Nursery Rhymes›Νάνι Νάνι (Nani Nani)
Νάνι Νάνι (Nani Nani)
Key: Am~58 BPMGuitar & Piano chords
A traditional Greek cradle song built on flower and starlight imagery — a rose sleeping beside sweet marjoram, a child resting in a silver cradle beside his mother. Here you will find a singable English adaptation, the meaning, and chords.
▶ More lullabies on YouTube
Verse 1
Am Dm Am
Νάνι, νάνι, το παιδί μου,
Dm Am E7
κοιμάται στην αγκαλιά μου.
(Sleep, sleep, my little child — resting here in my arms.)
Am Dm Am
Sleep, my little rose, my own,
Dm Am E7
safe here in my arms, my own.
Verse 2
Am Dm Am
Κοιμάται στην ασημένια κούνια,
Dm Am E7
κάτω απ’ τ’ αστέρια και το φεγγάρι.
(Sleeping in a cradle of silver, under the stars and the moon.)
Am Dm Am
Silver cradle, soft and deep,
Dm Am E7
moon and stars watch over sleep.
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
Am
Guitar
Piano
Dm
Guitar
Piano
E7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What this song means
Nani Nani (“sleep, sleep”) is a beloved cradle song from the Greek folk tradition, painting bedtime as a small, glowing scene: a rose resting beside fragrant marjoram, a baby cradled beside his mother in a cradle of silver and gold, while the stars and moon are gently asked to hush too. Its soft, repeating “nani nani” has rocked generations of Greek children to sleep.
Traditional Greek lullaby. The English lines here are a singable adaptation for this arrangement, offered as a respectful tribute — not a literal translation.
More songs to sing & play
Back to all our nursery rhymes and lullabies — each one with a different friend.
← All nursery rhymes