Nursery Rhymes›African Lullabies›Eshururu
With Elena · Ethiopia

Eshururu

Key: C~60 BPMGuitar & Piano chords

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The gentle, hummed refrain Ethiopian mothers repeat to settle a restless baby — the Amharic equivalent of “hush little baby, don’t you cry.” Between its soft repeated syllables, the song promises that mother will soon return, riding home on a donkey with bread and milk cradled in her arms. Here you will find a singable English adaptation, the meaning, and chords.

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Verse 1

C       F     C
Eshururu ruru,
F    C     G7
Eshururu ruru.
(Hush now, hush now, little one.)
C       F      C
Hush now, hush now, don’t you cry,
F     C      G7
Rest your head, my lullaby.

Verse 2

C         F       C
Yemamuye enate tolo neyilete,
F        C       G7
Wetetun beguya dabowun bahiya yizechilete.
(Mother will come back soon, bringing milk and bread on the back of a donkey.)
C       F       C
Mother’s coming back to you,
F      C      G7
Bread and milk, and love so true.
Play it

Chords — guitar & piano

C
×
Guitar
CEG
Piano
F
Guitar
CFA
Piano
G7
Guitar
DFGB
Piano
Good to know

What this song means

Eshururu is the gentle, hummed refrain Ethiopian mothers repeat to settle a restless baby — the Amharic equivalent of “hush little baby, don’t you cry.” Between its soft repeated syllables, the song promises that mother will soon return, riding home on a donkey with bread and milk cradled in her arms — comforting, familiar imagery from everyday Ethiopian life.

Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) 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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Sources & rights

  • Words and melody: see the credits in the text of this page. Older songs are traditional or in the public domain; songs by known authors keep their authors' credit.
  • 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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