Information About & Examples Of The Children's Song "A Ram Sam Sam"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides multiple examples of the children's song "A Ram Sam Sam".

"Ram Sam Sam" is modeled after a Moroccan (North African) folk song.

Particular attention is given in this post to the similarities between knee slapping motion that accompanies the lyrics of some versions of "A Ram Sam Sam" and the African American associated percussive motions "pattin juba" ("hambone").

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/01/information-about-and-multiple-examples.html for the companion post about the children's song "A Pizza Hut".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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COMMENTS ABOUT AND TEXT EXAMPLES OF "A RAM SAM SAM"
These comments and/or lyrics are given in no particular order.
Comments/lyrics #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Ram_Sam_Sam
"A Ram Sam Sam (A rum sum sum)" is a popular children's song and game which originated in Morocco.[citation needed] In certain later recordings, other variants were used like "Aram" instead of "A Ram" and "Zam Zam" instead of "Sam Sam".

Lyrics, movements and meaning
The song's lyrics are usually:
A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam
A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam
A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam
A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

When not played as a game, this song can also be (and very frequently is) sung as a round.

The game is played by a group of children. The song is sung by the group leader and the participants should perform several actions during certain lyrics, usually:
A ram sam sam - pound fists, right over left, then left over right.
Guli guli - pull hands apart gesturing as if something were gooey
A rafiq - spin index fingers on either side of the head (like someone is crazy), ending with the fingers pointed up.

A version of the song by Liverpool folk group The Spinners, who claimed to have learned the song from an Israeli singer and that the words were in Aramaic,[citation needed] had the following lyrics:
Aram sa-sa, aram sa-sa,
Galli galli galli galli galli galli ram ra-sa. (2x)
Arami, arami,
Galli galli galli galli galli galli ram ra-sa. (2x)

The translation they gave was "Get up on your horse and gallop away". When they performed the song, the group would make it an audience-participation song, splitting the audience into two halves and encouraging them to sing it as a round.

Pop culture usage
The Spinners included a version of the song on their 1964 album Folk at the Phil, under the title "Aram Sa-sa".

Rolf Harris recorded the song in 1971 for Columbia Records with The Mike Sammes Singers[1] This version contains additional lyrics and distinctive arrangement with backing vocals…..

Sampling
Tom Tom Club used part of the "A Ram Sam Sam" lyrics in their song "Wordy Rappinghood". This song is found on their self-titled debut album from 1981."

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Comment/lyrics #2:
From http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=4227 Mama Lisa’s World: International Music & Culture
"A Ram Sam Sam

Songs & Rhymes From Morocco

"A Ram Sam Sam" is a popular song all over the world. The phrase "a ram sam sam" has no actual meaning.
Notes
Guli is pronounced as "gool-lee".

The Arabic word "rafiq" means companion, friend, mate, comrade or colleague.

According to the book, "Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World" (2005) by James E. Lindsay, in Medieval times, "rafiq" referred to a traveling companion. People always traveled with a rafiq for safety.
Game Instructions
-On the phrase, "A ram sam sam" - Clap hands on your lap.
-On "Guli guli" - Spin hand over hand in a circle.
-On "A rafiq" - Hold hands apart miming that they're pulling apart something gooey."

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Comments/lyrics #3, #4, #5
#3:
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=67001
"Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Ram Sam Sam (from Rolf Harris)
From: ReeBop
Date: 16 Feb 04 - 11:01 AM

I learned this with both "ramm samm samm" and "Pizza Hut"

We would do it at the table (like in the cafeteria at lunchtime) with ourhands. Like this:

a - fists on table, thumbs up
ramm - thumbs on table
samm: index and middle fingers on table
samm: index and pinkie fingers on table
REPEAT
keep going through the goolies same beat
A Rafi - life hands up together and beat them down on "fi" x2
then back to the fingers thing to the end...

then we would do it again getting faster and faster until our hands hurt...it was also really fun to get the opposite sides of the tables to do each part at a different time like a round.

Drove the lunch ladies nuts."

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#4: "Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Ram Sam Sam (from Rolf Harris)
From: Monique
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 08:36 AM

I've seen it mentioned as a Moroccan song too. "Guli" means "say" in Arabic but I don't remember the meaning of "a raffi" (or however it's spelled)."

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#5: From: GUEST,Anne
Date: 07 Oct 15 - 04:10 PM

"not raffi, but rather rafiq- friend or companion."

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Comments/lyrics #6
From http://thefolkmusicexperience.weebly.com/a-ram-sam-sam-from-morocco.html
A RAM SAM SAM

A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam
A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam
A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

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Comments/lyrics #7
From http://thefolkmusicexperience.weebly.com/a-ram-sam-sam-from-morocco.html
"SONG LYRICS: A Ram Sam Sam

A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam
A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam
A rafiq, a rafiq
Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

BACKGROUND
This week's folk song is "A Ram Sam Sam ", a popular children's song from Morocco.

While singing, try the following movements:
A ram sam sam - pound fists, right over left, then left over right.
Guli guli - pull hands apart gesturing as if something were gooey
A rafiq - raise both arms high in the air and then down to the ground"
-snip-
The video is presented with these lyrics is given as Example #1 below.

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Comments/lyrics #8 https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080608224536AAQg5HJ
Children's song "A Ram Sam Sam" meaning/translation?
"From what are the original words to Morocca folk song a ram sam sam
based on a Moroccan folk song . The lyrics are mostly nonsense words without any meanings.

Does anyone know the translation of this song? It's sung by scouts and used as a children's song nowadays but originally it was a Moroccan Folk song... Any ideas?

Best Answer: Any lyrics that have been attached to this song in English are flights of fancy and imagination. Though adopted by the scouting movement, Pizza Hut and various other commercials, it initially was a lullaby with a beautifully melodious tune. The sounds are in fact onomatopoeias a bit like in the Christmas carol "Lullaby" which plays on the various syllables of the word ("lully -lulla- lully") and the "rat-a-tat-tam" in "The Little Drummer Boy"...

Source(s):
Specialist in Linguistics"
WISE OWL, 2007
-snip-
Additional text versions & additional examples of accompanying movements are given in the showcase video section below.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: A Ram Sam Sam



Jeffrey Friedberg, Published on Feb 9, 2014

A Ram Sam Sam is a popular children's song from Morocco.

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Example #2: Ram Sam Sam (do Musical ZÓI, o Super Herói)



ZÓI O SUPER HERÓI, Published on Sep 15, 2015

Tema do Musical Zói, O Super Herói: este é o jogo preferido da Tété, amiga do Zói. E todos gostam do desafio!

Vamos treinar? Primeiro devagar, mais depressa, mais, mais rápido!

Mãos ao ar, para começar, a jogar ao ram sam sam, e tu vais gostar!

[Google translate from Portuguese to English: "Ema of the Musical Zói, The Super Hero: this is the favorite game of Tété, Zói's friend. And everyone likes the challenge!

Let's practice? First slow, faster, faster, faster!

Hands on the air, for starters, playing at sam sam ram, and you'll like it!"]

A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam

Guli guli guli guli guli, ram sam sam

A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam

Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

ZÓI, ZÓI

Guli guli guli guli guli, ram sam sam

ZÓI, ZÓI

Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam

[www.zoisuperheroi.pt]
-snip-
Notice the knee slapping motion in this and some other "A Ram Sam Sam" videos. During that part of "A Ram Sam Sam" the performer bends down and rhythmically slaps his or her knees. This motion is the same or very similar to the African American associated percussive motion called "patting juba" (or "hambone") - "hambone" being a pattin juba song. Click for a pancocojams post on "patting juba" http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/pattin-juba-hambone-and-bo-diddley-beat.html. In particular, view this "hambone" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8r5wxpa3hg hambone - Steve McCraven that is included in that post.

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Example #3: A Ram Sam Sam Dance



Advanced Step KG Published on Mar 12, 2015

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Example #4: Molnár Orsi : Ram sam sam


Orsi Molnár, Published on Jun 15, 2016

Ritmusjáték Marokkóból

Próbáld utánozni a gyerekeket! Nem is olyan egyszerű, ugye?

[Google translate from Hungarian to English:
Try to imitate the kids! Not so simple, is not it?]

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Example #5: Gasca Zurli - A ram sam sam



Zurli Official, Published on Jul 15, 2016

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