Title: Los Pollitos Dicen

General Information about Item:

• Genre and Sub Genre
  • Verbal folklore: Nursery rhyme

• Language: Spanish

• Country where Item is from: Colombia

Informant Data:

Martha Galvis was born in Bogotá, Colombia on December 14, 1963. She was born to two Colombian parents and grew up in Colombia. She lived in Colombia until 1993 when she began working on cruise ships and then moved to Maryland, USA, where she currently resides, in 1994.

Contextual Data:

Martha grew up in Colombia to Colombian parents, so she was completely immersed in the Colombian culture. Spanish was her first language. When she was a child, her parents sang her multiple nursery rhymes that were common in Colombia. One of these nursery rhymes is Los Pollitos Dicen. Rhymes like this one are usually sung to young children as a way to help them start to learn and understand the Spanish language. It is one of the most well-known nursery rhymes in Colombia and many other Spanish speaking countries. There are different versions of this rhyme, but the one I have collected is the one most commonly heard in Colombia. They can have different lyrics and rhythms.

Item:

Los Pollitos dicen: Pío, pío, pío
Cuando tienen hambre
Cuando tienen frío
La gallina busca
El maíz y el trigo
Les da la comida
Y les presta abrigo
Bajo sus dos alas
Acurrucaditos
Duermen los pollitos
Hasta el otro día                                                                                                                                 Cuando se levantan
Dicen, “Mamacita,”
Tenemos mucha hambre
Da nos lombricitas

Translation

The little chicks say: cheep, cheep, cheep
When they are hungry
When they are cold
The hen forages for
corn and wheat
She gives them food
And she lends them a coat
Under her two wings                                                                                                                       Snuggled nice and tight
The little chicks sleep
Until the next day                                                                                                                                  When they wake up
They say, “Mommy,”                                                                                                                                   We are very hungry
Give us some worms.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript of Associated File:

Los Pollitos dicen: Pío, pío, pío
Cuando tienen hambre
Cuando tienen frío
La gallina busca
El maíz y el trigo
Les da la comida
Y les presta abrigo
Bajo sus dos alas
Acurrucaditos
Duermen los pollitos
Hasta el otro día                                                                                                                                 Cuando se levantan
Dicen, “Mamacita,”
Tenemos mucha hambre
Da nos lombricitas

Informant’s Comments:

Martha emphasizes that Los Pollitos Dicen is a great nursery rhyme to help teach young children the Spanish language because it has a happy rhythm that makes children dance and the repetition in the rhyme helps engrain the words in the minds of children. She also notes that a lot of Spanish folklore have themes and motifs relating to nature and animals and Los Pollitos Dicen is an example of that. She also mentions that many Spanish nursery rhymes are used to make children feel loved, not feel alone, and to feel happy.

Collector’s Comments:

Although Los Pollitos Dicen is mostly a nursey rhyme used to help young children learn the Spanish language, I believe there is some meaning to it. The rhyme’s emphasis on a mother hen providing for her children really exemplifies the importance of family and helping provide for one’s family. This rhyme is a clear reflection of the family-oriented culture that is commonly seen in Colombian and Hispanic culture.

Collector’s Name: Chris Quintero

Tags/Keywords:

• Nursery rhyme, Spanish folklore, Colombia, Colombian