Nursery Rhymes›Kpelle Lullaby
Kpelle Lullaby
Key: A minor~54 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsOriginal · Kpelle, Liberia
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Kpelle Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the Kpelle people, Liberia’s largest ethnic group, who farm rice in the central forests through cooperative communal labor. 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, little one, the rice fields rest tonight,
Dm Am E7
the working song has quieted now, beneath the fading light.
Am Dm Am
Sleep now, little one, the gathered friends are near,
Dm Am E7
tomorrow’s sun will rise for you, and chase away all fear.
In English
What the words mean
“Sleep now, little one, the rice fields rest tonight, the working song has quieted now, beneath the fading light. Sleep now, little one, the gathered friends are 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 “Kpelle Lullaby” Means
The Kpelle people, Liberia’s largest ethnic group, farm rice in the central forests through kuu, a tradition of cooperative communal labor among family and neighbors. This original lullaby draws on those rice-field and communal-work images of Kpelle life.
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