Tagalog Nursery Rhyme #1 : Translate The Tasty Feisty Crab
We live in the eastside of the US. Naturally, we expect that our baby girl will learn English…even perhaps the Southern drawl. (Y’all Come on and eat some Pinoy food! :) ) This means I must put an effort to teach her my mother tongue, Tagalog.
One of the ways I aim to teach her Tagalog is to teach her songs/nursery rhymes I learned as a little girl.
I honestly don’t remember from whom I learned today’s rhyme I’m sharing with you. I just know It made a permanent residence in my memory because….
Once upon a time… I was changing my [then] seven week old baby’s diaper.I started humming this tune in an attempt to distract her from the icy cold wipe I was about to inflict on her bottom. What cruelty!?! I could think of no other reason for piercing cries every diaper change.
[insert note: baby girl is now 4 months old and she is glad for diaper changes]
Back to my story…
I hum this tune to comfort her. Then I thought, “This tune is really familiar!” I realized it was a rhyme I learned as a kid but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what the words were. So I called my Mama and hum it to her.
She says in her very Filipina accent, “O.yaaaa! (interjects a hearty laugh)I know dhat! It’s Tong Tong Tong Pakitong Kitong…but I don’t know da whole lyrics noh! (another hearty laugh) “
I love my Mama. She’s great. You’d love her too if you ever meet her.
(Opo, Mama. Hi to you too! Kiss-kiss from your apo’)
Several Google clicks later, I found out what it was:
I tell you the truth…once I found out the words to this tune. I just couldn’t stop singing it to my baby girl. She loves it!
It is so catchy (especially the nonsense part) even my hubby learned and began humming and singing it.
It just gets stuck.
You can print a copy of the words to this song (with translation in English) here.
“Tong Tong Tong Pakitong Kitong”
My translation: “The Tasty Feisty Crab”
Click Here if you don’t see the video. Or try changing the beginning of the address instead of “http” to “https”.
What about you? What nursery rhyme holds a dear memory to you? If you have a kid(s)what nursery rhymes do you teach (or plan to)?
Don’t leave me hangin…go ahead and comment. Yes. You!
I plan to post a Tagalog Nursery Rhyme once a month…so stay tuned! 
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Hi! My name is Chelo. I'm Filipina by birth and American by marriage. This here is my little Fil-Am fam. Salamat for taking time to visit my online space. Be sure to drop me a line because...
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I don’t have kids so I don’t teach nursery rhymes to kids. But then as a babysitter before I used to read books to my “kids.”
That “Tong, tong Pakitong-kitong” actually has a Visayan version—translated into Visaya. This nursery rhyme, I believe was patterned after the English nursery rhyme –playing with the vowels of the words–”Apples and Bananas.”
Hey Bing! I really like “Apples and Bananas”. When I taught at a pre-school, my kids loved it when we changed the vowels around. Such a fun little rhyme! Salamat for stopping by
NICE! Your baby is absolutely A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E!!!
Hey thank you, sistah! Remember that’s your niece so she probably got some of your “adorableness” in her genes
Hi, Chelo. I applaud your efforts to teach your kid Tagalog nursery rhymes. I do have a few but too bad they’re in Visayan. Enjoyed your post…
Hi Emma! Okey lang kahit Visayan. I know Tagalog and understand Ilocano (but very very choppy when I try to speak it). Salamat for coming by
Hey this was so much fun to make babe, Look forward to our next song! Love the post!! Keep up the great work.
You’re my favorite person! (and baby girl of course
)
yeah! ang galing naman ninyo kumanta, baka madiscover kayo sa showbis! Seth sounds like a REAL PINOY!
agree… wala ba button sa comments dito?
i wished i had the time to do what you did. it’s great that you’re teaching your daughter tagalog — your hubby should learn, too. last summer, i started writing tagalog words on my 15yo’s lunch bag (he actually requested it). the difficult part is that no one in our household really speaks the language.
btw, thanks for the visit. ( i laughed when i saw your profile — “we do use our lips to point)
ingat!