Nursery RhymesWild Rice Lullaby
Wild Rice LullabyWild Rice Lullaby
A lullaby from Ojibwe

Wild Rice Lullaby

Key: A minor~54 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsOriginal · Wild Rice, Ojibwe
Relax In No Time video

▶ More lullabies on YouTube

Wild Rice Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by manoomin, the wild rice harvested by the Ojibwe from the lakes of the Great Lakes region for centuries. 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 wild rice rests tonight,
Dm Am E7
the birchbark canoe lies still and calm, beneath the fading light.
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, the lake water’s 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 wild rice rests tonight, the birchbark canoe lies still and calm, beneath the fading light. Sleep now, little one, the lake water’s near, tomorrow’s sun will rise for you, and chase away all fear.”
Play it

Chords — guitar & piano

Am
x
Guitar
CEA
Piano
Dm
xx
Guitar
DFA
Piano
E7
Guitar
EBG#
Piano
Good to know

What “Wild Rice Lullaby” Means

The Ojibwe have harvested manoomin, wild rice, from the lakes of the Great Lakes region for centuries, gathering it by canoe in a tradition still practiced today. This original lullaby draws on those wild-rice and birchbark-canoe images of Ojibwe heritage.

More songs to sing & play

Back to all our nursery rhymes and lullabies — each one with a different friend.

← All nursery rhymes