My Three Precious -- A Happy Family Song

Folklore 100, Paper One

Due: September 24th. 2007

Yue Gao

My Three Precious -- A family song

“My three precious” is a very euphonious ballad by a Mongolian composer sung by a little girl and her parents. In the lyrics, the littler girl asks her parents what are the

Sun, the Moon, the Stars and all other “silly” questions while her parents tell her they are the precious –three-treasure, painting a harmonious picture of life’s basic joys. At the end, the little girl knew not about what the heavenly bodies and the plants are, but when she asks about her family, she knows that it is a precious part of her life.

“My Three Precious” is not a song originated from China; however it has become such a popular ballad in China that one can hear it in every street and corner. The song has overcome the barrier of language, culture and age. It created a concordant rhythm of family and expressed the wonderful affection among family members. It warms one’s heart and light up one’s day. The song has many interesting aspects, including the background of the composer, the underlined cultures which coherence with the meaning of the lyrics as well as the musical aspect of the song. Furthermore, there is a personal connection between me and the song.

The composer and lyric writer is Bu Ren Ba Ya Er, who is a song writer, singer and a Mongolian TV commentator. About thirteen years ago, he composed the song as a birthday gift to his three-year old daughter. His daughter learned the ballad very quickly and the family sang this song in many occasions like concerts or parties. Some people who heard the song would wonder about where the composer got his inspiration. It originated from his daughter’s fascination about life and nature. She would always ask many questions and sometimes the parents have no idea about how to answer them. So

Bu Ren Ba Ya Er decided to write a song as an “answer” to her questions. Thirteen years later, this song is not only dedicated for his daughter, but also for many other children as well. Now the composer has become very famous and recently he released his latest album called “Sky” which included “My Three Precious.”

Due to the fact that the composer of “My Three Precious” is Mongolian, the lyric of the song reflect the values of Mongolians. Mongolians are fascinated by nature, especially the sun. They consider the sun as the power of everything. They believe that all the creatures in nature have spirits and lives just like humans. That is also a reason that creatures in the song have been personified, such as “the sun, the star and the moon belongs to the same family,” and “the flower, the leaf and the fruit belongs to the same family.” In addition to respecting nature, Mongolians’ livelihood also depends on nature.

Traditional Mongolians depasture in the wide plain and they call themselves nomad.

Mongolian’s lives are usually in a moving state within a large range of area. Usually one’s social circle and his or her significance influences are from members of the family.

As a result, Mongolians value their family even deeper, which was shown in this song.

Even though the lyrics of “My Three Precious” reflect the Mongolian traditional culture, from the musical aspect, the song’s tempo, harmony and rhythm are very similar to western music. In the first sixteen seconds of the song, the famous Mongolian “Rap” technique has been used. Through out the ballad, the main performance instruments such as “Horse-Head-Guitar” are traditionally from Mongol. Moreover, the composer used a conversational technique that leads from one question to one response. Although the lyric seems casual, it does not lose its poetic charm. Furthermore, the tone of the song is vast and broad which remind the audiences of the green plain in the nature. As a conclusion,

“My Three Precious” is a combination of Mongol, art, and childlike music. It is definitely a great ballad even from the musical aspect.

:”My Three Precious” has many positive social influences. In China, many people enjoy the song so much that they start to learn Mongolian which leads to cultural integration between inner Mongolian and China. Also, the ballad represents the love from the parents and the sentimental attachment to family members. For every society, family is the basic element. If every family is happy, the whole society will be peace and harmony.

Personally, I love this ballad because it reminds me of my family. My father sent this song to me in 2005, which is also the first year I spent the Chinese New year without them in the U.S. At that time I was very sad and home sick. When I heard this song it melted my heart. I am so touched that I can find the purest and unvarnished inspiration by listening to this song. At that very moment, I had tears in my eyes because it made me remind of my childhood and all the teenage life living with my parents. Now I have grown up and it is time to become independent; however, there is still a place in my heart that I will always want to go back to the past when there is only innocence and laughter.

The joy that my family has brought to my life shall endure the test of time.

“My Three Precious” is not a pop music that you will hear on billboard, not a classical music that is worshipped by musicians. However, it is a song that is easy to remember, to sing along the first time one hears it. After all, a great ballad is not measured by how many awards it received, but by the people it touches. Lyrics My Three Precious ----- Mongolian song 吉祥三宝

Daughter: Papa Dad: Yeah Daughter: Does the moon go home after the sun’s rising? Dad: Oh, yep Daughter: Then where is the sun after stars’ appearing? Dad: Oh, in the sky Daughter: But why can’t I find them? Dad: Oh, they’ve all gone home Chorus：The sun, the star and the moon, what a happy family they three are!

Daughter：Mama Mum: Yeah Daughter: When will the flowers bloom since the leaves are green? Mum: Oh, in summer Daughter: Can we pick the fruits since the flowers are red? Mum: Oh, in autumn Daughter: Will the seeds bud when they are planted? Mum: Oh, they will grow Chorus：The flower, the leaf and the fruit, what a happy family they three are!

Dad & Mum：Honey Daughter: Yep Dad & Mum：Papa is like the sun shining on Mama Daughter: How about Mama Dad & Mum：Mama is like the leaves holding up the flowers Daughter: Then me Dad & Mum：You are just like the budding seed Daughter: Oh, yep Chorus: What a happy family we three are!