Marvin sent this song with the note: "This is another dodo poe poe song/lullaby my mother use to sing to me. This is the trini creole version…"

Notes

*Jumbie is a ghost or zombie like character.

Marvin wrote: "'Proper' French Creole version:

Dort dort popo
petit pas v'lez dort dort
jumbie will come for you
dort dort po po."

*****

Marjorie wrote:

"My grandmother used to sing the lullaby, 'Dodo, petit popo', to us, her Trinidadian grandchildren, from the 1940's. She sang it in Trinidadian patois and, since we couldn't quite make out the second two lines, we simply repeated the first two:

Dodo, petit popo,
Petit popo pas v'lez dodo,
Dodo, petit popo,
Petit popo pas v'lez dodo.

[Go to sleep little babe
Little baby doesn't want to sleep.]

The tune was (in sol-fa, with one syllable to each note):
Soh, Me, Soh Soh Soh Me,
Soh Soh Soh Me (upper)Doh Soh Soh Me,
Fah, Ray, Fah Fah Fah Ray,
Soh Soh Lah Soh Fah Me Ray Doh."

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Marvin Wiley for this song! Translated by Monique and Lisa. Thanks to Marjorie for contributing her grandmother's version.

Thanks so much!