Kikongo Lullaby
▶ More lullabies on YouTube
Kikongo Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the Kongo people of western DR Congo, whose Kikongo language gives the Congo River its name, with a cultural history stretching back to the ancient Kingdom of Kongo. Words rooted in Kikongo traveled far beyond Central Africa during the transatlantic slave trade, leaving traces in Gullah, Haitian Creole, and Cuban Spanish, a legacy of just how central the Kingdom of Kongo once was to that trade, and the language is still spoken widely today across the borderlands of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, and Angola. 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 “Kikongo Lullaby” Means
The Kongo people, whose Kikongo language gives the Congo River its name, live along the Atlantic coast and lower river of western DR Congo, with a rich cultural history predating the ancient Kingdom of Kongo. This original lullaby draws on the coastal palm and river imagery of Kongo life.
More songs to sing & play
Back to all our nursery rhymes and lullabies — each one with a different friend.
← All nursery rhymes Compare Lullaby Traditions 🌍Sources & rights
- 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.
Spotted a mistake or know a better source? Tell us. How we work · Get in touch