Nursery Rhymes›European Lullabies›Nana, Nana, Meu Menino
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Nana, Nana, Meu Menino

Key: Am~60 BPMGuitar & Piano chords

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A gentle “canção de embalar” in the true Portuguese tradition — soft “nana” sounds that rock a child to sleep while mother finishes the wash and father works the fields. Canção de embalar, Portugal’s general term for a lullaby, comes from embalar, meaning to rock or cradle, and like so many rural lullabies passed down through generations of Portuguese mothers, this one reflects the rhythms of daily agricultural life, sung in the pauses between household chores and fieldwork rather than as a formal performance. Here you will find a singable English adaptation, the meaning, and chords.

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Verse 1

Am         Dm      Am
Nana, nana, meu menino,
Dm     Am      E7
que a mãezinha logo vem.
(Hush now, hush, my little boy — your mama’s coming soon.)
Am      Dm       Am
Hush now, hush, my little one,
Dm     Am      E7
mama’s washing, almost done.

Verse 2

Am       Dm      Am
Dorme, dorme, meu menino,
Dm     Am      E7
que o teu pai anda a cavar.
(Sleep, sleep, my little boy — your papa’s out there in the field.)
Am       Dm      Am
Sleep now, sleep, my little dear,
Dm     Am      E7
papa’s working, he’ll be here.
Play it

Chords — guitar & piano

Am
×
Guitar
CEA
Piano
Dm
××
Guitar
DFA
Piano
E7
Guitar
EGB
Piano
Good to know

What this song means

Nana, Nana, Meu Menino belongs to the Portuguese tradition of “canções de embalar” — literally “rocking songs” — built from soft, wordless sounds like “nana,” “dorme-dorme,” and “ró-ró” that mimic the rhythm of a rocking cradle. Many, like this one, gently explain why a parent is briefly out of sight: mother finishing the washing, father digging in the fields — small, honest reassurances that everyone is nearby and coming back soon.

Traditional Portuguese lullaby. The English lines here are a singable adaptation for this arrangement, offered as a respectful tribute — not a literal translation.

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Sources & rights

  • Words and melody: see the credits in the text of this page. Older songs are traditional or in the public domain; songs by known authors keep their authors' credit.
  • Recording and arrangement: real instruments played by hand, no AI music, by Relax In No Time.
  • Chords: written by us for guitar and piano.
  • Translation: our own meaning-for-meaning translation, written for understanding. The sung words stay in the original language.

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