''Soleram'' or ''Suliram'' (also known as ''Soreram'', or ''Suriram'') is a folk song from

Riau Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with North Sumatra to the northwest, West Sumatra to the west, and Jambi to the south. Accord ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It is also a well-known folk song in Malaysia. This song is melodious and sung in a gentle rhythm, with lyrics that are relatively short and easy to remember. The ''Soleram'' song has many variations in its lyrics. The song, thought to be a

lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...

of the

people, may contain messages that parents want to convey to their children at bedtime, such as words of endearment, being modest and holding on to old friends.

Background

''Soleram'' or ''Suliram'' is a traditional song of the

people. The song is found in other regions outside Riau, and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

where it is a popular lullaby spelt ''Suriram'' also lays claim to the song. The verses may be in the form of a Malay ''

pantun ''Pantun'' ( Jawi: ) is a Malay oral poetic form used to express intricate ideas and emotions. It is generally consists of even-numbered lines and based on ABAB rhyming schemes. The shortest consists of two lines better known as the in Malay, ...

'' with an ABAB

rhyming scheme A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of so ...

, there are, however, variations in lyrics and rhymes in different versions. ''Soleram'' or ''Suliram'' is one of the Indonesian folk songs that caught the international interest, notably since

The Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fro ...

(an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

folk music quartet) recorded the song in 1949. It was later adapted by singers such as

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

and

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

in 1960. In Indonesia, the song has been recorded by music groups such as Orkes Irama in 1965 and D'lloyd in 1970. The song has been recorded in Malaysia by singers such as

Dayang Nurfaizah Dayang Nurfaizah binti Awang Dowty (born 20 July 1981) is a Malaysian singer. Her debut self-titled album was released in May 1999 and it was recorded in the pop and R&B genres. The album's lead single, ''Hakikat Cinta'' introduced her to the ...

and

Siti Nurhaliza Dato' Sri Hajah Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin ( Jawi: سيتي نورهاليزا بنت تارودين ; IPA: ; born 11 January 1979) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman with more than 300 local and international awards. ...

in albums of children's songs.

Lyrics

There are many variations in the lyrics found in Indonesia and Malaysia, a version recorded by singers such as Pete Seeger and Miriam Makeba is as follows: Some versions popular in Indonesia are variants of the following:

References

{{reflist Indonesian music Indonesian folk songs Indonesian culture Indonesian pop songs Malaysian folk songs Malaysian children's songs

Background

Lyrics

See also

References