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With Anna · Tonga

Tongan Lullaby

Key: C~56 BPMGuitar & Piano chords

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A gentle Tongan lullaby, inspired by the small creatures of the lagoon (a crab, a hermit crab, a turtle) that Tongan families have long woven into bedtime stories for their children. Tonga is the only Pacific island nation never formally colonized by a foreign power, though it was a British protected state from 1900 to 1970, and to this day important gatherings often open with a kava ceremony, a slow, calm ritual not unlike the unhurried pace of this song.

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Verse 1

C         F      C
Sleep now, little one, the lagoon has gone to rest,
F         C      G7
the turtle and the hermit crab are calling from the crest.

Verse 2

C         F      C
Sleep now, little one, our island’s watching still,
F         C      G7
tomorrow’s sun will rise for you, but rest now, sleep until.
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

Tongan lullabies, such as the traditional song Ana Latu, are often built from small, warm images of island life — a crab scuttling by, a turtle paddling home, a family gathered on their island. This lullaby draws on those same gentle, familiar images, passed down affectionately within Tongan families.

Traditional Tongan lullaby style, inspired by the country’s real oral tradition of island and sea-creature imagery. The English lyrics are an original singable arrangement offered as a respectful tribute.

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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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