“Yalla tnam” — “come on, sleep now” — is one of the gentlest, most common phrases sung to Lebanese children at bedtime, opening countless family lullabies passed down by ear across the generations.
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Verse 1
Am Dm Am
Yalla tnam, yalla tnam, close your sleepy eyes,
Dm Am E7
the stars are out over the mountains, beneath the Lebanese skies.
Verse 2
Am Dm Am
Yalla tnam, yalla tnam, mother’s here to stay,
Dm Am E7
tomorrow brings the morning sun, but sleep is first today.
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
Am
Guitar
Piano
Dm
Guitar
Piano
E7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What this song means
“Yalla tnam” is a beloved phrase at the heart of Lebanese bedtime tradition, gently urging a child toward sleep. Families across Lebanon and the wider Levant have long built their own lullabies around it, each mother adding her own images and her own child’s name, generation after generation.
Traditional Lebanese lullaby style, built around the real, widely-used phrase “yalla tnam.” The English lyrics are an original singable arrangement offered as a respectful tribute.
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