ORAL POETRY/SONGS
An oral poem or a song is a composition in verse form expressing ideas and thoughts verbally. An oral poem can be sung, recited or chanted.
When a poem is sung or chanted, it is said to be a song. when it is recited without the musical aspect it is said to be an oral poem
Types of Songs/Oral Poems
Birth/Cradle
These are songs performed when a baby is born or sung to encourage a woman in labour.
Child Naming
Songs sung during naming of newborns. Such names are given in several ways:
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after an important event.
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Location where the child is born.
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According to season.
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After the father of the husband, mother etc.
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From recurrent dreams.
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Inheriting names of important people.
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Praise names.
Lullabies
Songs sung to comfort a baby to sleep.
They are sang by caregivers like nannies,aunts or the baby's siblings
They praise the baby telling its admirable features
They have simple and repetitive words,and are sung softly and slowly and they have a rocking rhythm
Children’s Songs and Games
They are performed by children during their playtime. They keep children busy and entertain them.
they can also sing them when performing household chores
Circumcision poems/songs
These are songs sung during the season or ceremony of circumcision to encourage the initiates and ridicule the cowards. They are usually full of obscenities in the direct use of sexual language or talk about relationship between men and women.
Courtship Songs
They are songs taht are sung by those in love to express emotions of happiness, praise lovers and express romance. Sometimes they are sung by jilted lovers to express sadness or deal with marital problems or unrequited love.
Wedding/Marriage/Nuptial
These are songs that are performed during marriage ceremonies. They are often sung to praise the bride and groom. They also express the sorrow of leaving home and parting with friends. Some of the marriage songs warm about the problems of living among strangers or in-laws. Some advise on how to cope with married life. These songs also may be sung as farewell to the bride’s beloved siblings and parents.
They may tend to scorn but generally, they are happy songs.
Work Songs
Work songs are sung as accompaniment to some chores like pounding, ploughing etc. They are sung in unison to make strenuous work more bearable. They also sung to discourage laziness and extol the value of working hard.
Some work songs are specific, like hunting songs, fishing songs etc.
Sacred / Religious
These are songs sung during religious activities like worship, sacrifice etc. They include hymns, praise and lamentations that make reference to supernatural beings.
Political/Patriotic Songs
They are performed during public holiday and political rallies. They are usually sung to create political awareness, promote propaganda, conformity or to protest against injustice and oppression. But mostly they are sung to praise good leaders and satirize bad ones.
War Songs
These are songs sung or performed during war. They are meant to inspire warriors to fight bravery. They are also sung to honour heroes and glorify the achievement of war.
Beer Party Songs
These are songs sung by drinkers together with brewers at a drinking party. They are sung by revellers to express enjoyment, praise the brewers and satirize the lazy or the poor.
Dirges/Funeral Songs
These are songs sung during funerals or memorial ceremonies usually accompanied, in some communities, with loud wailings and sobs. They are sung to mourn the dead, share grief with the bereaved and console the relatives of the dead. Dirges are sometimes sung to satirize the benefactors of the deceased’s wealth.