Sesotho Lullaby (Hey, T’hola, T’hola)
Key: C~58 BPMGuitar & Piano chords
Hey, T’hola, T’hola is a traditional Sesotho lullaby, published in a choral songbook of South African songs, still carrying the gentle call-and-response rhythm at the heart of Southern African song.
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Verse 1
C F C
Hey, t’hola, t’hola, sleep now, little one,
F C G7
the cattle rest in the kraal beneath the setting sun.
Verse 2
C F C
Hey, t’hola, t’hola, the hills are turning gold,
F C G7
sleep safe within these arms, my little one to hold.
Play it
Chords — guitar & piano
C
Guitar
Piano
F
Guitar
Piano
G7
Guitar
Piano
Good to know
What this song means
Sesotho lullabies like Hey, T’hola, T’hola grow out of the same call-and-response tradition found across Southern Africa, where a lead voice is answered and echoed by others. This gentle song has carried generations of Sesotho-speaking children to sleep across the grasslands and highlands of South Africa and neighbouring Lesotho.
Traditional Sesotho lullaby style, published in a choral songbook of South African songs. The English lyrics are an original singable arrangement offered as a respectful tribute to this living tradition.
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- 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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