Mandinka Lullaby
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Mandinka Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the Mandinka people of the Gambia, descendants of the Mali Empire, known for the kora and the storytelling griot tradition. Griot status among the Mandinka is hereditary, passed strictly from father to son within specific families whose role has been to preserve history and genealogy through music for centuries, and a traditional kora is strung with 21 strings, once made from thin strips of antelope hide, plucked to produce its distinctive rippling sound. 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 “Mandinka Lullaby” Means
“Baamaa” means mother in Mandinka. The Mandinka people of the Gambia, descendants of the Mali Empire, are known for the kora, a 21-string harp-lute made from a gourd, and for griots (jali), musician-historians who carry family memory through song. This original lullaby draws on those kora-music and storytelling images of Mandinka life, with “baamaa” used as a warm address rather than a literal translation.
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- 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.
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