mo… Read Full Bio ↴this song is eclectic with a turn at crazy - satisfying as a lullaby,
more sweet than a hundred melons
Abiyoyo
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Abiyoyo, yoyoyo, yoyoyo
Once upon a time there was a little boy who
Played the ukelele. He'd go around town,
'Blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp,
BImp blmp blmp, blmp blmp, blmp!'
Grown-ups said "Get that thing out of here!"
Not only that, the boy's father was a gettin'
In trouble. He was a magician. He had a
Magic wand. He could go 'Zoop! Zoop!' make
Things disappear. But the father played too
Many tricks on people. Somebody doing a
Hard job of work, 'zzt, zzt, zzt', up comes the
Father with his magic wand, 'Zoop!' no saw.
Come to someone about to drink a nice cold
Glass of something, 'Zoop!' the glass
Disappears, He'd come to someone about
To sit down after a hard day's work, 'Zoopl'
No chair.
People said to the father, "You get out
Of here, too. Take your magic wand and
Your son!" The boy and his father were
Ostracized. That means they made them
Live on the edge of town.
Now in this town they used to tell stories.
The old people used to tell stories about
The giants that lived in the old days They
Used to tell a story about a giant called
Abiyoyo. They said he was as tall as a
House and could eat, people, up.
Of course, nobody believed it, but they
Told the story anyway.
One day, one day, the sun rose, blood red
Over the hill. And the first people got up
And looked out of their window, they saw a
Great big shadow in front of the sun. And
They could feel the whole ground shake.
'Stomp, stomp'. Women screamed, 'Ahh!'
Strong men fainted "Ohh!" - "Run for
Your lives! Abiyoyo's coming!"
He came to the sheep pasture, grabs a
Whole sheep, 'Yeowp!' Comes to the cow
Pasture, grabs a whole cow, 'Yeowp!'
Daniel, "Grab your most precious
Possessions and run! Run!" Just then the
Boy and his father woke up "Hey, Paw,
What's coming over the field?" - Oh, Son,
That's Abiyoyo. Oh, if I could only get him
To lie down, I could make him disappear."
The boy said "Come with me, Father." He
Grabs his father by one hand. The father
Gets the magic wand, the boy gets the
Ukelele. They run across the field. People
Yelled, "Don't go near him! He'll eat you
Alive!" There was Abiyoyo. He had long
Fingernails cause he never cut 'em.
Slobbery teeth, cause he didn't brush
Them. Stinking feet, 'cause he didn't wash
'em. He raised up with his claws, the boy
Whips out his ukelele and starts to sing.
Well, you know the giant had never heard a song
About himself before, and a foolish grin spread
Over the giant's face. And the giant started to
Dance "Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo," the boy
Went faster, "Abiyoyo, yoyoyo, yoyoyo. Abiyoyo,
Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo," The giant
Got out of breath. He staggered. He fell down flat
On the ground 'Zoop!, Zoop!' people looked out
The window, Abiyoyo disappeared.
They ran across the fields. They lifted the boy
And his father up on their shoulders. They said,
"Come back to town. Bring your damn ukelele,
We don t care anymore!" And they all sang:
Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo
(Oh, you sing it with me,)
Pete Seeger's song "Abiyoyo" begins with the story of a little boy who played the ukulele, who was ostracized along with his father, a magician who played too many tricks, out of town by the grown-ups of the community. Seeger then sets up the backstory of the giant Abiyoyo, who was a legend in the town, known for his gigantic stature and his habit of eating people. One day, Abiyoyo actually shows up in the town, causing mass panic and chaos. The boy and his father suddenly come up with a plan: the boy will sing a song about Abiyoyo while the father uses his magic wand to make him disappear. The plan works beautifully, and the townspeople welcome back the boy and his father with open arms, even insisting that the boy bring back his ukulele.
While on the surface, "Abiyoyo" can be read as a whimsical story about a boy using his music to save the town from a giant, it can also be seen as a commentary on the way society ostracizes outsiders and separates itself from people who are different or who don't fit in. The boy and his father, who are ostracized for playing music and performing magic, are the ones who ultimately save the town from the giant, showing that differences should be embraced, not shunned. Additionally, Seeger uses the story of Abiyoyo to show how legends and myths can play an important role in a community's cultural heritage, even if they aren't necessarily true.
Line by Line Meaning
Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo
The repeated chant of the giant's name.
Abiyoyo, yoyoyo, yoyoyo
A playful variation of the chant.
Once upon a time there was a little boy who
Introductory phrase to a story about a boy.
Played the ukelele. He'd go around town, 'Blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp, blmp, BImp blmp blmp, blmp blmp, blmp!'
The boy played his ukulele around town, making a rhythmical sound.
Grown-ups said 'Get that thing out of here!'
Adults didn't like the sound and asked him to leave.
Not only that, the boy's father was a gettin' In trouble.
The boy's father was misbehaving.
He was a magician. He had a Magic wand. He could go 'Zoop! Zoop!' make Things disappear.
The father was a magician who could make things disappear with a magic wand.
But the father played too Many tricks on people.
The father played too many pranks on others.
Somebody doing a Hard job of work, 'zzt, zzt, zzt', up comes the Father with his magic wand, 'Zoop!' no saw.
The father made the saw disappear from someone who was using it for hard work.
Come to someone about to drink a nice cold Glass of something, 'Zoop!' the glass Disappears.
The father made a glass disappear when someone was about to drink from it.
He'd come to someone about To sit down after a hard day's work, 'Zoopl' No chair.
The father made a chair disappear when someone was about to sit on it.
People said to the father, 'You get out Of here, too. Take your magic wand and Your son!'
People asked the father and his son to leave town.
The boy and his father were Ostracized. That means they made them Live on the edge of town.
The father and son were forced to live on the outskirts of town.
Now in this town they used to tell stories. The old people used to tell stories about The giants that lived in the old days They Used to tell a story about a giant called Abiyoyo.
People in the town told stories about giants, including one called Abiyoyo.
They said he was as tall as a House and could eat, people, up.
The story claimed Abiyoyo was an enormous giant who could eat people.
Of course, nobody believed it, but they Told the story anyway.
People didn't believe the story but continued to tell it.
One day, one day, the sun rose, blood red Over the hill. And the first people got up And looked out of their window, they saw a Great big shadow in front of the sun. And They could feel the whole ground shake. 'Stomp, stomp'. Women screamed, 'Ahh!' Strong men fainted 'Ohh!' - 'Run for Your lives! Abiyoyo's coming!'
The giant Abiyoyo appeared, causing the town's people to panic and run for their lives.
He came to the sheep pasture, grabs a Whole sheep, 'Yeowp!' Comes to the cow Pasture, grabs a whole cow, 'Yeowp!' Daniel, 'Grab your most precious Possessions and run! Run!'
Abiyoyo started to steal animals, causing the villagers to panic even more and run away.
Just then the Boy and his father woke up 'Hey, Paw, What's coming over the field?' - Oh, Son, That's Abiyoyo. Oh, if I could only get him To lie down, I could make him disappear.'
The boy and his father saw Abiyoyo coming and the father wished that Abiyoyo would lie down so he could make him disappear with his wand.
The boy said 'Come with me, Father.' He Grabs his father by one hand.
The boy urged his father to come with him and grabbed his hand.
The father Gets the magic wand, the boy gets the Ukelele.
The father took hold of his magic wand and the boy picked up his ukulele.
They run across the field. People Yelled, 'Don't go near him! He'll eat you Alive!'
As the father and son approached Abiyoyo, people warned them not to get too close to him because he might hurt them.
There was Abiyoyo. He had long Fingernails cause he never cut 'em. Slobbery teeth, cause he didn't brush Them. Stinking feet, 'cause he didn't wash 'em.
The boy and his father saw Abiyoyo up close and noticed his poor hygiene.
He raised up with his claws, the boy Whips out his ukelele and starts to sing.
Abiyoyo prepared to attack, but the boy began to play his ukulele and sing.
Well, you know the giant had never heard a song About himself before, and a foolish grin spread Over the giant's face.
Abiyoyo was amused when he heard a song about himself for the first time.
And the giant started to Dance 'Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo,' the boy Went faster, 'Abiyoyo, yoyoyo, yoyoyo. Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo,' The giant Got out of breath.
Abiyoyo started to dance, and the boy played and sang his song faster and faster, eventually making the giant out of breath.
He staggered. He fell down flat On the ground 'Zoop!, Zoop!' people looked out The window, Abiyoyo disappeared.
Abiyoyo collapsed and disappeared when the father made him disappear with his magic wand.
They ran across the fields. They lifted the boy And his father up on their shoulders. They said, 'Come back to town. Bring your damn ukelele, We don't care anymore!'
The townspeople were happy and grateful, lifting the boy and his father on their shoulders and asking them to come back to town with the ukulele.
And they all sang: Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo (Oh, you sing it with me,)
The villagers all sang together, including the boy and his father, chanting Abiyoyo's name in a lighthearted way.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, PETER SEEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind