Here’s a song that our practice group listened to a while back. I remember hearing this song within my first few months of learning Chamorro, and at that time the only words I could really catch were “Saipan”, “Chamoru”, and “para’isu.” I’m happy to say that now I’m able to hear the lyrics and sing along to this one, and it has become another favorite. During my brief visit to Saipan last year, the island and its people really were as welcoming and lovely as the song says. We even met a Korean couple who were on their honeymoon in Saipan, and the first thing they talked about was everyone’s kindness. Bula guinaiya to Saipan 🙂
taitai måsCategory: Chamorro Songs
KÃ¥ntan Chamoru: Guam Bomb
A few weeks back our practice group listened to the song “Guam Bomb” by KC DeLeon Guererro, and here are the lyrics we transcribed with the English translation. In this particular song, we are reminded in a humorous way of the benefits of owning an older car, even if it isn’t the prettiest. 🙂
taitai masKÃ¥ntan Chamoru: I Yori
On Saturday evenings our practice group has been doing something new. We pick a Chamorro song, listen to it, write down all the lyrics in Chamorro and then translate the song into English. At the end, we all mute ourselves and sing along. This is actually one of the primary methods that my boyfriend used to learn Chamorro when he was in high school – he listened to Chamorro songs over and over, wrote down the lyrics, and then translated them. When he proposed this activity for our evening practice group I was less than thrilled because I prefer stories to music, and listening comprehension is my weakest skill. But damn, this exercise really helps! We’ve been doing this for almost 3 months now, and I can really see an improvement in my listening comprehension. Here are the lyrics and translation we did for “I Yori” by Mike Duenas, which is now one of my favorite Chamorro songs.
taitai måsKåntan Chamoru: I Kapiya
This is an old Chamorro song, which is still popular today, about a chapel in the “Valley of Dreams.” It’s a lovely song for weddings, and this is a new rendition from the Tradewinds album sung by the singer from Microchild, Shannon Sengebau McManus. If you’re a beginner in Chamorro, this is a great song to learn for its pleasant tune and easy lyrics. In this post are Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for the song I Kapiya. Happy listening!
taitai måsKåntan Chamoru: Guinaiya
When I first listened to this song, my love and I were driving on the Oregon Coast. When we were in the car, he was the one who played the Chamorro songs for me. Then he said to me, “Listen to the song and repeat the words.” My listening in the Chamorro language is not very good and Jay knows this. He really knows this. He often teases me and says, “You don’t like to listen!” Then I answer,” That’s not true! My ear is bad in every language!” Ai my love. When I listen to this song, I think of the first time we met each other. This post includes Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for the song Guinaiya by Ti NÃ¥pu. Happy listening!
taitai mås
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