Nursery Rhymes›Batuko Lullaby
Batuko Lullaby
Key: A minor~55 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsOriginal · Santiago, Cape Verde
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Batuko Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by batuko, a women’s call-and-response drumming and dance tradition kept alive on Cape Verde’s Santiago island. 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 batuko drum is still,
Dm Am E7
the women’s call-and-response fades, upon the Santiago hill.
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, the cloth-wrapped drum 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 batuko drum is still, the women’s call-and-response fades, upon the Santiago hill. Sleep now, little one, the cloth-wrapped drum 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 “Batuko Lullaby” Means
On the island of Santiago, women keep alive batuko, a call-and-response drumming and dance tradition performed with cloth bundles wrapped around the waist as makeshift drums. This original lullaby draws on those drumming and community images of Santiago island life.
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