a treasury of song

Traditional children's songs from around the world

Lullabies, counting rhymes and dancing songs — gathered from many lands, with the original words, English translations and the story behind each one.

Featured songs

Frère Jacques — lyrics and origin
FranceFrench
- playful
- traditional
“Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, dormez-vous?”
Traditional
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Sakura Sakura — lyrics and origin
JapanJapanese
- seasonal
- traditional
- calming
“Sakura, sakura, noyama mo sato mo…”
Traditional
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Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star — lyrics and origin
United KingdomEnglish
- lullaby
- bedtime
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are…”
Jane Taylor
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Un elefante se balanceaba — lyrics and origin
MexicoSpanish
- counting
- playful
“Un elefante se balanceaba sobre la tela de una araña…”
Traditional
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Songs by country

Turn to the songs of a single land.

Bedtime lullabies

Au Clair de la Lune — lyrics and origin
FranceFrench
- lullaby
- traditional
“Au clair de la lune,”
Traditional
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Biba leze — lyrics and origin
SloveniaSlovenian
- lullaby
- traditional
“Biba leze, biba gre,”
Traditional
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Hush, Little Baby — lyrics and origin
United StatesEnglish
- lullaby
- calming
“Hush, little baby, don't say a word,”
Traditional
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La le lu — lyrics and origin
GermanyGerman
- lullaby
“La le lu,”
Heino Gaze
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Songs for dancing

A Tisket, A Tasket — lyrics and origin
United StatesEnglish
- traditional
- dancing
- playful
“A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket.”
Traditional
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A-Hunting We Will Go — lyrics and origin
United KingdomEnglish
- playful
- traditional
- dancing
“Oh, a-hunting we will go,”
Traditional
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Abraham ma sedem sinov — lyrics and origin
SloveniaSlovenian
- dancing
- playful
“Abraham ma sedem sinov,”
Traditional
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Alle Leute gehen jetzt nach Haus — lyrics and origin
GermanyGerman
- playful
- traditional
“Alle Leut, alle Leut gehn jetzt nach Haus,”
Traditional
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