Conversation

@cj Yes. A kid rides on your knees as you bob them up and down and sing:
"Hoppe hoppe Reiter
Wenn er fällt dann schreit er
fällt er in den Graben
fressen ihn die Raben
fällt er in den Sumpf
macht der Reiter … PLUMPS!"
At this point open your knees and the kid drops towards the floor, hopefully laughing and shouting with joy. Everybody knows the rhyme so the tension builds up and the adult will sometimes delay the inevitable fall…
Not sure about the historic context.