Not everyone agrees about where this West African song was first sung. The most common belief is that it comes from Ghana...but there’s some evidence that says it may be originally from Guinea.

There is also a question about what language was first used for the lyrics- and even what the lyrics mean! The language most commonly connected with the song is Ashanti but…native Ashanti speakers (of the Ewe tribe in Ghana) have translated this song in a variety of ways, all with different meanings. According to different people, the song is about:

• a plentiful harvest/harvesting food

• a child selling food to an adult

• a child apologizing for knocking a man over

• nonsense syllables

It is okay to have such different ideas about the language, lyrics, and origin of the song. When considering all the different cultures of people who live in the area of West Africa where the countries of Ghana and Guinea are, it is expected. Both of these countries have many many many different cultures and over 80 different languages are spoken in Ghana alone!

With all this in mind, it is not surprising that a single song may have found a wide variety of representations and meanings. It is also not surprising that THIS song has endured so many adaptations. It is a really fun song to sing! In fact, it is a fantastic representation of how multicultural a song can become.

Tue Tue Lyrics:

Tue tue barima tue tue

Tue tue barima tue tue

Abrofa ba ama dowa dowa tue tue

Abrofa ba ama dowa dow tue tue

Barima tue tue

Barima tue tue