Nigerian Language Songs for Babies and Children

[Soul Sista]

Here are some songs for babies and children in the Yoruba language. If you know any songs in your own language, please feel free to add them and populate the thread. Thanks.

Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

PS: If you do share, please, please, please include an English translation. The goal is to share, NOT to be exclusive


Omo o!
Omo o, ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Omo o, ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Kekere, jojolo, mo feran re (Little one, jojolo, I love you ((Jojolo has no real meaning, but could be something nice, fresh, smooth))
Omo o ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Omo o ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)

Ejek'omode ko wa
Ejek'omode ko wa, O (Let the children come, O)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)
Ejek'omode ko wa, O (Let the children come, O)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)
Jojoloooo!
Omo kekere jojolo, awon l'ore Eledumare (Little children, jojolo, they are the friends of the Lord)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)

O fe sun o
[Name of baby] nko o? (Where is [name of baby]?)
Sho wa n'le o? (Is he home?)
O wa n'le o. (He is home.)
She a wa wo o? (Can we come and see him/her?)
Ema wa wo o. (No, don't come and see him/her.)
O fe sun o. (He wants to sleep)

Kenge
[Name of baby] Kenge (Kenge has no meaning, it's just a sound)
[Name of baby] Kenge
Gbogbo Eko s'eru iwo ni kan (All the people in Lagos are at your beck and call (for example, because we have to drop all we are doing to change you when you soil your pampers))
[Name of baby] Kenge

Here is a song to help kids to count one to ten in Yoruba:

Eni bi eni l'omode kawo (The young ones count money one by one)

Eji bi eji iyen l'agba k'ayo (The elders count the pebbles of the Ayo game two by two)

Eta bi eta, e je ka t'ara wa l'ore (Three by three, let us give one another gifts)

Erin bi erin, eni rin ni laa rin (Four by four, you laugh with those who laugh with you)

Arun bi arun, Oba ma she wa l'arungun (Five by five, may God not allow us to become destroyers of our inheritance)

Efa bi efa, e je ka fara wa mora (Six by six, let us draw nearer to one another)

Eje bi eje, Olugbon s'oro o k'ije (Seven by seven, Olugbon performs certain rites on the seventh day)

Ejo bi ejo, eni bini laa jo (Eight by eight, one must take after one's parents)

Esan bi esan, Oba j'ale o san wa (Nine by nine, God let our old age be a blessed one)

Ewa bi ewa, t'owo t'omo ko wa wa wale (Ten by ten, may riches and children follow us home).


Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

PS: The numbers one to ten are in Yoruba are in bold type font above.

[Soul Sista]

Here are some songs for babies and children in the Yoruba language. If you know any songs in your own language, please feel free to add them and populate the thread. Thanks.

Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

PS: If you do share, please, please, please include an English translation. The goal is to share, NOT to be exclusive


Omo o!
Omo o, ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Omo o, ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Kekere, jojolo, mo feran re (Little one, jojolo, I love you ((Jojolo has no real meaning, but could be something nice, fresh, smooth))
Omo o ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Omo o ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)

Ejek'omode ko wa
Ejek'omode ko wa, O (Let the children come, O)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)
Ejek'omode ko wa, O (Let the children come, O)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)
Jojoloooo!
Omo kekere jojolo, awon l'ore Eledumare (Little children, jojolo, they are the friends of the Lord)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)

O fe sun o
[Name of baby] nko o? (Where is [name of baby]?)
Sho wa n'le o? (Is he home?)
O wa n'le o. (He is home.)
She a wa wo o? (Can we come and see him/her?)
Ema wa wo o. (No, don't come and see him/her.)
O fe sun o. (He wants to sleep)

Kenge
[Name of baby] Kenge (Kenge has no meaning, it's just a sound)
[Name of baby] Kenge
Gbogbo Eko s'eru iwo ni kan (All the people in Lagos are at your beck and call (for example, because we have to drop all we are doing to change you when you soil your pampers))
[Name of baby] Kenge

Here is a song to help kids to count one to ten in Yoruba:

Eni bi eni l'omode kawo (The young ones count money one by one)

Eji bi eji iyen l'agba k'ayo (The elders count the pebbles of the Ayo game two by two)

Eta bi eta, e je ka t'ara wa l'ore (Three by three, let us give one another gifts)

Erin bi erin, eni rin ni laa rin (Four by four, you laugh with those who laugh with you)

Arun bi arun, Oba ma she wa l'arungun (Five by five, may God not allow us to become destroyers of our inheritance)

Efa bi efa, e je ka fara wa mora (Six by six, let us draw nearer to one another)

Eje bi eje, Olugbon s'oro o k'ije (Seven by seven, Olugbon performs certain rites on the seventh day)

Ejo bi ejo, eni bini laa jo (Eight by eight, one must take after one's parents)

Esan bi esan, Oba j'ale o san wa (Nine by nine, God let our old age be a blessed one)

Ewa bi ewa, t'owo t'omo ko wa wa wale (Ten by ten, may riches and children follow us home).


Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

PS: The numbers one to ten are in Yoruba are in bold type font above.

[Soul Sista]

Here are some songs for babies and children in the Yoruba language. If you know any songs in your own language, please feel free to add them and populate the thread. Thanks.

Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

PS: If you do share, please, please, please include an English translation. The goal is to share, NOT to be exclusive


Omo o!
Omo o, ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Omo o, ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Kekere, jojolo, mo feran re (Little one, jojolo, I love you ((Jojolo has no real meaning, but could be something nice, fresh, smooth))
Omo o ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)
Omo o ke i pe d'agba (In no time, a child is all grown)

Ejek'omode ko wa
Ejek'omode ko wa, O (Let the children come, O)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)
Ejek'omode ko wa, O (Let the children come, O)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)
Jojoloooo!
Omo kekere jojolo, awon l'ore Eledumare (Little children, jojolo, they are the friends of the Lord)
Ejek'omode ko wa (Let the children come)

O fe sun o
[Name of baby] nko o? (Where is [name of baby]?)
Sho wa n'le o? (Is he home?)
O wa n'le o. (He is home.)
She a wa wo o? (Can we come and see him/her?)
Ema wa wo o. (No, don't come and see him/her.)
O fe sun o. (He wants to sleep)

Kenge
[Name of baby] Kenge (Kenge has no meaning, it's just a sound)
[Name of baby] Kenge
Gbogbo Eko s'eru iwo ni kan (All the people in Lagos are at your beck and call (for example, because we have to drop all we are doing to change you when you soil your pampers))
[Name of baby] Kenge

Here is a song to help kids to count one to ten in Yoruba:

Eni bi eni l'omode kawo (The young ones count money one by one)

Eji bi eji iyen l'agba k'ayo (The elders count the pebbles of the Ayo game two by two)

Eta bi eta, e je ka t'ara wa l'ore (Three by three, let us give one another gifts)

Erin bi erin, eni rin ni laa rin (Four by four, you laugh with those who laugh with you)

Arun bi arun, Oba ma she wa l'arungun (Five by five, may God not allow us to become destroyers of our inheritance)

Efa bi efa, e je ka fara wa mora (Six by six, let us draw nearer to one another)

Eje bi eje, Olugbon s'oro o k'ije (Seven by seven, Olugbon performs certain rites on the seventh day)

Ejo bi ejo, eni bini laa jo (Eight by eight, one must take after one's parents)

Esan bi esan, Oba j'ale o san wa (Nine by nine, God let our old age be a blessed one)

Ewa bi ewa, t'owo t'omo ko wa wa wale (Ten by ten, may riches and children follow us home).


Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

PS: The numbers one to ten are in Yoruba are in bold type font above.

[Marin]

Soul sista,

This is a great idea. I know another variation of your song.

[Name of baby] nko o? (Where is [name of baby]?)
O wa n'le o ( he is home?)
Ki lon she o? (Whats he doing?)
...............

I don't remember the rest, does anyone? I'll ask family members and I'll update the full version if I find it.

[Marin]

Soul sista,

This is a great idea. I know another variation of your song.

[Name of baby] nko o? (Where is [name of baby]?)
O wa n'le o ( he is home?)
Ki lon she o? (Whats he doing?)
...............

I don't remember the rest, does anyone? I'll ask family members and I'll update the full version if I find it.

[Marin]

Soul sista,

This is a great idea. I know another variation of your song.

[Name of baby] nko o? (Where is [name of baby]?)
O wa n'le o ( he is home?)
Ki lon she o? (Whats he doing?)
...............

I don't remember the rest, does anyone? I'll ask family members and I'll update the full version if I find it.

[Tamedu]

Excellent! Thanks Soul Sista for putting this up. My baby loves the Kenge song. I think you should put a Copyright to that one.

[Tamedu]

Excellent! Thanks Soul Sista for putting this up. My baby loves the Kenge song. I think you should put a copyright to that one.

[Tamedu]

Excellent! Thanks Soul Sista for putting this up. My baby loves the Kenge song. I think you should put a copyright to that one.

[katampe]

WHEN SOUL BABY IS CRYING YOU CAN USE THIS SONG TO ROCK HER TO SLEEP

Soul baby nko? ( Where is Soul baby)

Kilo se o? ( what is he /she doing)

O kole lowo ( he/she is building a house )

O ra le lowo (he/she is buying a plot of land)

Ile oloke mejila ( he/she building a twelve storey house)

O ko ikan fun daddy (he/she built one for daddy)

O ko ikan fun mummy ( he/she built one for mummy)

Owun na ko kan ( he/she built one for herself /himself )

Radio wa nbe , television wa nbe ( radio was there, television was there)

Gbo gbo e wa nbe ( everything is there)

O ko agirikoshoooooooooo ( he /she built agriculture )

[Soul Sista]

Originally Posted by Tamedu

Excellent! Thanks Soul Sista for putting this up. My baby loves the Kenge song. I think you should put a copyright to that one.

I am glad to hear that your baby likes it. Copyright? No o, it is only Oyinbo that go to Africa and other parts of the non-Western world, pick up something that has been in use since 19when-when and go and copyright or patent it. Then, they will say that we should pay to use it. God dey.

Try this one. I tried it and Baboos seems to like it, with a lot of tickling, poking, and kissing.

Ekun Meran


Ekun n'meran (The leopard is trying to capture its prey)

Mee!! (Mee does not mean anything, it is just a sound.)

Ekun meran (The leopard is trying to capture its prey)

Mee!!

O t'ori bo'gbo (It plunges into the forest)

Mee!!

O t'orun bo'dan (It plunges into the bush)

Mee!!

O fe mu un (It is anxious to capture the prey)

Mee!!

Ko ma le mu o! (It cannot catch the prey o!)

Mee!!

Oju ekun pon (The leopard's eyes are bloodshot)

Mee!!

Iru ekun le (The leopard's tail stands on end)

Oju ekun pon (The leopard's eyes are bloodshot)

Mee!!

Iru ekun le (The leopard's tail stands on end)

(Start again)

[Soul Sista]

Here is a song to help kids to count one to ten in Yoruba:

Eni bi eni l'omode kawo (The young ones count money one by one)

Eji bi eji iyen l'agba k'ayo (The elders count the pebbles of the Ayo game two by two)

Eta bi eta, e je ka t'ara wa l'ore (Three by three, let us give one another gifts)

Erin bi erin, eni rin ni laa rin (Four by four, you laugh with those who laugh with you)

Arun bi arun, Oba ma she wa l'arungun (Five by five, may God not allow us to become destroyers of our inheritance)

Efa bi efa, e je ka fara wa mora (Six by six, let us draw nearer to one another)

Eje bi eje, Olugbon s'oro o k'ije (Seven by seven, Olugbon performs certain rites on the seventh day)

Ejo bi ejo, eni bini laa jo (Eight by eight, one must take after one's parents)

Esan bi esan, Oba j'ale o san wa (Nine by nine, God let our old age be a blessed one)

Ewa bi ewa, t'owo t'omo ko wa wa wale (Ten by ten, may riches and children follow us home).


Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

PS: The numbers one to ten in Yoruba are in bold type font above.

[Oluiwa]

I really really love this idea of Soul Sista, singing with/to your child is so rewarding and beneficilal to the child as well, when I read the songs it brought back such good memories of my childhood.
I also like what you said about the issue of patent, however it wouldnt be a bad Idea to get the songs on CD if only to dispersed for a minor token, or just as documentation of Yoruba lullabbies.

Soul Sis I hereby award you th tittle of "Yeye Oba the Soulfull", for bringing this joy full idea to the NVS. Oye a mori O. It can only be a Soulfull person that can be concious eough to recognise the beauty of our African customs.
Also from what I have seen from a lot of we diasporans, not a lot of us hold such gems of our culture so dear to them, as in I am so ecxited to get home and sing to my daughter,

I no so many Naija's that are too caught up in their daily life in obodo oyinbo land to understand or appreciate the brilliance in the culture.



Soul sis , I just rememberd now that there also songs that help babies through illness, teething, fever etc.

here is one I slightly remember if you know the rest pls complete it

Omo mi O akuru bete kuru bete (my little child)
Omo mi O akuru bete kuru bete

Bi o ku o ma ra aso fun re (If you recover I will buy you colths)

Bi o ku o rs bata fun re (If you recover I will buy you a shoe)

.................if you know it pls complete

Ta lo wa ni inu ogba na (who is in the compound)
Omo kekere kan ni (Its a one little Child)
se kin wa wo (can I come and see )

........................if you know it pls complete

There a so many much more nicer songs for children, that my granny sang to us , but i cant remember them right now, but I will go and research for more too.

[Soul Sista]

Originally Posted by Oluiwa

I really really love this idea of Soul Sista, singing with/to your child is so rewarding and beneficilal to the child as well, when I read the songs it brought back such good memories of my childhood.
I also like what you said about the issue of patent, however it wouldnt be a bad Idea to get the songs on CD if only to dispersed for a minor token, or just as documentation of Yoruba lullabbies.

Soul Sis I hereby award you th tittle of "Yeye Oba the Soulfull", for bringing this joy full idea to the NVS. Oye a mori O. It can only be a Soulfull person that can be concious eough to recognise the beauty of our African customs.
Also from what I have seen from a lot of we diasporans, not a lot of us hold such gems of our culture so dear to them, as in I am so ecxited to get home and sing to my daughter,

I no so many Naija's that are too caught up in their daily life in obodo oyinbo land to understand or appreciate the brilliance in the culture.



Soul sis , I just rememberd now that there also songs that help babies through illness, teething, fever etc.

here is one I slightly remember if you know the rest pls complete it

Omo mi O akuru bete kuru bete (my little child)
Omo mi O akuru bete kuru bete

Bi o ku o ma ra aso fun re (If you recover I will buy you colths)

Bi o ku o rs bata fun re (If you recover I will buy you a shoe)

.................if you know it pls complete

Ta lo wa ni inu ogba na (who is in the compound)
Omo kekere kan ni (Its a one little Child)
se kin wa wo (can I come and see )


........................if you know it pls complete

There a so many much more nicer songs for children, that my granny sang to us , but i cant remember them right now, but I will go and research for more too.

Thanks, Oluiwa, for your kind words. I am glad that you like the idea. But, no titles for me: Simply first name or Ms. or Mrs., as the occasion demands, is good enough.

I know both of these songs, but I cannot recall the lyrics. Sunny sang a revision of the second one in praise of Erelu Dosunmu Fernandez. This is what he sang. I am not sure whether it is the same as the original:

Ta lo wa ni inu ogba na (Who is in the compound)
Omo kekere kan ni (It's one little Child)
Se kin wa wo (Can I come and see )
E wa o! (Come and see o!)
O dara pupo (The child is beautiful)

SS a/k/a SS

[Soul Sista]

Orombo (The Orange Tree)

L'abe igi orombo (Under the orange tree)
Orombo! (Orange)
Ibe l'agbe s'ere wa (That is where we are playing)
Inu wa dun (We are happy)
Ara wa'ya (We are hale and hearty)
L'abe igi orombo (Under the orange tree)


Bata mi Adun Ko-Ko-Ka (My Shoes will Sound Ko-Ko-Ka)

Bata mi adun Ko-Ko-Ka (My shoes will sound ko-ko-ka)
Bata mi adun Ko-Ko-Ka (My shoes will sound ko-ko-ka)
Ti m'ba mo'we mi (If I do well in school)
Bata mi adun Ko-Ko-Ka (My shoes will sound Ko-Ko-Ka)

Bata mi adun se-re-re ni le o (My shoes will sound se-re-re as I walk)
Bata mi adun se-re-re ni le o (My shoes will sound se-re-re as I walk)
Ti m'ba mo'we mi (If I don't do well in school (yes, same words for do and don't but different sounds))
Bata mi adun se-re-re ni le o (My shoes will sound se-re-re as I walk)

Ti m'ba mo'we mi (If I do well in school)
Bata mi adun Ko-Ko-Ka (My shoes will sound Ko-Ko-Ka)

[Soul Sista]

Oluronbi*

Oluronbi je je ewure (Oluronbi promised to offer a goat)
Ewure, ewure (Goat, goat)
Oluronbi je je aguntan (Oluronbi promised to offer a ram)
Aguntan wolojo (A fleshy, beautiful ram)
Oluronbi je je omo re (Oluronbi promised to offer her child)
Omo re apon bi epo (Her child who is light skinned, beautiful like palm oil)
Oluronbi O! (Oluronbi O!)
Joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)
Iroko (Majestic iroko tree, the king of trees)
joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)
Oluronbi O! (Oluronbi O!)
Joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)
Iroko (Majestic Iroko tree, the king of trees)
joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)



*Oluronbi is a song that accompanies a story about a woman, Oluronbi, who was unable to have children. In her desperation, she went to the Iroko tree to ask it for a child. In return, she promised the Iroko tree goats, rams, and finally the child as well. Her wishes were granted. And, now, she loves the child and is unwilling to give it to the Iroko tree as she promised.

Moral of the story: Never compromise your interests even when you are desperate. Never do a deal with the devil, you will never win.

[Oluiwa]

Originally Posted by Soul Sista

Oluronbi*

Oluronbi je je ewure (Oluronbi promised to offer a goat)
Ewure, ewure (Goat, goat)
Oluronbi je je aguntan (Oluronbi promised to offer a ram)
Aguntan wolojo (A fleshy, beautiful ram)
Oluronbi je je omo re (Oluronbi promised to offer her child)
Omo re apon bi epo (Her child who is light skinned, beautiful like palm oil)
Oluronbi O! (Oluronbi O!)
Joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)
Iroko (Majestic iroko tree, the king of trees)
joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)
Oluronbi O! (Oluronbi O!)
Joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)
Iroko (Majestic Iroko tree, the king of trees)
joun joun (joun, joun, has no meaning)



*Oluronbi is a song that accompanies a story about a woman, Oluronbi, who was unable to have children. In her desperation, she went to the Iroko tree to ask it for a child. In return, she promised the Iroko tree goats, rams, and finally the child as well. Her wishes were granted. And, now, she loves the child and is unwilling to give it to the Iroko tree as she promised.

Moral of the story: Never compromise your interests even when you are desperate. Never do a deal with the devil, you will never win.

Allow me SoulSista to add another line to the song,

Oni kalu ku jeje aguntan, aguntan, aaguntan
Oluronbi jeje omo re ............

aguntan actually is a female sheep an ewe in english
male sheep Ram is actually "agbo"
just to point out

I am always glad to join into this thread, like I said before , I usaully dont do a lot of posting, on the NVS but have been a bit active in the last 24,This thread here is just the perfect reason to logg on. I glad that people remember these great songs and stories.

I am guessing that Soul sis typed of most if not all the songs off head, which is great thing really if you consider that not a lot of cultures carry over the folklore of there ancestors to the modern generation in this manner ie: the Oluronbi song and the thematic message the song carries as explained by SSis, what I have just noticed is that these songs and stories serve as a simple way of passing on education to the children and people as a whole. This is the sophisticated Oral literature that the eurocentric scholars of art and literature refused to acknowledge, they said africans were not clever enough to have art.

Our Oral literature is so potent laden with wisdom and lessons.I will say that our ancestors used this oral method not because they couldnt design written texts, but because they saw the practicality in it to their own unique experience , they chose to store knowledge mentally and code them for easy retieval as songs and stories, which once sang or heard could be easily remebered by young children, so that the whole wolrd was there classroom. Briliant.
It was cheaper no need to carry heavy books for teaching it was all specialised for different occassions and even for specific proffesions like the hunter's"Ijala ode"
also "Ekun Iyawo" for marriage ceremony where its mentally boosts a young bride for the life of marriage, metal crafts men/women known as Alagbede too have Oral litereture that intrsucts them on the approppirate ettiquette and procedures for their profession.



Our culture is beutifull and dynamic it actually serves the true purpose of art whichis to delight and enlight.

keep it comming everyone

peace

Ire !!!

[techsista]

@SS, @Oluiwa this is such a cool thread - brings back good memories . The folk dance troupe at my secondary school sang a slightly different beginning to the Oluronbi song (I always thought it was Olurombi so forgive any other misspellings below):

Oluronbi, Oluronbi, Oluronbi o
Eba mi p'Oluronbi o
Eni to f'omo re rubo
Eba mi p'Oluronbi o

Onikaluku jeje ewure, ewure, ewure
Onikaluku jeje aguntan aguntan gbolojo
Oluronbi jeje omo re omo re apon bi epo
oluronbi o join join iroko join join

(rest the same as SS's)

SS thanks for sharing these songs! Some of the other folk songs the dance troupe sang were probably not appropriate for younger kids, but there is one really funny one I've
been dying to learn properly. A man starts out trying to shave, goes through a number of calamities - the knife he borrows breaks, he spills palm oil on a clothes trader's clean clothes) and ends trying to give birth to a child. If you know it and you have the time one day, please, please share.

It starts: L'owuro ojo kan - saworo
irun kun bomi l'oju - saworo
mo lo toro obe kan
(i forget the middle, but there's a repetition of m'oni dakun ma ma ke)
and the whole song ends with okunrin kin bi'mo
omugo fe bi'mo

[oh baby]

SS,
Thanks,i was so thrilled when i came across this thread, i just need to add this i sing to my son.

(Baby's name) nko (Baby's name how are you)

So wa nle o (Is he/she home)

Ko ma gbona la la la (Do not be warm or do not have a fever)

Ko ma tutu wo wo wo (Do not be cold or inactive)

Bi eba ana (Like yesterday's meal,eba being the meal)

[Soul Sista]

Baba alawo mo wa bebe (Baba herbalist, I have come to beg)
Alugbirin (This means nothing really, it is just a response chant)
Baba alawo mo wa bebe
Alugbirin
Ogun to she funmi lerekan (The herbs you prepared for me just now)
Alugbirin
Oni mama f'owo k'enu (You told me not to put them in my mouth)
Alugbirin
Oni mama f'owo k'enu (You told me not to put them in my mouth)
Alugburin
Mo f'oju wo'le, mo fi k'enu (I thought, what the hell, and I put them in my mouth)
Alugbirin
Mo f'oju wo'kun, o wu kendu (Now, I look at my stomach and it is swollen like pregnancy)
Alugbirin
Baba alawo mo wa bebe (Baba herbalist, I have come to beg)
Alugbirin
(REPEAT)

This song accompanies a story about a man whose wife had difficulties having children. So, the man went to consult with a herbalist for herbs to treat her. The herbalist gave him some herbs, with strict instructions that he was not to put them in his own mouth. He disobeyed and now his stomach is swollen like that of a pregnant woman.

Moral of the story: You cannot be wiser than the specialist that you have consulted about your problem. Listen to the specialist and follow the instructions given to avoid trouble and heartache.