One of the most loved lullabies among the Ga people of coastal Ghana. A caregiver rocks the child gently from side to side, explaining that mother has gone to the farm and will soon return — a warm, playful song still hummed in homes across Accra today. Here you will find a singable English adaptation, the meaning, and chords.
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Verse 1
C F C
Baby, kaa fo,
F C G7
Mgbe o mami e te?
(Baby, don’t cry — where has your mother gone?)
C F C
Baby, baby, don’t you cry,
F C G7
Mother’s gone to the fields nearby.
Verse 2
C F C
E shi mi akpakpa,
F C G7
Kε o mami ba, ma kεε lε.
(She left me a pawpaw — when your mother comes back, I’ll tell her.)
C F C
She left a pawpaw sweet for you,
F C G7
Soon she’ll come back, that is true.
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
C
Guitar
Piano
F
Guitar
Piano
G7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What this song means
Baby, Kaa Fo (“baby, don’t cry”) is one of the most loved lullabies among the Ga people of coastal Ghana. As a caregiver rocks the child gently, the song explains that mother has gone to the farm and left a sweet pawpaw behind — a playful, teasing promise of her return that is still hummed in homes across Accra today.
Traditional Ga lullaby, passed down through oral tradition. The English lines here are a singable adaptation for this arrangement, offered as a respectful tribute — not a literal translation.
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