Artist & Tune
Version by Mercedes Sosa
Version by Victor Jara
Reference
About the Song
This may be just a traditional children's lullaby, but it was recorded by two of the most important singers of the Latin American Nueva canción movement - Mercedes Sosa and Víctor Jara. There is power and pathos in their singing of this sweet and funny song.
Translation(s)
SLEEP LITTLE BLACK BOY
Sleep, sleep, little Black boy,
For/As/Because/While your mama is in the fields,
Little Black boy.
She's going to bring quails for you,
She's going to bring rich/delicious fruit for you,
She's going to bring pork meat for you,
She's going to bring many things for you.
And if the Black boy doesn't goes to sleep/fall asleep, the White devil comes,
And crash!* He eats his little leg.
Working, working hard, working yes,
Working, she's coughing, working yes,
Working and they don't pay her, working yes,
Working and she's mourning, working yes
For the tiny little Black boy, working yes,
For the tiny little Black boy, working yes,
She's mourning, yes,
She's coughing, yes,
They don't pay her, yes,
Hard, yes.
* "¡zas!" is the onomatopoeia used for a quick blow by some blade, claw… so please change it for a more appropriate one.