Folk Songs of Çorum
The folk songs of the Çorum region — each with its story, origin and lyrics.
Aba da Bir Kebe de Bir Giyene (Coarse Cloak or Felt, All the Same)
One of Çorum's oldest documented folk songs, collected in the town center in 1939; it teaches that a person's worth lies
İğdenin Dalları Yerdedir Yerde (The Oleaster's Branches Bend to the Ground)
A lively, much loved Çorum tune collected in the Alaca district that likens a lover's longing to the laden branches of t
Türkmen Kızı Yaktı Bizi (A Turkmen Girl Has Set Us Aflame)
A cheerful Çorum tune about love for a Turkmen girl, collected by Muzaffer Sarısözen and entered into the TRT repertoire
Fistan Giymiş Kırmalı (She Wore a Pleated Dress)
A much loved Çorum tune from the Sungurlu district praising the traditional dress and beauty of the region's young women
Kayayı Gırcı Tuttu (İlvanlım) (Frost Took the Rock)
A Çorum song from the Alaca district, known by its "İlvanlım" refrain and sung as accompaniment to the halay line dance.
Bir Taş Attım Alıca (I Threw a Stone at the Hawthorn)
A cheerful Çorum tune with a lively refrain, singing of a kohl-eyed beloved.
Gezsemde Dünyanın Dört Bucağını (Though I Roam the Four Corners of the World)
A deyiş sourced from the Çorum-born folk poet Aşık Haşimi, singing that no place on earth could replace the one who is l
Odayın Yapısına (By the Room's Doorway)
Known by the source note 'Mencoğlu,' a short, lively Çorum kırık hava addressing a beauty through the everyday images of
Hem Okudum Hemi De Yazdım (I Both Read and Wrote)
According to sources, a Çorum kırık hava collected from the Alacahöyük area, sometimes also known as the 'Mehmet Lament.
Ne Elmadır Ne De Nar (Neither Apple Nor Pomegranate)
A tender folk song likening a beloved to neither apple nor pomegranate, collected in Çorum by Nida Tüfekçi in 1971.
Cevahir Taşına Kıymet Biçilmez (A Jewel's Worth Is Set Only by an Expert)
A wise Çorum kırık hava, collected by Muzaffer Sarısözen from İfakat Yaykar, on how true worth is recognized only by one
Bağdat Ellerinden Gelen Durnalar (Cranes Coming from the Lands of Baghdad)
A longing song addressing migrating cranes for news of a beloved, collected in Mecitözü from Âşık Veli Erdem.
Hürünü A Yârim Hürünü (Put On Your Bells, My Love)
A lively, teasing Çorum kırık hava from İskilip, calling on a beloved to put on her bells, collected by Muzaffer Sarısöz
Pencereden El Eder (She Waves from the Window)
A lively Çorum kırık hava from Sungurlu with its 'mini yar mini kuş' refrain, calling to a beloved named Münire, collect
Kaşların Karasına (On Her Dark Brows)
A lively Sungurlu kırık hava, known by its 'haydi gülüm haydi haydi' refrain, opening with the image of a rose set again
Halimi Arzettim Dağlara Daşa (I Told My Plight to the Mountains and Stones)
A kırık hava collected in Alaca, expressing a grief too heavy to share with anyone but the mountains and stones.
Gayrı Dayanamam Ben Bu Hasrete (I Can No Longer Bear This Longing)
A cry against separation from Alaca, credited to the folk poet Ali İhsan Erdoğan; a Çorum bozlak said to move all who he
Yüce Dağ Başına Kurdum Arılık (I Set My Beehive on the High Mountain)
A bozlak collected from Çorum folk poet Haydar Öztürk, using the image of a high mountain to speak of love followed by p
Şu Uzun Gecenin Gecesi Olsam (If Only I Were the Night of This Long Night)
A Çorum kırık hava of longing for a distant beloved said to be ill, collected from Niyazi Biçerel by Muzaffer Sarısözen
Dost Kıyılardan Mercandan (Friend, by the Shores and the Coral)
A Çorum kırık hava addressed to a girl standing on a rooftop on a feast day, collected from İfakat Yaykar by Muzaffer Sa
Karşıda Kavun Yerler (Over There They Are Eating Melon)
A Çorum song sung with the cries 'elmasım ey' and 'hele yandım', titled 'Çorum Halayı' on its TRT score and collected by
Alnı Delmeli Yarim (My Beloved in the Embroidered Vest)
A short, lively Çorum kırık hava preferring an equal match to a rich one, collected from Güllü Coşkun by Nazmiye Coşkun
Gayalar Ulam Ulam (Rocks Joined One to Another)
An Alaca kırık hava of longing that asks for nothing but one shared pillow, collected from Muharrem Coşkun by Yücel Paşm
Gidiyorum Çorum'a (I'm Going to Çorum)
An Alaca kırık hava known for its opening 'I'm going to Çorum, a stone struck my arm', collected by the Ankara State Con
Bedirik (The Wild Herb Bedirik)
An Alaca song named after an edible wild herb, about a young man taken for military service, collected from Musa Yenilme
Başım Açık Fes De Yok (My Head Is Bare, I Have No Fez)
A kırık hava of the Alacahöyük area with a 'şinanay' refrain about loneliness in a village without a friend, collected f
Evlerinin Önü Yoldur Geçilmez (The Road Before Her House Cannot Be Crossed)
An Alaca kırık hava saying one can give up a mother but not a beloved, collected from Ali Bilgin by the Ankara State Con
Bayram Geldi Benim Yarim Kaçıyor (The Feast Has Come, and My Love Shies Away)
A Çorum bozlak in which a young man about to leave for military service bids farewell on a feast day; it entered the TRT
Kara Kaşlar Kara Gözler Sende Var (Dark Brows and Dark Eyes Are Yours)
A kırık hava naming the stretch between Çorum and Sungurlu, listed under Sungurlu by most sources; collected from Rıfat
Yonuk Olur Merdivanın Taşları (The Stones of the Stairway)
A lively Sungurlu kırık hava with a 'sarı kız' refrain, opening on the stones of a stairway, collected from Rıfat Özsara
Elma Aldım Bartın'dan (I Bought Apples from Bartın)
A Sungurlu kırık hava opening with apples bought from Bartın, with the refrain 'Aşık atalım mı', collected from Rıfat Öz
Hey Kargalar Kargalar (Hey, Crows, Crows)
A Sungurlu kırık hava opening with crows shaking a walnut branch, about a young girl waving to her sweetheart; collected
Iraftadır Bağlama (The Bağlama Is on the Shelf)
An İskilip kırık hava in which someone leaving for distant lands tells a beloved not to weep; collected from Ahmet Tatar
Arzum Ağleyip Durma (Do Not Keep Weeping, Arzum)
An İskilip kırık hava asking a beloved not to weep or wear black after a departure, collected from Dudu Gümüşten by the
Bafra'dan Çıktım Başım Selamet (I Left Bafra Safe and Sound)
An İskilip song about the death of a bandit named Döngelek and a captive in irons, collected from Ahmet Tatar by the Ank
Kara Koyun Dağ Başından İnmiyor (The Black Sheep Won't Come Down from the Mountain)
An Osmancık kırık hava using a black sheep that won't leave the mountain as an image of lasting love; collected by the A
Su Gelir Millendirir (The Water Comes and Leaves Its Silt)
A Mecitözü kırık hava praising a beloved through images of water greening the meadow, collected from Âşık Veli Erdem by
Hani Bu Kızın Anası (Where Is This Girl's Mother?)
A Çorum henna-night song of a bride's farewell to her father's house, attributed to the village of Çıkrık and collected