Nanbongga

Unknown (Hwanghae Oral Tradition)

Region

Hwanghae

Genre

Seodo Folk Song

Usage

Recreational Song

Nanbongga is the signature folk song of Hwanghae Province and is considered the prototype of many folk songs of the Gyeonggi and Seodo regions. Its name comes from old lyrics that began "Nanbong-i nanne" ("a rake has appeared"), but the verses sung today have become lyrical rather than mocking. This record is archive material collected to organize and preserve the representative lyrics and the transmission context of Nanbongga.

Commentary & Notes

Jeongbang Sanseong (正方山城): An old mountain fortress on Mount Jeongbang near Sariwon in Hwanghae Province, which places the song firmly in its home region.

The rooster that crows by day: A rooster that should crow at night is crowing at noon. The line is usually read as a heart so full of longing that even the natural order seems turned upside down.

The refrain comes first, followed by the verse; the song runs to eleven verses, each followed by the refrain.

Cultural Background

Nanbongga is thought to have been widely sung since the late Joseon period. By custom, the slow Gin Nanbongga, in the jungmori rhythm, is followed by the faster Jajin Nanbongga, in gutgeori. Countless variants branched off from it, and it is still handed down today as a root of the Seodo folk song tradition.