“A Ram Sam Sam” is a nursery rhyme indicated as originating in Morocco, sung in the local dialect.
It is now widespread all over the world with slight differences in pronunciation and gestures.
The first recorded version is by the musical group “The Spinners” who included a version of the song on their 1964 Folk at the Phil album under the title “Aram Sa-sa”. In a 1969 scout songbook of mine the song is referred to as canon, and in fact it seems that the Liverpool group had it sung like this during a performance by dividing the spectators into two groups.
They say they learned the song from an Israeli singer who sang it in Aramaic, and the translation would have been “Get up on your horse and gallop away”.
Lyrics
A
Guli
A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli
A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli
A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli
- A ram sam sam has no meaning (sometimes used “a ram zam zam”)
- Guli should mean “tell me”
- rafiq should mean “friend, comrade”
Execution
The most used gestures are:
- A ram sam sam: clap your thighs.
- Guli guli: turning the closed hands in front of the chest, as if to wrap something.
- A rafiq: making the gesture of sleeping.
Repeat faster and faster or alternately fast and slow. It is also possible to sing in the canon.
Music Sheet
Video
Audio
I grew up in the parish youth centre, and in many ways I never really left it. I’m still involved in its activities today, helping out whenever I can — and sometimes sitting down at the organ as well.
I created katena.it in 2002, almost for fun, with the idea of collecting and sharing ideas, resources and experiences related to parish youth activities and working with children, while also keeping in touch with the many people I met through diocesan events and youth ministry.
Over the years, the website has changed along with me. Today it is mainly a collection of songs, melodies and nursery rhymes, driven by the same curiosity I had from the beginning: discovering where they come from, who wrote them, and the stories behind them.