Duerme Negrito ("Sleep, little black one") is a popular Latin American folkloric lullaby, originally from an area near the

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n border. The song was compiled by

Atahualpa Yupanqui Atahualpa Yupanqui (; born Héctor Roberto Chavero Aramburu; 31 January 1908 – 23 May 1992) was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered the most important Argentine folk musician of the 20th century. Biography ...

when visiting this region and popularized by him and other musicians, such as

Victor Jara The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, Mercedes Sosa, Jayme Amatnecks,

Alfredo Zitarrosa Alfredo Zitarrosa (March 10, 1936 – January 17, 1989) was a Uruguayan singer-songwriter, poet and journalist. He specialized in Uruguayan and Argentinean folk genres such as zamba and milonga, and he became a chief figure in the ''nueva canci� ...

Daniel Viglietti Daniel Alberto Viglietti Indart (24 July 1939 – 30 October 2017) was an Uruguayan folk singer, guitarist, composer, and political activist. He was one of the main exponents of Uruguayan popular song and also of the ''Nueva Canción'' or "New ...

, and

Natalia Lafourcade María Natalia Lafourcade Silva (; born 26 February 1984) is a Mexican pop-rock and folk singer and songwriter who, since her debut in 2002, has been one of the most successful singers in Latin America. Lafourcade's voice has been categorized a ...

when touring around the world. The song tells the story of a mother who leaves her child in the care of a friend or neighbor while she goes out to work hard in the fields for no pay. It is sung by this lady to the little black child who has been left in her care. This lady tells the child to fall asleep, because his mother is working in the fields. The lady promises that the child's mother will bring him treats, such as quails and pork, if he falls asleep. The mother is a slave, as she works without pay. The caregiver tells the boy, if he doesn't fall asleep, the white devil, meaning the slave driver, will come to eat his little feet. His mother continues to work hard; as she works, she is coughing, and in mourning. In 2015 the interpretation of the arrangement for the choir of Jayme Amatnecks's of Emiglio Solé's arrangement of the song Duerme Negrito was included in the Spanish short film " Paseo de los melancolicos, 9-3-B-28005-Madrid" of the eminent Spanish director Miguel Trudu, nominated for the

Cannes Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

2017.http://sub.festival -cannes.fr/SfcCatalogue/MovieDetail/bc9ccd46-2278-4ef4-bbb3-3279b29d36e9 This lullaby is sometimes confused with the afro cuban song, Duerme Negrita.

Listen

Duerme Negrito Vocal arrangement Emiglio Solé Camerata Ars Musica – Jayme Amatnecks

References

{{Authority control Venezuelan music Colombian music Argentine music Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown