Can Anyone Help with The Afrikaans Song “Ek borsel my tande”?

Emanuela wrote to me asking about an Afrikaans song: Hello Lisa, I’m looking for the full lyrics to the little tune “Ek borsel my tande...” I’ve been singing it to my niece to encourage her to brush her little teeth, but I only know I tiny part of it. I’m wondering whether you might know [...]

Senzenina – A Zulu Protest Song and Funeral Song

This is a protest song and it is traditionally sung at funerals. It was important during the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Senzenina means “What have we done” with the implication “what did we do to deserve this?” (Also spelled “senzeni na”.) Here you can see the original lyrics, with an English translation [...]

Mama Lisa Now Has a Facebook Group

We'd love it if you'd join the Mama Lisa Facebook Group. You can post anything you'd like about your culture. You can post your own musical recordings or YouTube videos… Links to culture and musical sites… Photos of your country… Questions about songs or cultural issues… Anything related to World Culture and [...]

RIP Miriam Makeba – She Was a Wonderful South African Singer

Miriam Makeba sadly passed away this month. She was 76 years old. Makeba was a wonderful singer from South Africa. She was born in Johannesburg in 1932. She started singing in a choir as a child and by the age of 22 she was a professional singer. In 1959, she [...]

The Itsy Bitsy Spider Around the World

Shirley emailed me looking for different versions of The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Here's what she wrote: I am desperately seeking 3-4-5 versions (songs) of Itsy Bitsy Spider for an around the world float. Shame on me I left that chore until last and now I am having trouble. I've gotten English and Spanish. Please [...]

New Recordings of Some American Songs

Heather was nice enough to send me a few recordings of some American children's songs that she did. She sent me mp3's of the following songs: I'm Popeye the Sailor Man (Spoof) Don't Put Your Trash in My Backyard/Fish and Chips and Vinegar Animal Fair Home on the Range/Oh Give Me a Home (the regular song and a [...]

Can Someone Help with a Setswana Childrens Song from South Africa?

Ronnie wrote: Dear Lisa, Over thirty years ago I worked in South Africa and learned a children's song verbally. Whilst I still remember the tune, the lyrics have probably eroded in accuracy over the years. It was so popular at the time that you could sing the first line out in the street and “someone” would return [...]

Looking for an Afrikaans Nursery Rhyme

Frank wrote: I'm looking for some help finding the lyrics to a South African children's nursery rhyme in Afrikaans that starts: Opa ry en sy ou Ford… Does anyone know the whole piece and others from South Africa? Frank We have Akrikaans Nursery Rhymes and Songs on our South African pages. (Click the link to see them.) If anyone can [...]

How to Find Sheet Music, Tunes and MP3's on Mama Lisa's World

In addition to this blog, I also host Mama Lisa's World. Mama Lisa's World is a large collection of children's songs and rhymes from countries all around the globe. Matt, a music teacher from Rhode Island, wrote a question to me, the other day, about Mama Lisa's World: Hey Mama, I love the concept of your site. [...]

Mama Lisa's World News and Multimedia Features

A significant part of the Mama Lisa sites is a large collection of songs and nursery rhymes from around the world. We currently have about 750 songs from around 90 countries and cultures. When you consider how many languages there are in those cultures – that's a lot of information! In order to make [...]