Nursery Rhymes›Ili-Ili, Tulog Anay
Ili-Ili, Tulog Anay
Key: C~60 BPMGuitar & Piano chords
A gentle Hiligaynon lullaby from Iloilo, in the Visayas — its title simply means “little one, sleep for a while,” sung by a caregiver rocking a baby while the mother is away.
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Verse 1
C F C
Ili-ili, tulog anay,
F C G7
wala diri imo nanay.
(Little one, sleep for a while — your mother isn’t here.)
C F C
Sleep now, sleep now, little one, sleep a while,
F C G7
mother’s gone to buy some bread, she won’t be long, just rest and smile.
Verse 2
C F C
Sleep now, sleep now, till the evening star is bright,
F C G7
mother’s coming home to hold you close and say goodnight.
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
C
Guitar
Piano
F
Guitar
Piano
G7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What this song means
Ili-Ili, Tulog Anay is a traditional Hiligaynon lullaby from Iloilo, in the Philippine Visayas. Its lyrics describe a familiar, everyday scene — a caregiver singing to a baby while the mother has stepped out, perhaps to buy bread — turning an ordinary moment of waiting into something soft and musical. Its composer is unknown; it was first transcribed for print only in 1957, after generations of being passed down by voice alone.
Traditional Hiligaynon (Philippines) lullaby. The English lyrics are a singable adaptation built around the song’s real, documented title and theme.
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