Nursery Rhymes›Nam, Nam, Ya Waladi
Nam, Nam, Ya Waladi
Key: A minor~60 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsOriginal · South Sudan
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Nam, Nam, Ya Waladi Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by South Sudan's cattle-camp cradle-song tradition, sung in Juba Arabic, the country's widely spoken lingua franca. Here you will find the lyrics, English translation, meaning, and chords.
Sing & play
Lyrics & chords
An original arrangement, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
Verse
Am E Am
Nam, nam, ya waladi,
Dm E Am
al-baggara nam gambena.
C G
An-Nil al-abyad yajri bishway,
Dm E Am
nam, nam, ya habibi.
In English
What the words mean
“Sleep, sleep, my boy, the cattle sleep beside us. The White Nile flows slowly, sleep, sleep, my darling.”
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
Am
Guitar
Piano
Dm
Guitar
Piano
E
Guitar
Piano
C
Guitar
Piano
G
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What “Nam, Nam, Ya Waladi” Means
South Sudan’s Dinka and Nuer communities are famed cattle-herding peoples, and cattle camps are central to daily and cultural life. This original lullaby, in Juba Arabic (the country’s widely spoken lingua franca), borrows that same cattle-camp imagery alongside the White Nile.
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