Nursery Rhymes›Issa Lullaby
Issa Lullaby
Key: A minor~53 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsOriginal · Issa, Djibouti
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Issa Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the Issa Somali community of Djibouti City, a busy port where camel caravans have traded 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, hooyo’s little one, the harbor lights are still,
Dm Am E7
the camel market rests tonight, upon the coastal hill.
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, the fishing dhow 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, hooyo’s little one, the harbor lights are still, the camel market rests tonight, upon the coastal hill. Sleep now, little one, the fishing dhow 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 “Issa Lullaby” Means
“Hooyo” means mother in Somali, spoken by the Issa community of Djibouti City, a busy port where camel caravans have traded for centuries. This original lullaby draws on those harbor and camel-market images of Issa-Somali life in Djibouti, with “hooyo” used as a warm address rather than a literal translation.
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