A catchy rap called “Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar” has gone viral on TikTok, but it has left most viewers confused about what it’s about as it’s sung in German.
When TikTok was released in 2016, it was merged with ByteDance’s other short-form video app – Musical.ly – which was all about dance routines, lip-syncing, and other ways for creatives to showcase their work. This has meant that music has played a big part in most viral videos.
Throughout the years, countless songs and sounds have gone viral on the app and have had thousands of people duetting and using the sounds in their own videos.
While some songs are popular songs from the top hit lists, others sounds were made and published directly onto the app with no intention of being known outside of the app.
One song that has recently gained popularity is “Barbaras Rhabarberbar” – a catchy German rap song performed by two creators on the app. But what is it about? Here’s everything to know.
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What is the “Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar” song on TikTok?
“Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar” , or “Barbaras Rhabarberbar” , is a popular German tongue twister about a woman named Barbara and her famous rhubarb cake, which gets more complicated the further you get.
The original TikTok video, which has been seen over 12 million times, was created by German music comedian Bodo Wartke. Although Wartke did not invent the lyrics to the tongue twister, he made it his own by making it into a catchy rap song, which he performed with Marti Fischer.
@bodowartke Part 2 findet Ihr in der Playlist unten! Dass die Barbaren und der Barbier neben dem Bier auch bei Barbaras Rhabarberkuchen zugegriffen haben, liegt an der appetitanregenden Wirkung der im Rhabarber enthaltenen Apfel- und Zitronensäuren – denn: “Sauer macht gelüstig” . Vielen Dank an @Marti Fischer für die tolle Zusammenarbeit und den freshen Beat! #bodowartke #einversuch #onetake #rhabarber #barbaren #barbapapa #barbier #zungenbrecher #zungenbrecher4punkt0 #tonguetwisters #zungenfertigkeit #reimkunst #sprechgesang #hiphop #hiphoptonguetwisters #rap #raptonguetwisters
Several viewers have argued that the two men rapping sound a lot like the Dog of Wisdom, a viral meme from 2015 consisting of a talking dog on a plane.
As the rap went viral, several TikTok users have used the sound in their own videos, where they are seen dancing and lip-syncing along to the catchy tune.
One person who duetted the video wrote on her video: “Sir, I don’t know what you’re saying, but you have my full attention.”
Another person is seen drawing while nodding along to the beat. She wrote: “Pov: you’re working and hear this German rap about a lovely woman named Barbara who makes a great rhubarb pie.”
@eveleoniart such a bop while i paint the lyric theatre @Bodo Wartke @Marti Fischer #smallbusinessuk #theatrekid #germanrap #westend
What is the “Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar” song about?
As the song, or tongue twister, is in German, most people who come across it on TikTok have no idea what it’s about.
However, TikTok user ColorTalk C has made an animated video with the lyrics to the song along with the lyrics translated to English so people can understand what they’re singing along to.
@colortalkcreations Barbaras Rhabarbabar 🔥🔥 #german #deutsch #deutchlernen #learngerman
In short, the rap is about a woman named Barbara who makes an “abnormally good” rhubarb cake that people across the country have heard of. She decides to open a rhubarb bar as the demand for her rhubarb cake increases.
In the same village that Barbara lives in, there are also barbarians, who keep visiting Barbara’s bar so often that they become known as the “rhubarb bar barbarians” .
The tongue twister then takes a turn to focus on the barbarians, who stop their barbaric behavior and instead go to visit Barbara’s rhubarb bar. Barbara even claims they’re now friendlier than Barbapapa (a children’s cartoon).
However, the barbarians were hairy so Barbara sent them to a barbarian’s barber, who shaved their their heads and trimmed their beards.