Tolai Lullaby
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Tolai Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the Tolai people of East New Britain, known for their shell-currency traditions, and by the striking fire dance of the Baining, another people of the same island. Tolai communities still use tabu, strings of small shells, as a real form of ceremonial currency today, exchanged at weddings, funerals, and to settle formal obligations, a system that has remained in active use even alongside Papua New Guinea’s national currency. 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 “Tolai Lullaby” Means
The Tolai people of East New Britain use tabu, strings of small shells, as a traditional currency. The Baining, another people of the same island, are known for the striking fire dance performed at night. This original lullaby draws on those shell-currency and fire-dance images of East New Britain.
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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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