Multicultural & Non-English Songbook

Gili Gio

Music by traditional, lyrics by Jay Sand

A drumming song from Maraloko on the island of Flores in Indonesia. This is actually two songs mashed into one — “Gili Gio” and “Seu Sidu Seda,” both of which appear on one of French-Canadian ethnomusicologist Francis Corpataux’s extraordinary collections of children’s songs from around the world. This one appears on “Les Chants Des Enfants Du Monde vol. 4” which features children’s songs from Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Lyrics

Gili gio kee-tah gili gi
Thankful for the harvest, thankful for the sky
Thankful for the rice and thankful for our lives
Gili gio kee-tah gili gi
Gili gio kee-tah gili gi
Thankful for the harvest, thankful for the sky
Thankful for the rice and thankful for our lives
Sea sidu seda sahee dulah gayah
Sea sidu seda sahee dulah gayah
Now all the rice is clean, before we start to eat
Now all the rice is clean, before we start to eat We’re thankful for the harvest, thankful for the sky
Thankful for the rice and thankful for our lives

A really fun drum-along song. Kids can play any sort of drums, shake shakers, rattle rattles and hit anything (that teachers and parents let them hit) that makes a glorious noise.

CMN's Multicultural Songbook is an anthology of some of the best songs originating from (or about) countries beyond the United States, often sung in languages other than English. In sharing songs of other cultures, we broaden the global understanding of our children so that they might see themselves as part of a larger world of people, not so unlike themselves, who hope, dream, play and learn in far-away lands sometimes in unfamiliar--but equally interesting--languages.

Find songs about:

Africa, Asian Subcontinent, Australia/Oceana, East Asia/Pacific Islands, Eastern Europe, Latin America/(Mexico)/Caribbean, Middle East, US/Canada, Western Europe

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All songs posted in the CMN Song Library are protected by copyright and are provided by the generosity of the owner/artist. You may perform songs you find here in classrooms and camps without the copyright owner’s permission. For all other performances, you must first obtain a performance license through BMI, SESAC or ASCAP or obtain the copyright owner’s express prior written permission.