Would You Know a Lullaby from Trinidad with the line “Dodo petit popo”?
Carol 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
April 4th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
The song goes:
Dodo petit popo
Mama gone to town
To buy sugar plum
And give popo some
The melody sounds something like “ring around the rosey”. Enjoy!
April 11th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
In 1837 a slave ship from the African slave coast left slaves at Grenada. They were recruited into the West India regiment and sent to Trinidad where they revolted. Their leader had been a chief of the Pawpaw tribe (pronounced Popo). Petit-Popo (little Popo) was a slave trade post in Togo. Does Mama Lisa know her ancestry?
April 11th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
It seems to me that petit popo means little baby.
I found another similar lullaby on a site of folk songs from Trinidad and Tobago:
Petit Popo
Do do petit popo
Do do petit popo
Si ou pa do do, petit popo
Maco chat allez mangé ou
This looks like a Creole French song. Fais dodo in French is “go to sleep”. Again, it’s using “petit popo” – which must mean “little baby” – or something like that.
It looks like this song is saying something like:
Sleep little baby
Sleep little baby
If you don’t sleep, little baby
? cat is going to eat you.
Even though historically Petit-Popo comes from the name of a slave trade post in Togo, Africa. It seems clear that it came to have another meaning in Trinidad.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
I wrote to Robert, at the folk song site above, for a translation of the French Creole song. Here’s what he wrote…
“Do-do” simple means “Go to sleep”.
The song is a lullaby which says;
Go to sleep little babe
Go to sleep little babe
If you don’t sleep, little babe
A big cat will come to eat you up.
It sound horrible but I guess it worked!
Regards
Robert
April 19th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
WORDS TO GO TO SLEEP MY LITTLE BABY…
GO TO SLEEP
GO TO SLEEP
GO TO SLEEP MY LITTLE BABY
GO TO SLEEP
GO TO SLEEP
…….???????
June 7th, 2007 at 8:48 am
My Grandmother sang this to me-
Do Do petit popo petit popo do want to do do
mama will go to town to get the popo
some sugar plum so do do popo
June 17th, 2007 at 5:34 am
clap hands with (insert name here)
’til mama comes,
bringing cake and sugarplum
and give the baby some..
November 9th, 2007 at 12:02 am
I know this version
Do do petit po-po
Petit fanm la pa vle domi
Aponlo ke mange li
Betani pie ke mange li
Kakara ke mange li
zambi do ke mange li
Do do petit po po
petit fanm la se ka domi
Aponlo pa mange li
Betanie pie pa mange li
Kakara pa mange li
Zambi do pa mange li
Do do petit popot
Le popo se ka domi
le popo se ka domi
November 9th, 2007 at 12:18 am
Here is another
Do do petit popot
Petit popot pa vle do do
Zambi a ke mange li
Sukugnan ke suce san
November 9th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Thanks for posting those versions. I’m wondering if you’d be able to post English translations to go with them?
-Mama Lisa
April 21st, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Found this version at this page: http://www.kith.org/cgi-bin/mt332/mt-k3comments.cgi?entry_id=3945
Do do petit popo,
Petit popo pas fait dodo
Do do petit popo,
Petit popo pas fait dodo
Do do petit popo,
Petit popo pas v’lez dodo,
Si vous pas dodo, petit popo,
Mako chat allez manger ‘o.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Yes ! I remember that beautiful Lullaby.
Dodo petit popo,
Dodo petit popo,
petit popo, pavre dodo,
petit popo, pavre dodo,
long du chat en la mange li
……
Go to sleep little baby
Go to sleep little baby
baby little, pavre go to sleep
cat´s tongue in the freezed hand
and the big cat is going to eat you
May 24th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
my mom sang this son to me as a child and I in turn sing it to my 3 sons (4 yo & twins 1 yo)
I goes like this:
Dodo petit popo
Mama gonna pway dodo
Ika dede manuela
Ana mange morsha
October 13th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
My father form St Lucia use to sing this song
Do do petit popo,
Petit popo pas fait dodo
Do do petit popo,
Petit popo pas fait dodo
Do do petit popo,
Petit popo pas v’lez dodo,
Si vous pas dodo, petit popo,
Mako chat allez manger ‘o.
or a version of it.