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Contents
Posts
A Haitian Lullaby: “Dodo Titit” – Sleep Little One
Sunday, March 8th, 2009“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 Okra Gumbo***Alternatively, this line can be “Dodo ti titit” – “ti” means “small”. Sometimes “mamman” or “papa” is at the end of the line – making it “Sleep mommy’s little one” or “Daddy’s little one”.
**Kalalou means both “okra” and “gumbo”. Kalalou in the Caribbean often have okra and crab in them. Kalalou is sometimes spelled: “calalu”, “calalou”, or “calaloo”. The word comes from Africa.You can find variations of this lullaby at: Caribbean Living – Dodo ti pitit manman and The Lullabologist – Dodo Titit – with recording.
If anyone would like to share their version, and/or a recording, feel free to in the comments below or by emailing me at lisa@mamalisa.com .
Thanks and enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Does Anyone Know Any Haitian Nursery Rhymes?
Friday, March 6th, 2009Keyanne 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 from other countries – such as France and England (though I could be wrong).
If anyone knows of any Haitian nursery rhymes (even if they’re based on rhymes from other countries), please share them in the comments below.
Thanks in advance!
Mama Lisa
Looking for a French Creole Song from Trinidad
Monday, July 16th, 2007Susan wrote:
Hi Mama Lisa,
I remember a song from my childhood in Trinidad that translated in English to “Just give me a kiss, just a kiss do do”. Do you have the complete lyrics in English and French Creole to this song?
The term “do do” in Trinidad means darling. I only recall some of the patois phonetically so it may not make any sense, “Bwen whey a ti bo, a ti bo do do y bwen bwen ba yer do do” and I am not sure whether it is a child’s or a folk song. I did meet someone from Mauritius who knew the exact same song. Thanks for all your help.
Thanks,
SusanIf anyone can help, please comment below or email me. Thanks in advance!
-Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with an Afro-Haitian Dance Song?
Thursday, March 29th, 2007Nathalie 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 maSa sa ko ma
Ne neigh woe
Che che
Ko Ko maDo you have any idea what song this is?
Natalie Carpenter
If anyone can help with this song, perhaps also help identify the language, and/or provide a translation, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Creole Church Song for Kids from Haiti?
Thursday, March 29th, 2007Kat 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 story of Noah’s arc???
Thank you so much for any help you can give me.
Kat Mernin
If anyone can help Kat out, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
Would You Know a Lullaby from Trinidad with the line “Dodo petit popo”?
Monday, March 26th, 2007Carol wrote to me:
I am from Trinidad, but live in Canada. There is a lullaby that is sung to babies that goes “dodo petit popo”. Those are the only words I remember and now that I have a grandchild, I sing only those words, but I don’t remember the rest. Would you know it, and if not where could I find the words and the music?
If anyone can help with this lullaby, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
Frère Jacques Sung Around the World
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007Frère 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 videos of students and teachers singing Frère Jacques in different languages. You can click here to visit it.
Olivier Pagani, the host of that site, was nice enough to let us post a recording of his student singing the Haitian version of Frère Jacques. It’s called Tonton Bouki. Here’s the recording, followed by the lyrics in Creole, and then an English translation:
Tonton Bouki
(Haitian Creole)Tonton Bouki, Tonton Bouki,
Ou ap dòmi? Ou ap dòmi?
Lévé pou bat tanbou-a, Lévé pou bat tanbou-a
Ding ding dong ! Ding ding dong !Uncle Bouki
(English)Uncle Bouki, Uncle Bouki
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Get up to play the drum, get up to play the drum
Ding, ding, dong! Ding, ding, dong!Many thanks to Olivier Pagani from the Classe d’Initiation at Mons-en-Baroeul/Lille Fives (France) for the wonderful recording of Tonton Bouki!
If you’d like to send us a version of Frère Jacques from where you live, we’d be happy to post it. In a couple of months we plan on posting a Frère Jacques page with all of the versions we have.
-Lisa
Reunion Has Been Added to Mama Lisa’s World!
Thursday, June 1st, 2006I’m happy to announce that I’ve added Reunion to Mama Lisa’s World!
Reunion is an island off of the continent of Africa. It’s run by the French government. A French Creole is spoken there.
Here are links to the new pages, where you’ll find a nice little lullaby in Creole French with an mp3 recording of the song being sung…
Children’s Songs from Reunion with English Translations &
Children’s Songs from Reunion with French Translations-Lisa
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