Ninna Nanna Salentina
Ninna Nanna Salentina Lyrics. A traditional Italian lullaby originating from Salento, Apulia, sung in the local dialect for generations. It reflects the folk traditions of Southern Italy. Here you will find the lyrics, translation, and chords.
Lyrics & chords
The original Italian (Salento dialect) words, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
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Traditional verse
What the words mean
Chords — guitar & piano
A clean, printable PDF of the chords on this page. Free for members — sign in to download.
What “Ninna Nanna Salentina” Means
From the rich song tradition of Puglia’s Salento, this is a hypnotic, almost ritual lullaby. The word puzza here is not an insult but part of an old onomatopoeic hushing formula, once believed to keep bad dreams and worries away from the cradle. Its melody is circular and modal — it seems to turn on itself rather than move forward — and that endless, rocking quality is exactly what carries a child down into sleep.
More songs to sing & play
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- A traditional song. It comes from oral tradition and has no single known author. We credit the tradition and its country.
- 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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