Lyrics
(Folk song from the Democratic Republic of Congo)
First we go to hoe our garden, Ya ya ya ya,
Next we carry jugs of water, Ya ya ya ya,
Then we pound the yellow corn, Ya ya ya ya,
Then we stir our pots of mush, Ya ya ya ya,
Now we eat, come gather round the campfire, Ya ya ya ya,
See also
- Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Form: call & response
- Harmony: minor & modal songs
- Melody: mi, so, la / low la /Â E,G / E,G,A
- Rhythm: whole notes
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- Printable & Digital Melody Visual
- Song with chords, alternate lyric ideas, Lesson ideas (Form – call & response), Melody (Recorder notes EG or EGA), Student Copies (PDF)
- MIDI file
- Listen to the song
4 thoughts on “Before Dinner”
Thanks Beth for sharing all of these great songs! Where did you find this one? I am trying to find more background information about this piece but haven’t had much luck. If you are able to share any information about its roots or where I could find that information, I would really appreciate it!
Tressa
Hi Tressa!
I got this song in an old book of folk songs. It says “This song from the Lunda tribe of the Congo describes the duties of the women and girls in preparing a meal.”
🙂 Beth
Hi Beth! can you please share the title of the book & author, where you find the history of the song mentioned above?
Sorry, I don’t remember the name of the book.