Gué-gué Solingaie
Gué-gué Solingaie
Dreamland Opens Here
Lullaby
Lullaby
(Louisiana Creole)
(English)
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Balliez chimin-là,
M'a dis li,
Oui, m'a dis li,
Calbasse, li connain parler!
Calbasse, il connain parler!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Balliez chimin-là,
M'a dis li,
Oui, m'a dis li,
Cocodril, li connain chanter!
Cocodril, il connain chanter!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Balliez chimin-là,
M'a dis li,
Oui, m'a dis li,
Pichou, li connain trangler!
Pichou, li connain trangler!
Dreamland opens here,
Sweep the dream-path clear.
Listen little child,
Now listen well,
What the tortoise may have to tell
What the tortoise may have to tell.
Dreamland opens here,
Sweep the dream-path clear.
Listen child,
Dear little child,
To the song of the crocodile,
To the song of the crocodile.
Dreamland opens here,
Sweep the dream-path clear.
Listen child,
Now close your eyes,
In the canebrake* the wildcat cries,
In the canebrake the wildcat cries.
Notes
*A canebrake is ground covered with a thicket of canes.
Comments
"Solingaie" can also be found as "Solingué"
The literal translation goes:
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Sweep this path,
S/he told me
Yes, s/he told me,
The tortoise knows how to speak!
The tortoise knows how to speak!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Sweep this path,
S/he told me
Yes, s/he told me,
The crocodile knows how to sing!
The crocodile knows how to sing!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Sweep this path,
S/he told me
Yes, s/he told me,
The bobcat knows how to strangle!
The bobcat knows how to strangle!
![Watch](https://www.mamalisa.com/images/ml_images/watchEnglish.png)
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Wade Falcon for sharing this song with us!
This song and the loosely based translation can be found in "Bayou Ballads : Twelve Folk-songs from Louisiana" (1921), compiled by Mina Monroe.