Boyd wrote:
Hi :
My mother was Mexican. when i was a baby small child 60 years ago, she would sing this song.
I only remeber the “que lulu que lulu” , & another phrase which I butcher – it sounded to me like “some come alone”.
So it goes – ” que lulu que lulu , some come alone ” …. i’ve tried the internet to look for it , but can’t find it.
Ever heard of it ?
Thank you -
Boyd W. Wicks , Sr
If anyone can help with this song, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This artilce was posted on Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 at 6:01 pm and is filed under Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Languages, Mama Lisa, Mexican Children's Songs, Mexico, Questions, Readers Questions, Spanish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 21st, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Shintaro Tominaga commented on your note “Can Anyone Help with a Mexican Song that Sounds Like, “Que lulu”?”:
“I don’t know if I am right, but please try
http://www.facebook.com/l/3398d;www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADxDpPOIznE
The title is Cu cu ru cu cu Paloma by Harry Belafonte.”
April 30th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Hi, I teach Kindermusik, and I sing a Mexican folk lullaby like that, but the only words are “Rurru que rurru que rurru rurru” (Repeat)
July 29th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
How about “A la ru ru Nino”?
July 29th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Is this the one you mean…
A la ru ru, nene,
a la ru ru ya,
duérmete mi nene,
duérmase ya.
Duérmase mi negro,
cara de pambazo,
que si no se duerme
le doy un trancazo…
Mi negrito lindo,
ya se está durmiendo,
pon cara de palo,
que yo te estoy viendo…
A la ru ru, nene,
a la ru ru ró,
este negro lindo
ya se me durmió.
Loose translation:
Hush-a-bye baby,
Hush-a-bye already,
Go to sleep my baby,
Sleep right now.
Go to sleep my black one,
Sandwich face,
If you do not sleep
I’ll give it a whack …
My lovely black one,
Is already sleeping
Put on a straight face,
I’m watching you …
Hush-a-bye baby,
Hush-a-bye-o
This cute black one
Already put me asleep.
August 8th, 2010 at 7:03 am
I am trying to find the same one, I remember it like:
ru ru que ru ru que san camaleon, a la ru ru ….
September 3rd, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Does it go like this?
Lulo, que, lulo
que zanca mayor.
Abajo del suelo,
se vive un raton.
Matalo, matalo,
por ladron.
Arriba en el cielo,
se vive un coyote.
Con ojos de plata,
y los pies de azogue….
September 9th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
De: CANCIONES DE MI PADRE (1946)
(Luisa Ronstadt Levin “Luisa Espinel”)
Canto de Cuna
Y más arribita está un agujero
por donde se asoman narices de cuero.
Más abajito está un boquerón
por donde se asoma el mero pelón.
¿Dónde vas niñita tan de mañanita?
a traer florecitas para mi hermanita.
Señora Santa Ana toca la jarana.
señor San Joaquín toca el violín.
¿Dónde vas niñita tan de madrugada?
a traer lechugas para la ensalada.
Señora Santa Ana, ¿Por qué llora el niño?
Por una manzana que se le ha perdido.
Dígale Ud. al niño que yo daré dos,
Una para él y otra para vos.
Este niño quiere que le cante yo.
Que lo haga su madre, que Dios se lo dio.
Duérmete niñito, que tengo que hacer,
Lavar tus panales, sentarme a coser.
Una camisita que te has de poner,
El día de tu santo al amanecer.
Duérmete niñito, duérmete y descansa,
Porque en el cielo está toda tu esperanza.
Ángeles del cielo vénganse volando,
A llevarse al niño que aquí está llorando.
Arriba del Cielo está una ventana
por donde se asoma Señora Santana.
Lu lu que lu lu que San Camaleón
debajo de un hueco salió un ratón,
mátalo, mátalo por ladrón.
Arriba del Cielo torearon un toro
con llaves de plata y pezuñas de oro
Duérmete chiquito ya viene el coyote
a matarlo viene a puros garrotes.
October 13th, 2010 at 6:05 am
Hi, the lyrics from Katelyn are correct, I sing it to my kids :)) Here is a video from youtube with it being sung: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Hv2FLF1QE
Lulo Que Lulo
Lulo, que, lulo
que zanca mayor.
Abajo del suelo,
se vive un raton.
Matalo, matalo,
por ladron.
Arriba en el cielo,
se vive un coyote.
Con ojos de plata,
y los pies de azogue….
December 17th, 2010 at 4:34 am
Que rurru que rurru que tan tan tan
Que leech que atole que para San Juan
La virgen lloraba, san Jose tendía
Y el niño lloraba de hambre que tenia
Que rurru….
February 24th, 2011 at 1:38 am
ok I really know this song because I`m mexican, and my mom used to sing it to me and i use to sing it to my kids..
Lulu que lulu que san camaleon
debajo debajo sale un raton
matalo matalo de un guanton
April 23rd, 2011 at 5:07 pm
I remember my mother back in the 1930s would sing some verses of Senora Santana with a chorus between verses that went like this:
Que rura, que rura, que tan, tan, tan
April 23rd, 2011 at 5:12 pm
I remember my mother back in the 1930s would sing some verses of Senora Santana with a chorus between verses that went like this:
Que rura, que rura, que tan, tan, tan
PS I’m writing my childhood memories for my 8 children, 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. That is the reason I’ve been searching for childhood games we used to play like Listones,
Cebollitas, Pobrecita Huerfanita, Los Encantados, etc.
April 24th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Hi Mary Lou – Thanks for writing!
Can you explain how to play any of those games? We’d like to learn!
Cheers! Mama Lisa
June 13th, 2011 at 9:49 am
The version I remember is similar to Lina’s:
Lulu que lulu que san camaleon
Debajo de un hueco salio un raton
Matenlo mantenlo de un jalon
Mimi lulu baby, mimi lulu ya
mimi lulu baby, mimi lulu ya
Anyone else?
July 24th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
lu lu san camaleon muchachas bonitas en cada rincon tu mama y tu papa fueron para leon a ver las maromas de un chango pelon
señora santana señor san joaquin bendice ami niño que va a dormir arriba del cielo hay una ventana por donde se asoma señora santana y mas abajito hay un portillito por donde se asoma mi niño chiquito
July 28th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
MOM SING THAT SONG AND TO HER G-KIDS AND TO HER GREAT-GRAND KIDS, CONTACT ME AND I WILL HAVE MY MOM OBTAIN THE WORDS FOR YOU, SHE STILL SING THE SONG.
November 20th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Lu lu que lu lu que san camaleon arriba del hueco salio un raton matenlo marenlo de un guanton!
December 22nd, 2011 at 11:46 am
wow! amazing to see so many versions of a folksong like this. i feel like the version my mother used to sing to me was a combination of many of the ones i see here — no two are exactly alike!
January 18th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
This song has been around for many generations and wanting to continue the tradition I asked my dad to write it down and send to me, the version that is most popular in the Southwest goes like this:
Lulu que lulu
que san cameleon
debajo de un hueco sale un raton
matenlo, matenlo
por ladron
este nino/a quiere que le cante yo
que le cante su mami (mama)
que ella lo/a pario
April 25th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Hi everyone!!
I am Mexican and my mother and grandmother used to sing this song to me, now my mom sings it to my daughter, I can tell you the version I know but not sure if this is the correct one, goes something like this:
LULU QUE LULU QUE SANCAMALEON, DEBAJO DE UN HUECO SALE UN RATÓN
MÁTENLO, MÁTENLO POR SER LADRÓN.
then the tune changes:
Este niño/a lindo/a que nació de noche
Quiere que lo/la lleven a pasear en coche.
Este niño/a lindo/a que nació de día
Quiere que lo/la lleven a ver a su tia.
I hope this is helpful and maybe we can complete the song or make our own version.
Cheers everyone.
May 4th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
If you wanna hear a new sound for lulo que lulo, look up Ronstadt Generations.
May 15th, 2012 at 12:23 am
Lulu que lulu, que san camaleon
Debajo de un hueco salio un raton
matalo, matalo de un coscorron
matalo, matalo de un coscorron
Mariquita linda, ay viene Vicente,
saquenle una silla
para que se siente
August 1st, 2012 at 5:07 pm
El niño lloraba, por una manzana, que se le cayó debajo de la cama, su mama la rata, su papa el ratón, tenían a _____(baby’s name)____ adentro de un cajón, que ruru, que ruru, que ran ran ran, atole con leche le daba San Juan.
Hope this one is the one!!!!! regards.
August 28th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
To: Jessez
Posted on: September 9th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Thank you so much for the words to this song! My mom has sung parts of it to all her generations and it continues forward. The funny part was that since her maiden name is Santana, we always thought that her mom wrote it…
Thanks again!
September 29th, 2012 at 1:29 am
Ru ru camaleon su mama la rata su papa el raton…
October 1st, 2012 at 3:06 am
My mom used to sing it to us and I sang it to my kids now I sing it to my g-baby
The version I learned is
Rru rru camaleon su papa y su mama se fueron a Leon a ver las maromas del puerco pelon rru rru carruru zancas de burro rru rru Camacho zancas de macho
Atras de la puerta esta un agujero por donde se asoman narices de cuero
October 21st, 2012 at 2:24 pm
My Aunt said her mom and my grandmother used to sing a similar song, but the title she remembers is the one listed below. I searched and found this information, but I couldn’t find the sound recording nor the rest of the words. I’ve submitted a request to the Library of Congress – American Folklife Center for information. Hopefully, I’ll get some feedback and post the words and recording.
Ru, ru, ru, camaleon / Maria Gonzalez [sound recording]
Title
Ru, ru, ru, camaleon [sound recording]
Recordist
Lomax, John Avery, 1867-1948
Singers
Gonzalez, Maria
Gonzalez, Blance
Unidentified
Place of Publication/Creation
San Antonio, Texas
Type of Material
sound recording
Date Recorded
01-1936
Language
Spanish
Form
sound recording
Performance note
Sung by Maria y Blanca Gonzalez and children.
Venue
Lanier Senior High School
Subject
United States of America–Texas–San Antonio
AFS Number
AFS 00583 A04
Repository
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
January 9th, 2013 at 3:19 pm
My grandpa was from Michoacán in the south of México, and he usedto sing it like this:
Lulu que lulu
Que San Camaleón
Debajo de un hueco
Salió un ratón
Mátalo, mátalo
De un pisotón
Señora Santa Ana
Señor San Joaquín
Por qué llora el niño
Que se va a dormir?
And you start all over again until either you or the baby fall asleep hahahaha.
PS: I am also Mexican, from Sonora. And i think un pistón (step on it) sorta makes more sense than un coscorrón ( a knock on the head) :P
February 21st, 2013 at 2:36 pm
For some years now I’ve been planning on searching for the “sleep song” (or whatever it is) that my grandmother used to sing to us, her grandchildren. She died 26 or 27 years ago, haven’t asked my mother, doubt she’ll recall everything but later I’ll see.
Now for the first time I searched and just found this blog post. Looks like there are a lot of versions, it’s unlikely I’ll find the one my grandmother used to sing. I believe she lived in Zacatecas and Coahuila for a while, but most of her life she lived here in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
The snippets I recall are:
“Señora Santa Ana, ¿por qué llora el niño?
Por una manzana que se le ha perdido.
…. … .. dos,
una para el niño y una para Dios.”
“Ruu ruu cama de león, su mama la rata su papa el ratón”
“Su mama y su papa se fueron a León,
a ver las maromas de un gato tripón.”
Don’t recall she ever mentioned the other phrases already posted. Hope more people start searching for it and share the snippets they know here.
February 25th, 2013 at 12:32 pm
There are many versions of Señora Santa Ana. The missing lines must be something like “Véngase a mi casa, yo le daré dos” or “Yo te daré una, yo te daré dos” or “Vamos a mi quinta, yo te daré dos”, or “Vamos a la huerta y cortamos dos”…
We have a version on Mama Lisa’s Cuba page, another on Mama Lisa’s Uruguay page.
April 2nd, 2013 at 1:54 am
Mi mamá cantaba esta canción de cuna y yo se la canto a mi nietecito.
Arriba del cielo hay una ventana por donde se asoma Señora Santa Ana y más abajito hay un canapé en donde se acuesta Señor San José. Lu lu que lu lu que san camaleón debajo del hueco salió el ratón, mátenlo, mátenlo por ladrón. Este niño quiere que lo duerma yo, duérmalo su madre ya que lo parió, lu lu que lu lu que san camaleón, debajo del hueco salió el ratón, mátenlo, mátenlo por ladrón……
Eso es lo que recuerdo.
English Translation of this comment:
My mother sang this lullaby and I sing it to my little grandson…
Up in the sky there is a window where Mrs. Santa Ana looks out and just below there is a sofa bed where Saint Joseph lies. Lu lu and lu lu, saint chameleon the mouse went out from under the hole, kill him, kill him like a thief. This child wants me to put him to sleep, that his mother lulls him to sleep since she bore him, lu lu and lu lu saint chameleon the mouse came out from under the hole, kill him, kill him like a thief……
That’s what I remember.
April 24th, 2013 at 12:43 am
I guess everyone has different versions of it, but my mom used to sing it with the Senora Santa Ana and it went a little like this:
Senora Santa Ana
porque llora el nino
por una manzana
que se le a perdido
llevela a la huerta a cortarle dos
una para el nino y otra para dios
que lulu que lulu
que San Camaleon
debajo de un hueco salio un raton
tirenlo tirenlo al callejon
denselo denselo al viejo cabezon
I guess my mom didn’t like killing the mouse and since her family is both from Sonora and Sinaloa the versions got mixed up.