Traditional folk songs

Again revisiting my childhood to dredge memories of songs to sing to J. Today was traditional folk song day:

Chan Mali Chan
Di mana dia, anak kambing saya
Anak kambing saya main di tepi bendang
Di mana dia, cinta hati saya
Cinta hati saya yang berjalan lenggang

Chan mali chan, chan mali chan,
Chan mali chan, ketipung payung.

Geylang sipaku geylang

Geylang, sipaku geylang,
Geylang, si rama rama.

Pulang, marilah pulang, marilah pulang,
Pulang bersama-sama.

Burung kakak tua

Burung kakak tua,
mencok di jendela.
Nenek sudah tua,
giginya tinggal dua.

Letrum, letrum, letrum ooh la la,
Letrum, letrum, letrum ooh la la,
Letrum, letrum, letrum ooh la la,
Burung kakak tua.

Rasa sayang

Rasa sayang, eh rasa sayang, sayang eh,
Hei lihat Nona jauh rasa sayang, sayang eh.

Dua tiga kucing berlari,
Mana sama si kucing belang.
Dua tiga boleh dicari,
Mana sama adik seorang

Trek tek tek

Kalau tidak kerana bintang, trek-tek-tek,
Takkan bulan terbit tinggi, trek-tek-tek,
Kalau tidak kerana abang,
Takkan saya datang kemari, trek-tek-tek.

Many happy memories here. Do Malaysian kids still sing these songs?

Another location-related nursery rhyme

IT is in Spain today, Madrid to be exact. A lovely city, despite the pickpockets. You've got to love a place that believes in afternoon siestas and partying into the wee hours of the morning.

I had a little nut tree,
Nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg,
And a golden pear;
The King of Spain's daughter
Came to visit me,
And all for the sake
Of my little nut tree.

Pussycat where have you been?

Having a child means I've rediscovered nursery rhymes from my own childhood. Stuff that I'd forgotten long ago. Here's one:

Pussycat, pussycat where have you been?
I've been to London to see the Queen
Pussycat, pussycat what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.

I sang that to J today. Her father is in London this weekend. And I wanted to incorporate a reference to her father's whereabouts in today's songs. I suppose I could've used 'London Bridge is falling down' but the imagery is too disturbing.

IT will be visiting several other cities over the next few weeks. Some of them may be easy to incorporate, and some not. We'll see.