A Haitian Lullaby: “Dodo Titit” – Sleep Little One

“Dodo Titit” is a widely known lullaby in Haiti. It means “sleep little one”. It sounds like “titit” comes from the French petit. Dodo Titit (Haitian Creole) Dodo titit* Si ou pa dodo, krab la va manje ou Dodo titit, krab lan kalalou** Sleep Little One (English Translation) Sleep little one, If you don't sleep, The crab will eat you Sleep, little one. Crab in [...]

Does Anyone Know Any Haitian Nursery Rhymes?

Keyanne Jacob wrote: I am preparing to go to teach school in Haiti. I want to teach nursery rhymes. Are there many Haitian nursery rhymes? If so where can I find them? My impression is that there are traditional Haitian lullabies and folk songs, but that the nursery rhymes in Haiti are based on the traditions [...]

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 [...]

New Recordings of French Children's Songs

We were recently fortunate enough to receive a selection of recordings of French kids songs, sung by a French music teacher, Tiphaine Woerth. Here's a wonderful recording Tiphaine did of Ainsi Font, followed by the lyrics and an English translation. MP3 of Ainsi Font Ainsi font (French) Ainsi font, font, font Les petites marionnettes Ainsi font font font Trois petits tours Et puis [...]

Can Anyone Help with an Afro-Haitian Dance Song?

Nathalie wrote me: In my afro-Haitian dance class we always sing a song that goes like this (phonetically): Sa sa ko ma Ne neigh woe Ko Ko ma Sa sa ko ma Ne neigh woe Che che Ko Ko ma Do you have any idea what song this is? Natalie Carpenter If anyone can help with this song, perhaps also help identify [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Creole Church Song for Kids from Haiti?

Kat wrote me: Hi Mama Lisa, I am traveling to Haiti with my church to work in a school there and I wanted to translate the children's song ” Rise and Shine” into Creole. If that song does not translate well – then is there another song that children sing in church there? One preferably telling the [...]

Frère Jacques Sung Around the World

Frère Jacques seems to be the most well known children's song that is sung around the world. It's amazing to I see how far it's traveled… from France, to Germany, Japan, China, to many countries in Africa. The list goes on. This past weekend we learned about a wonderful Frère Jacques page that contains [...]

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 [...]