A beloved Yoruba song from Nigeria that is part lullaby, part playground rhyme across West Africa. It honors motherhood itself — the months of pregnancy and years of care a mother gives — and is often sung as a gentle ode while rocking a child to sleep. Here you will find a singable English adaptation, the meaning, and chords.
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Verse 1
C F C
Ìyá ni wúrà iyebíye,
F C G7
Tí a kò lè fowo ra.
(Mother is a precious gem — one that money cannot buy.)
C F C
Mother, you’re a gem so rare,
F C G7
No amount of gold could compare.
Verse 2
C F C
O lóyún mi f’óṣù mẹ́sàn-án,
F C G7
O pọ̀n mí f’ọ́dún mẹ́ta.
(She carried me for nine months — she nursed me for three years.)
C F C
Nine long months she carried me,
F C G7
Three more years, so tenderly.
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
C
Guitar
Piano
F
Guitar
Piano
G7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What this song means
Iya ni Wura (“Mother is a precious gem”) is a beloved Yoruba song, part lullaby and part playground rhyme, sung across Nigeria and West Africa. It honors motherhood itself — the nine months of pregnancy and years of tender care a mother gives — and is often hummed gently while rocking a child toward sleep.
Traditional Yoruba song, 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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