The first time I heard this Issan lullaby was when my daughter had a really hard time calming down and falling asleep. My wife got closer to her and started to hum this odd, yet magical chant (at least, I thought she was humming). In a very short amount of time, my daughter fell asleep at last. Since then, every time this chant is heard, my daughter falls asleep peacefully.
Origin of this unknown lullaby
I am not sure about the real origin of this song but what I know with certainty is that it is known by the villagers living in “Nong Maeng Da” where the maternal family of my daughter is from -a tiny village by the jungle, 45 min drive south of Amnat Charoen and 30km west of the Mekong river. While everyone in this village seems to know about it, it is unused by Thais.
Oddly, this lullaby has no title, no name and as aforementioned, there are no words: the only way it seems to have traveled through the ages in the maternal village of my daughter is by humming -or, to be more exact, rather by making a “uh” sound with the throat.
Listen:
Voice © Laddawan Thaporn