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