Nursery Rhymes›Iô Gín-á Koa
搖囡仔歌 (Iô Gín-á Koa)
Key: Am~56 BPMGuitar & Piano chords
In Taiwanese Hokkien, “iô gín-á koa” simply means “a song for rocking a child” — the broad, generations-old genre of Taiwanese lullaby, sung softly at bedtime long before any single version was ever written down.
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Verse 1
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, the lanterns dim to rest,
Dm Am E7
the evening wind has settled soft above the mountain’s crest.
Verse 2
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, tomorrow’s sun will climb,
Dm Am E7
but for tonight just close your eyes, it’s cradle-rocking time.
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
Am
Guitar
Piano
Dm
Guitar
Piano
E7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What this song means
Iô Gín-á Koa (“song for rocking a child”) is the traditional Taiwanese Hokkien term for lullaby — an old, anonymous folk genre distinct from the well-known composed lullaby written in 1945 that many people now associate with Taiwan. This gentler, older oral tradition has no single fixed author or text, only the shared, generations-old habit of rocking a child to sleep with a low, wordless-feeling tune.
Traditional Taiwanese Hokkien lullaby style (distinct from later composed lullabies). The English lyrics are an original singable arrangement offered as a respectful tribute.
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