in English that I remember her making up. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I found out it was an actual song that was from Germany and other people knew. This song reminds me of home and makes me think of the women in my family. 

After talking to my grandmother, I learned that it was my great-great grandmother that started the passing of this song to other generations. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1921 with her daughter (two of them in the picture). They established a life in America but the song was a way to teach my grandmother a little bit of German and stay connected with the land they tried to forget. The earliest memories I have of this, is my mother singing this song while doing chores around the house and my grandmother singing it to me when I was little. It makes me think of togetherness, home, and family when I hear this song. 
 

– Hayly Czubinski

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more