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Hear samples
of lullabies in Turkish, follow the words, sing along and understand in
English. You will find the audio samples below, with the lyrics. More
about Turkish Lullabies
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Daddy’s Lullaby
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As she sleeps
let my baby grow ninni
Tipish tipish let her walk ninni
Eee eeee sleep my child ninni
Eee eeee sleep my child ninni
Dandini dandini danalı baby
Her hands and arms henna painted baby
Eee eeee sleep my child ninni
Eee eeee sleep my child ninni
Dandini dandini dan my baby desires
From her aunt beautiful clothes
Eee eeee sleep my child ninni
Eee eeee sleep my child ninni |
Uyusun da büyüsün ninni
Tıpış tıpış yürüsün ninni
Eee eeee uyu yavrum ninni
Eee eeee uyu yavrum ninni
Dandini dandini danalı bebek
Elleri kolları kınalı bebek
Eee eee uyu yavrum ninni
Eee eee uyu yavrum ninni
Dandini dandini dan ister
Teyzesinden don ister
Eee eee uyu yavrum ninni
Eee eee uyu yavrum ninni |
This lullaby falls into the largest category of Turkish lullabies,
those expressing wishes and desires. Such lullabies mostly articulate
the desire for the baby to go to sleep. They generally express the
mother’s desire for various things for her child, including material
benefits such as toys, clothing, food and drink, as well as long
life, good deeds and a good career when she grows up. In the first
stanza of this particular lullaby, the mother wishes a healthy upbringing
for her baby, using the onomatopoeic expression tıpısh tıpısh to
convey the sound of a baby’s walk. In the second stanza, the mother
describes the baby with her hands and arms decorated with henna.
In the old days, it was very common for Turkish people to apply
henna on the hands of a baby as a way of blessing the child. In
the last stanza, the mother expresses her wishes and expectations
from a relative. She asks for clothing from an aunt.
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Hu hu to my baby
Hu hu to my honey
Look! There is no one around
Don’t look at Daddy with wide awake eyes
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu.
Hu hu to my baby
Hu hu to my honey
If you don’t fall asleep soon
Your Mother won’t forgive me
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu.
Hu hu to my baby
Hu hu to my honey
Your grandparents waiting at the door
Please my dear, have pity and sleep |
Hu hu benim kuzuma
Hu hu benim balıma
Kimse kalmadı bak ortalıkta
Cin cin bakma hala babana
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu.
Hu hu benim kuzuma
Hu hu benim balıma
Uyumazsan hemen şu anda
Affetmez beni annen valla
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu
E –e-e, hu-hu-hu
E –e-e, hu.
Hu hu benim kuzuma
Hu hu benim balıma
Deden ve ninen bekler kapıda
Aman yavrum acı sen bana
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This is a modern lullaby composed by Özge İLAYDA. Although modern,
it still has the characteristic traditional lullaby phrases such
as hu hu and e-e-e.
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Dan-dini dan-dini dastana
Into the garden the calves did stray.
Gardener quickly chase them away.
They will eat the cabbages without delay,
Huuu- huuu- huuu
Dan-dini dan-dini
A moon is born from a mothers womb,
God has not witheld anything from him
May God protect him from the Evil Eye
Huuu- huuu -huu hu
Dan-dini Dan-dini
May our pots be coated with tin
May my daughter be a bride in a mansion
And my son dwell in a palace
Huuu –huuu- huu hu
Dan-dini Dan-dini
My son is ten months old
Even were he only five months old
May he find beauties as brides
Eh-e, eh-e eh-e eh-e!! |
Dandini dandini dastana
Danalar girmiş bostana
Kov bostancı danayı
Yemesin lahanayı
Huuu huuu huuu
Dandini dandini danadan
Bir ay doğmuş anadan
Kaçınmamış yaradan
Mevla korusun nazardan
Huuu huuu huu hu
Dandini dandini danaylı
Kaplarımız kalaylı
Kızım konak gelini
Oğlum olsa saraylı
Huu huu huu hu
Dandini dandini danaylı
Benim oğlum onaylık
On olmasın beş olsun
Güzellere eş olsun
Eee eee eee
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The first stanza of this lullaby is very well
known by almost everyone in Turkey. It may be sung with changes
in the first or the following lines. At first glance, the first
stanza may seem strange, as its meaning is quite irrelevant to a
baby or a lullaby concept. However, according to some sources (Karabaş,
1999:62), it is metaphorical: dana “calf” stands for the
son, bostan “vegetable garden” stands for life, bostancı
“gardener” stands for the father, and lahana “cabbage”
stands for a girl not approved by the boy’s mother. In this stanza
the mother is asking the father (her husband) to keep that girl
away.
In the second stanza, the mother praises and adores
her baby, likening him to the moon. She invokes God’s name and wants
Him to keep the baby away from the Evil Eye. In Turkish lullabies
praising the beauty of the baby is a very common subject. The mother
uses similes comparing her baby’s lips with cherries, and his/her
eyebrows with the crescent moon or a pen. For the mother, the baby
is more beautiful than anything, even more beautiful than angels.
This concept is well reflected in one famous Turkish saying: “Even
a porcupine calls her offspring my silk-feathered baby”.
In the last two stanzas, the mother expresses her
wishes for her child’s future, in relation to marriage and career.
This is another common subject in Turkish lullabies. |
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You are
a beautiful angel
You are a flower in every heart
You are a beautiful angel
You are a wish in every heart
What a cute baby you are
Sleep apple of my eye sleep ninni
Sleep sleep ninni.
What a cute baby you are
Sleep apple of my eye sleep ninn
iSleep sleep ninni.
My home is suffused with affection
My bosom is open for you.
My home is suffused with affection
My bosom is open for you.
Don’t cry my sweetheart.
Sleep apple of my eye, sleep ninni
Sleep sleep ninni.
What a cute baby you are
Sleep apple of my eye sleep ninn
iSleep sleep ninni. |
Sen bir güzel meleksin
Her gönülde çiçeksin
Sen bir güzel meleksin
Her gönülde dileksin
Sen ne şirin bebeksin
Uyu uyu gözbebeğim
Uyu uyu ninni
Sen ne şirin bebeksin
Uyu uyu gözbebeğim
Uyu uyu ninni
Açık sana kucağım
Şefkat tüten ocağım
Açık sana kucağım
Ağlama yavrucağım
Uyu uyu gözbebeğim
Uyu uyu ninni
Ağlama yavrucağım
Uyu uyu gözbebeğim
Uyu uyu ninni
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This lullaby is more urban than rural in style.
Apart from praising, this lullaby is a good example of a mother’s
kind-heartedness. In the first stanza, the mother likens her baby
to an angel, a flower, the apple of her eye, and in the next stanza,
she talks about her home as full of love and affection. She tries
to comfort the baby. |
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I left the
islands on foot
Brothers on horseback, sisters on foot
How can I bear these troubles?
Nenni nenni nenni nenni
Nenni baby oy
The baby’s cradle is of pine
It rolled and fell off the roof out of the blue
His noble father comes from Damascus
Nenni nenni nenni nenni
Nenni baby oy
The baby’s cradle is of copper
It’s too heavy to move
I rock the empty cradle
Nenni nenni nenni nenni
Nenni baby oy |
Adalardan
çıktım yayan
Kardaş atlı bacı yayan
Digel bu dertlere dayan
Nenni nenni nenni nenni
Nenni bebek oy
Bebeğin beşiği çamdan
Yuvarlandı düştü damdan
Bey babası gelir Şamdan
Nenni nenni nenni nenni
Nenni bebek oy
Bebeğin beşiği bakır
Yerinden kalkmıyor ağır
Ben sallarım takır takır
Nenni nenni nenni nenni
Nenni bebek oy |
Also known as Bebeğin beşiği çamdan
(the baby’s cradle is of pine), this is a common lullaby throughout
Turkey, but particularly in the eastern provinces. It originated
in the nomadic life, which was a common life-style in Anatolia in
the past. The lullaby is based on a sad story.
A nomad woman who is married to the head of a tribe does not have
a baby for seven years, during which time she leads a life of misery
and unhappiness among the members of her family and tribe. Finally,
she bears a child, but when the baby is about one or two months
old, it is the time when the people of the tribe start to migrate.
She puts the baby’s cradle on a camel. As they go through the woods
in darkness, the baby’s cradle gets caught on the branch of a tree.
Unaware of the disaster, the woman continues the journey thinking
that the cradle is still on the camel. In the morning, when she
realizes that the baby’s cradle is not on the camel, she is devastated.
When the news spreads around the tribe, everyone comes into the
tent. All the relatives go out to look for the baby along the roads
they have travelled, but the baby has already been killed by birds
of prey. When the mother hears the news, she becomes insane and
goes up into the mountains to lead her life there.
In time, many versions of the lullaby developed.
The islands referred to in this version of the lullaby, were actually
Elmalı in its original form, which is a town near Antalya, the Mediterranean
region of Turkey. |
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