Title: Aruru mi niño

General Information about Item:

• Lullaby

• Language: Spanish

• Country where Item is from: Cuba
• Date and Place of Collection: 10/24/16 in Hanover, NH

Informant Data:

Madison Anne Smith is a 20-year-old Cuban American female from Tyler, TX. She currently attends Dartmouth College and is pursuing a degree in Economics.

Contextual Data:

Maddie said her mother used to sing this song to her when she was younger as a way to make sure that Maddie was exposed to Cuban culture. At the time, Maddie did not know the words to the song but she asked her mother about the song later on in her childhood.

 Transcript:

Aruru mi niño, arrurú mi amor
Aruru pedazo de mi corazón
Este niño lindo que nació de día
Quiere que lo lleven a la dulcería
Aruru mi niño, aruru mi amor
Aruru pedazo de mi corazón
Este niño lindo que nació de noche
Quiere que lo lleven a pasear en coche
Aruru mi niño aruru mi amor
Aruru pedazo de mi corazón

Informant’s Comments:

Maddie said she decided to learn the words of the lullaby so that she could sing it to her nephew and then eventually to her own children.

Collector’s Comments:

Maddie’s desire to pass the song onto her children once again demonstrates how much a children are shaped by their parent’s decisions. In this case, parental influence acted in a positive manner and it encouraged Maddie to learn about Cuban culture.

Tags/Keywords:

Lullaby, Cuban, Cuba