Vai Lullaby
▶ More lullabies on YouTube
Vai Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the Vai people of coastal Liberia, who created their own syllabic writing system, one of the only indigenous scripts in precolonial sub-Saharan Africa. The Vai script was invented in the 1830s by Momolu Duwalu Bukele, one of the best-documented examples of a writing system created entirely independently rather than adapted from another, and it later inspired several other West African communities to develop their own original scripts as well. Here you will find the lyrics, meaning, and chords.
Lyrics & chords
An original arrangement, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
Verse
What the words mean
Chords — guitar & piano
What “Vai Lullaby” Means
The Vai people of coastal Liberia created their own syllabic writing system in the 1830s, one of the only indigenous scripts in precolonial sub-Saharan Africa, alongside a life shaped by palm cultivation along the Mano River. This original lullaby draws on those palm-grove and written-heritage images of Vai life.
More songs to sing & play
Back to all our nursery rhymes and lullabies — each one with a different friend.
← All nursery rhymes Compare Lullaby Traditions 🌍Sources & rights
- An original lullaby by Relax In No Time, inspired by the musical traditions of its region. The words, melody, arrangement and recording are ours.
- 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.
Spotted a mistake or know a better source? Tell us. How we work · Get in touch