Nursery Rhymes›African Lullabies›Thula Baba
With Nelly · South Africa

Thula Baba

Key: C~66 BPMGuitar & Piano chords

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One of the best-loved lullabies of the Zulu people of South Africa. A parent sings it to soothe a child while waiting for a loved one to return home from a day’s work — a bright star in the night sky becomes a gentle guide leading them safely back. Here you will find a singable English adaptation, the meaning, and chords.

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Verse 1

C             F      C
Thula thula, thula baba,
F    C     G7
Thula sana, ungakhali.
(Hush, hush, hush now baby — hush, my darling, don’t you cry.)
C       F      C
Sweet one, hush now, don’t you cry,
F     C      G7
Papa’s coming by and by.

Verse 2

C          F      C
Kukh’inkanyezi, zihol’ ubaba,
F     C      G7
Zikukhanyisela indlela yokuya khaya.
(There’s a star that guides daddy home, lighting the path back to us.)
C       F      C
There’s a star up in the sky,
F     C      G7
Lighting papa’s way home tonight.
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Chords — guitar & piano

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

What this song means

Thula Baba is one of the best-loved lullabies of the Zulu people of South Africa. A mother sings it to soothe her child while waiting for a loved one to return home from a day’s work — a bright star in the night sky becomes a gentle, comforting guide leading them safely back. Its simple call-and-response shape has carried it from voice to voice for generations.

Traditional Zulu lullaby, passed down through oral tradition. The English lines here are a singable adaptation for this arrangement, offered as a respectful tribute — not a literal translation.

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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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