Nursery Rhymes›Matu, Matu, Natiu
Matu, Matu, Natiu
Key: A minor~58 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsOriginal · Kiribati
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Matu, Matu, Natiu Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by Kiribati's Gilbertese cradle-song tradition, from a nation of coral atolls scattered across the equator, among the first places on Earth to greet the sunrise. Here you will find the lyrics, English translation, meaning, and chords.
Sing & play
Lyrics & chords
An original arrangement, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
Verse
Am E Am
Matu, matu, natiu,
Dm E Am
taari e rau i aan namakaina.
C G
Moa n oota i aon te aba aei,
Dm E Am
matu, matu, tangiraki.
In English
What the words mean
“Sleep, sleep, my child, the sea is calm beneath the moon. The first light rises over this land, sleep, sleep, beloved one.”
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
Am
Guitar
Piano
Dm
Guitar
Piano
E
Guitar
Piano
C
Guitar
Piano
G
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What “Matu, Matu, Natiu” Means
Kiribati straddles the equator and the International Date Line, its 33 low-lying coral atolls among the very first places on Earth to see each new sunrise. This original lullaby, in Gilbertese (the I-Kiribati language), borrows that same first-light, ocean-wide stillness.
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