Daweedam

COUNTRY: Afghanistan
LANGUAGE: Dari

“Daweedam” is a chant from Afghanistan that tells the tell of a little boy who values his Mullah (religious teacher) so much he honors him by baking him a loaf of bread. This is a Dari-language song from the wonderful Qu Qu Qu Barg-e-Chinaar: Childrens Songs from Afghanistan, by the Afghan Children’s Songbook Project. In the book the song is listed as “Bread Story.” It starts with the boy meeting two women on a mountaintop. One gives him bread, which he eats, the other gives him water, which he uses to grow wheat. He takes the wheat to the mill to make it into flour, the flour becomes dough, and the dough becomes bread, which he gives to his Mullah as a sign of gratitude.

All Around This World’s lyrics:

Daweedam, daweedam, saray kohay raseedam

I run and run and to the field to plant the wheat to make my bread

I dig and dig and dig and dig to plant the wheat to make my bread

I mill and mill and mill and mill and mill the wheat to make my bread

I knead and knead and knead and knead and knead the dough to make my bread

I eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat my bread.