Chan Mali Chan

"Chan Mali Chan" is a Southeast Asian folk song popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.[1][2]

"Chan Mali Chan"
"Anak Kambing Saya"
Song
LanguageMalay
Genre

The origins of the song is in dispute, with Malaysians claiming that it is based on a Malay poem (pantun) about a person searching for their pet goat, but in reality, is a cheeky representation of courtship between a man and a woman.[2][3] The song was sung in the 1960 Singapore black-white film, Isi Neraka. However, Indonesians believe the song originally came from East Nusa Tenggara, titled "Anak Kambing Saya" ("My Lamb" or "My Baby Goat") has been attributed to Saridjah Niung[4][5][6] even though she is not from that region. It is commonly sung as a children's song.[7][8]

Lyrics

There are many variations in the lyrics found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.[9][8]

Version in Malaysia and Singapore

A common version found in Malaysia and Singapore:

Malay

Di mana dia anak kambing saya?
Anak kambing saya yang makan daun talas
Di mana dia buah hati saya?
Buah hati saya bagai telur dikupas
(Chorus)
Chan mali chan, chan mali chan
Chan mali chan, ketipung payung  
English

Where is he, my little lamb?
My little lamb is eating taro leaves
Where is he, my darling/baby?
My darling/baby is like an egg with its shell peeled[lower-alpha 1]
(Chorus)
Chan mali chan, chan mali chan[lower-alpha 2]
Chan mali chan, ketipung payung

(The verses may be repeated with the same or different questions and answers.)

Version in Indonesia

This is a popular Indonesian version attributed to Saridjah Niung:

Indonesian

Mana di mana anak kambing saya?
Anak kambing tuan ada di pohon waru
Mana di mana jantung hati saya?
Jantung hati tuan ada di kampung baru
Caca marica he hey
Caca marica he hey
Caca marica ada di kampung baru
Caca marica he hey
Caca marica he hey
Caca marica ada di kampung baru

Notes
  1. This refers to the smooth skin of the person's appearance.
  2. The meaning of "Chan mali chan" is uncertain, but "mali" has been interpreted as a "mari" ("to come") to read it as an invitation to someone to come

See also

References
  1. Cook, Larry D. (1993). "Reviewed Work: Three Malay Folksongs. 1) Chan Mali Chan, 2) Suriram, 3) Lenggang Kangkong by Bernard Tan". The Choral Journal. 38 (4): 77–78. JSTOR 23551654.
  2. "Chan Mali Chan" (PDF). Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
  3. "'Operation Singalong' was govt's attempt to get S'poreans to sing folk songs in the 1980s". mothership.sg. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  4. "Lirik Lagu Anak Kambing Saya, Lengkap Beserta Asal dan Penciptanya", portalprobolinggo
  5. "Lirik Lagu Anak Kambing Saya Asal Nusa Tenggara Timur Beserta Maknanya", popmama
  6. "Lirik Lagu Anak Kambing Saya - Lagu Daerah Nusa Tenggara Timur", bola
  7. "Lirik Lagu Anak Kambing Saya, Lengkap Beserta Asal dan Penciptanya", portalprobolinggo
  8. "Anak Kambing Saya, Lagu Anak-anak Populer", kompas
  9. "Lagu Kanak-kanak". Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia. Archived from the original on 21 August 2007.
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