Non saa laa, lap taa mae si kom
The Lao text is the phonetic version of the song. Each line is repeated twice.
Non saa laa, lap taa mae si kom
Sleep My Baby, Close Your Eyes (Ghost Cats)
Lullaby
Lullaby
(Lao)
(English)
(Refrain)
Oe hoe oe hoe oe hoe oe
non saa laa, lap taa mae si kom.
mae pai hai, si mok khai ma ha;
mae pai naa, si mok paa maa pon;
mae liang mon, khao paa suan mon.
phai bo non maew, si kad kaem.
phai bo aem, kai noi tod taa.
(Refrain)
oe hoe oe hoe oe hoe oe
non saa laa, lap taa mae si kom.
non im laew, chang khoi kin nom.
chaen waen oe, hen khway hao bo;
hen la mae, ka yu non baan kao.
baan kao haang, baan kao nong bua.
baan nong bua, khon khua bo laew.
baan nong kaew, khon laew tae don.
(Refrain)
Oe hoe oe hoe oe hoe oe hoe oey.
(Chorus)
Oe hoe oe hoe oe hoe oe
Sleep my baby; close your eyes; a lullaby mama will sing.
Mama goes to the farm and will come with roasted eggs;
Mama goes to the ricefield and will come with grilled fish;
Mama picks mulberry leaves to feed silkworms.
If you don't sleep, ghost cats will bite your cheeks.
If you don't shut your eyes, tiny chicks will peck them.
(Chorus)
Oe hoe oe hoe oe hoe oe
Sleep my baby; close your eyes; a lullaby mama will sing.
Once you have enough sleep, mama will give you milk.
Jaenwaen Bird, have you seen our buffalo?
Yes, I have seen it on the old village hill.
The old village is to be deserted, the old village of Nong Bua.
The Nong Bua villagers have not migrated,
But the Nong Kaew villagers did long ago.
(Chorus)
Oe hoe oe hoe oe hoe oey.
Notes
This is an Isan lullaby. [เพลง กล่อม เลูก ลาว อีสาน]
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. A Lao speaking population is the majority there. They're referred to academically as Lao Isan or as Thai Lao.
Comments
If anyone can provide the song lyrics in the original Lao text, please email me. Thanks! -Mama Lisa
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Jim Henry for allowing us to use this song from the Lao Language and Culture Resources Center at Northern Illinois University.
ຂອບໃຈ (khàwp ja̖i)