

Jacmel Lullaby
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Jacmel Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the coastal Haitian town of Jacmel, celebrated for its papier-mache artistry and colorful carnival masks. Every February, Jacmel’s carnival fills the streets with towering papier-mache masks and figures built over months by local artists, a tradition that has made this small coastal town one of the most celebrated centers of Haitian art. Here you will find the lyrics, meaning, and chords.
Lyrics & chords
An original arrangement, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
Verse
What the words mean
Chords — guitar & piano
What “Jacmel Lullaby” Means
“Manman” means mother in Haitian Creole. The coastal town of Jacmel is celebrated for its papier-mache artistry, colorful masks and figures crafted by hand for carnival each year. This original lullaby draws on those papier-mache and coastal-town images of Jacmel life, with “manman” used as a warm address rather than a literal translation.
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- An original lullaby by Relax In No Time, inspired by the musical traditions of its region. The words, melody, arrangement and recording are ours.
- 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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