Edo Lullaby Explained

Edo Lullaby (Japanese: 江戸子守唄 or Edo komoriuta) is a traditional Japanese cradle song. It originated in Edo, was propagated to other areas, and is said to be the roots of the Japanese lullabies.^[1]

Lyrics

Japanese

ねんねんころりよ　おころりよ。ぼうやはよい子だ　ねんねんしな。

ぼうやのお守りは　どこへ行った。あの山こえて　里へ行った。

里のみやげに　何もろうた。でんでん太鼓に　笙の笛。

Romanized Japanese

Nen, nen korori yo, Okorori yo.Bōya wa yoi koda, Nenneshina~

Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta?Ano yama koete, sato e itta.

Sato no miyage ni, nani morōta?Denden taiko ni, shō no fue.

English translation

Hush-a-bye, Hush-a-bye!My good baby, Sleep!

Where did my boy's babysitter go?Beyond that mountain, back to her home.

As a souvenir from her home, what did you get?A toy drum and a shō flute.

See also

• Lullaby
• Folk song
• Other Japanese lullabies: Itsuki Lullaby, Takeda Lullaby, Chūgoku Region Lullaby, etc.

External links

• Edo no komoriuta (A Hundred Lullabies in Japanese, in Japan Society of Lullabies' home page)
• (Played on the guitar)

Notes and References

1. A Study on 「Edo-Komoriuta」. Ogiwara. Miyoko. The Bulletin of Musashino Junior College. 2. 1985-06-25. 51–60.