Play time: 02:10 minutes. Recorded in Shiru, Kenya, February 27, 2014.

Mwana Wa Vibiru

Esther Mmbone

Rita ni Esther Mmbone, ndenya mbole lugano lwa mwana Muyayi. Ndenya ndange, mwana undi yariho vasumbulana na vevuri. Yamanya na agota hango natema missi, ni vagota atsi hayi, natsire mu kedoho. Nanina ku musala mu masagata yivisa mu. Vandu vadeha matsi valola tsa kindu kilesa tsindu. Vahenza valola mundu tsana dave. Mwana na amenya vivuli vavola mwana wetu yagota. Mukere mulala namulola navola afwana mwana wa vamanya venyanga.

Ni vavola niye, vatsya kuvola vivuri. Ni vatsa lwa vatsa vatanga rimba. Baba wewe yatanga rimba:

Mwanange yika x2

Kutsi kutema uba x2

Gwatema ndalinda

Na mwana oyo akolela ku musala:

Ng'o ng'o ng'o ng'o x4

Ng'o ng'o ng'o x2

Mama wewe ni yitsa:

Mwanange yika x2

Kutsi kutema uba x2

Gwatema ndalinda

Ng'o ng'o ng'o ng'o x4

Ng'o ng'o ng'o x2

Senge wewe ni yatsa:

Sengeange yika x2

Kutsi kutema uba x2

Gwatema ndalinda

Ng'o ng'o ng'o ng'o x4

Ng'o ng'o ng'o x2

Nasula vosi, mulina wewe ni yatsa:

Mulina ange yika x2

Kutsi kutema uba x2

Gwatema ndalinda

Mulina ndika x2

Kutsi kutema uba x2

Kuli kwatema ndalinda

Lugano lwange luheli yahoo.

The stubborn boy

My name is Esther Mmbone, I want to give a story about a boy. I want to start. There was a boy who was disturbing his parents. He disappeared from home. They wondered where he had gone. He had gone to the well. He climbed on a bushy tree and hid himself there. As people were fetching water, they had some soft noise, and when they could check they could not see anyone. He stayed there and the parents believed that he had lost. One day a woman saw him and said that he looks like the child whom they are looking for.

They said it was he and they went to tell his parents. They came and began to sing. His father began to sing:

My child comes down x2

We go and cut a tree x2

I will wait we go and cut

And that child responded back by doing this while on that tree:

Ng'o ng'o ng'o ng'o x4

Ng'o ng'o ng'o x2

The mother came:

My child comes down x2

We go and cut a tree x2

I will wait we go and cut

Ng'o ng'o ng'o ng'o x4

Ng'o ng'o ng'o x2

The aunty came:

My nephew comes down x2

We go and cut a tree x2

I will wait we go and cut

Ng'o ng'o ng'o ng'o x4

Ng'o ng'o ng'o x2

He refused all, and then the friend came:

My friend comes down x2

We go and cut a tree x2

I will wait we go and cut

My friend I will come down x2

We go and cut the tree x2

The way we used to cut, I will wait

My story has ended there.