# Aram sam sam

"A Ram Sam Sam" is a Moroccan children's song and action game, sung in Moroccan Arabic, whose words are mostly playful nonsense set to a repeating tune with clapping and hand movements.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Sung in | German |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | traditional (Moroccan origin) |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | dancing, playful |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/aram-sam-sam/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (ary)

Aram sam sam, aram sam sam,
gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli, ram sam sam.
Aram sam sam, aram sam sam,
gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli ram sam sam.

### Verse 2 (ary)

Arabi, arabi, gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli, ram sam sam.
Arabi, arabi, gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli, gulli ram sam sam.

## How to sing it

1. On "a ram sam sam", tap or pound both fists in front of you in time.
2. On "guli guli guli", rotate your index fingers at the sides of your head.
3. On "arabi", raise your hands upward; then sing it faster and faster each time round.

## Common questions

**Where is "A Ram Sam Sam" really from?**

It is a Moroccan children's song and game, sung in Moroccan Arabic. Although it is enormously popular in Germany and across Europe as a nursery action song, its origin is North African, not German.

**What do the words mean?**

Most of them are playful nonsense — "a ram sam sam" has no real meaning. A couple of fragments do translate: "guli guli guli" means roughly "tell me, tell me, tell me", and "a rafiq" means "a friend" or "companion".

**How is "Aram sam sam" played?**

As an action song and round. Each phrase has its own movement — pounding fists for "a ram sam sam", twirling fingers by the head for "guli guli guli", hands raised for "arabi" — and it is usually sung faster and faster, or as a round in several parts, until everyone dissolves in laughter.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (German) — A Ram Sam Sam](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Ram_Sam_Sam)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4659143