Before Dinner

Before Dinner is a song from the Democratic Republic of Congo about getting ready for dinnertime. It uses call-and-response; a popular musical technique with origins from Sub-Saharan African traditions.

The “call” parts of the song are in red, and the “response” parts are in blue. 

English Translation:

First we go to hoe our garden, Ya ya ya ya,

Next we carry jugs of water, Ya ya ya ya,

Then we pound the yellow corn, Ya ya ya ya,

Then we stir our pots of mush, Ya ya ya ya,

Now we eat, come gather round the campfire, Ya ya ya ya

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Div. of Relations in Education (1972). The What and How of Teaching Afro-American Culture and History in the Elementary Schools.