Nursery Rhymes›Vai Lullaby
Vai Lullaby
Key: A minor~56 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsOriginal · Vai, Liberia
▶ 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. Here you will find the lyrics, meaning, and chords.
Sing & play
Lyrics & chords
An original arrangement, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
Verse
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, the palm leaves rustle still,
Dm Am E7
the written signs rest quiet now, upon the sandy hill.
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, the river bend is near,
Dm Am E7
tomorrow’s sun will rise for you, and chase away all fear.
In English
What the words mean
“Sleep now, little one, the palm leaves rustle still, the written signs rest quiet now, upon the sandy hill. Sleep now, little one, the river bend is near, tomorrow’s sun will rise for you, and chase away all fear.”
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
Am
Guitar
Piano
Dm
Guitar
Piano
E7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
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