Nursery Rhymes›Asian Lullabies›Nina Bobo
With Lu · Indonesia

Nina Bobo

Key: C~62 BPMGuitar & Piano chords

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Indonesia’s most famous lullaby is so beloved that its own name became the word for “lullaby” itself — meninabobokan, “to sing someone to sleep.” Gentle, playful, and just a little bit teasing, it’s the first song many Indonesian children ever hear.

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Verse 1

C         F      C
Nina bobo, oh Nina bobo,
F         C      G7
kalau tidak bobo, digigit nyamuk.
(Sleep, Nina, oh sleep, Nina — if you don’t sleep, the mosquito will bite.)
C         F      C
Sleep now, sleep now, little one, sleep now,
F         C      G7
or the little mosquito will come and give a bite.

Verse 2

C         F      C
Adik manis, adikku sayang,
F         C      G7
bobo lah bobo, di ayunan.
(Sweet little sibling, my beloved sibling — sleep, oh sleep, in the cradle.)
C         F      C
Sweet little one, my darling, my beloved,
F         C      G7
sleep now, sleep now, gently in your cradle.
Play it

Chords — guitar & piano

C
x
Guitar
CEG
Piano
F
Guitar
CFA
Piano
G7
Guitar
DFGB
Piano
Good to know

What this song means

Nina Bobo is the best-known lullaby in Indonesia, so deeply woven into daily life that its title lent its name to the very act of singing a baby to sleep. Playful rather than solemn, it warns — half-teasingly — that mosquitoes await anyone who doesn’t drift off quickly enough, a gentle nudge dressed up as a bedtime story.

Traditional Indonesian lullaby (kroncong style). Lyrics and translation adapted from the well-known traditional text.

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Sources & rights

  • Words and melody: see the credits in the text of this page. Older songs are traditional or in the public domain; songs by known authors keep their authors' credit.
  • 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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