Portuguese Lullaby – NANA, NENE
Here’s a lullaby in Portuguese (possibly from Brazil), with an English translation…
Nana, nenè,
na casa do vovo,
vovô no tien cochão,
o nenè dorme no chãoSleep, baby
At grandpa’s house
Grandpa doesn’t have a mattress
The baby sleeps on the ground.
If anyone knows the tune and can send me a recording, midi or sheet music, please email me. I also welcome information about the origin of this song.
Thanks!
Lisa
December 19th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Lisa,
there are several mispellings in the lyrics above that need attention.
Nana, nenem
na casa do vovô
vovô não tem cochão
O nenem dorme no chão
The melody is
s m f s
s l s f m r
r l l t l s m
f s f m r d
The rhythm (L-8th note, I-quarter note, O-half note)
I LL I.
LLLLL I.
LLLLL I LL
LLLLLL
There are also several alternate lyrics
http://www.umass.edu/complit/ogscl/LDECKnews2003W/Articles/brazilian_lullaby.htm
Visit the link for more information and further corrections on spellings
December 19th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
It is a Brazilian lullaby, one sung to me and one I sing to my daughter now.
December 19th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
If you’d like to record yourself singing this lullaby to your daughter, I’d be very happy to post a recording!
March 2nd, 2007 at 6:26 am
please send me a recording of this song I want to play it for my baby girl
thank you
October 25th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
My mom used to sing this lullaby to me, the lyrics I know of are:
Du Du Nenê
Que a Cuca vai pegar
Mamãe foi p’ra roça
Papai foi trabalhar …
“Du Du” is baby talk for “Durma Durma”, that means … “Sleep Sleep” …
“Nenê” is the same as “Bebê”, that means … “Baby” …
In my thinking, this is how it translates:
“Sleep ‘leep baby (Sleep little baby)
Or Cuca’ll come and take you
Mom’s in the ranch (garden)
Daddy’s away to work (employment, job)”
Cuca is a female monster from Brazilian folklore. It is an ugly old alligator that eats disobedient children, so the above Lullaby.
Apart from the lullaby, the monster remains popular today only as a literary character of the book by Monteiro Lobato and TV program for children inspired by his book: “Sítio do Picapau Amarelo” (Yellow Woodpecker’s Ranch).
I hope it helps. Feel free to email me anytime, I am likely not coming to your website again, I happened to visit here accidently and thought it’d interesting to leave a comment.
December 11th, 2007 at 2:16 am
I have never heard any of the versions above and I am from Brazil. This is the one that was always sung to me:
Nana Nene
A Cuca vem pegar
Pai ta na roça
Mamae foi trabalhar
March 19th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
My Brazilian husband often sings this song, (although he changes the lyrics every time he does to amuse himself).
I’ve wondered, though, if the song has portuguese roots. In the movie “Mystic Pizza,” Lily Taylor’s Portuguese-American character sings it to a little girl.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I am brazilian.
1) For the version you have above, please at least correct the words “no tien” -spanish to nao tem – portuguese (use the sign ~ above letter a).
2) The right portuguese speling is “nene” (with the sign ^ above the last letter e).
May 26th, 2009 at 11:54 am
How about the translation on this one? I don’t have the spelling correct….
spale be mora o cinq gache
ay pata pata o cinqo gash
spali be mora
spali be a mora
spalie be mora cinq o cinq gache