This post is for any parents who may be reading. I am interested to hear about the lullabies you particularly like(d) to sing to your children.
I sing to our daughter nearly every night, and it is one of my favourite parts of the day. Last night I was warbling away, in my usual fashion, but each time I would finish a song she would raise her head from my shoulder and ask for another one. (“More.”) I tried to oblige, but after a time I ran out of ideas. When I began to entertain thoughts of singing “Enter Sandman”, I knew it was time for a fresh infusion of songs.
I have a small stock of lullabies that fall roughly into two groups: children’s songs and religious songs. In the former group are old and faithful tunes like “Lullaby and Good Night” and “Rock-a-bye Baby” as well as ditties like “How Much is that Doggy in the Window?” and “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” (I tend to turn slightly doleful as night falls.)
My repertoire of religious songs is rather spare. Mostly I rely on “Amazing Grace” and “Salve Regina”, with occasional forays to “Jesus Loves the Little Children”. I don’t much care for that latter one, but beggars can’t be choosers, and, somewhat to my surprise, I’m a beggar.
The comments are open if you would like to say a word or two about your favourite lullabies.
November 18, 2010 at 9:42 pm
My favorite is Night Watch by Jim Reeves.
Other than that my repertoire is rather limited.
November 18, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Hmmm. I too resort to “Where have all the flowers gone” and occasionally, “Blowing in the Wind”. Thomas actually has a CD of lullabies that he calls the “Baby songs” and insists on listening to as he falls asleep. I’ve learned a few from there.
Having been in choirs for a long time, I know a great many songs suitable for use as lullabies, including a few Spirituals. Alas, I only know the alto line for most of them, and it tends to be rather boring on its own.
November 18, 2010 at 10:42 pm
As a musician, I heartily approve of what you’re doing, but as a bachelor I can’t speak from personal experience. My own father always sings “Good King Wenceslas” to babies – a bit strange, but they seem to enjoy it.
It seems to me that most of the folk song repertory would fit the bill – songs like “Greensleeves,” “Scarborough Fair” or “She’s Like the Swallow” would be usable lullabies, although they would probably not improve your doleful mood.
November 19, 2010 at 10:13 am
These are nice suggestions, thanks. Douglas, that song is new to me, and I quite like it.
I also found myself singing “Blowin’ in the Wind”, Kathy, but the context didn’t feel right to me, and my daughter didn’t care for it either: she sat up and said “No.” (That happens a lot when I play Dylan in the car too.)
Osbert, those are terrific suggestions. Greensleeves! Why didn’t I think of that?
December 13, 2010 at 1:32 am
I’ve sung “Blowin’ in the Wind” to my daughters quite a bit, too. With my first daughter, I’d sometimes change the refrain to, “The answer, my daughter, is swirlin’ in the water…” “If Not For You” is another Dylan song I’ve gotten some mileage out of. “Forever Young” is another one, but I have trouble remembering the words.
November 19, 2010 at 10:13 am
As of late, little B has been happy with the Lord’s prayer — not really a lullaby, but it seems to send her off to the land of nod. During waking hours, though, she is inordinately fond of banjos and/or Bob Dylan, tastes I have been trying to encourage.
November 19, 2010 at 10:22 am
The Lord’s Prayer sung, or spoken?
November 19, 2010 at 11:25 am
My kids always liked “The Skye Boat Song.” And how about “All Through the Night”?
November 19, 2010 at 12:08 pm
I don’t think I know the Skye Boat Song. It sounds good. I suppose it is comes from the Isle of Skye?
November 19, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I can’t believe how much trouble I’m having trying to find one that I like. This is close.
It’s about Bonnie Prince Charlie.
AMDG
November 19, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Thanks for taking the trouble to look. I like that song! I think I have heard it before, but the recollection is vague. I will poke around on emusic to see if I can find a version to download and learn.
November 20, 2010 at 11:34 am
This seems pretty weird in retrospect, but for some reason I often used “The Fox” (who went out on a chilly night). Even weirder, “The Ballad of Billy the Kid”, which has a nice lilting sort of rhythm.
November 20, 2010 at 6:58 pm
I don’t know either of those songs, Mac. Again, I’m going to see if I can find them on eMusic.
November 20, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Ooh! Why didn’t I ever think of the Skye boat song. Actually, Craig, I can never remember most of the lyrics to blowin’ in the wind anyway, and end up improvising.
I realized after I wrote the previous post, that most of our singing to the kids involves made-up lyrics, and each kid has a “theme song”. Thomas gets “We love our munchkin”, sung to the tune of “You are my sunshine”, and Mary gets “We love our bear” sung to a Taize version of the magnificat. There are additional lyrics to these versions, but they are silly
November 20, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I must have listened to “Blowin’ in the Wind” a few hundred times, but I get the stanzas mixed up still, lines spliced in willy-nilly wherever they will fit. You’re in good company (if I may presume to say so).
Customized songs are great. I tend to sing her little ditties with her nicknames too, but not to any particular melody. So sweet.
November 21, 2010 at 12:04 am
I have a friend whose girls are great fans of Johnny Cash songs as lullabies. He’s had to, um, customize the lyrics somewhat too.
November 22, 2010 at 3:14 am
Bwaahahahaha…..
http://www.afolksongaday.com/2010/10/31/tam-lin/
November 22, 2010 at 6:43 am
[...] Lulla, lullay [...]
November 22, 2010 at 7:55 am
With both of our children so far, I’ve routinely used “The Tennessee Stud” (as performed by Johnny Cash on American Recordings I) and “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”
With our daughter, I also used Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me” (after hearing his alternate take on “No Direction Home”). –Maybe that was a mistake . . .
For an, er, alternate, but no more lullaby-ish version of “Enter Sandman,” there’s this:
November 22, 2010 at 8:17 am
Bizarre. Is that Dr. Evil at the microphone?
I can have few objections to singing either Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash, but I don’t think I’d have thought of either of those songs. “She Belongs To Me” does have a nice lilt and a comfortable andante tempo; I imagine it worked pretty well. But “The Tennessee Stud”? Well, I’m going to try it myself.
Thanks, Tracy.
November 22, 2010 at 10:13 pm
I tried “The Tennessee Stud” tonight, but as soon as I began she sat up in my arms, shaking her head. “No, no, no, no, no.” Too bad.
November 30, 2010 at 4:41 pm
I used to sing a medley of “Moonlight Bay”, “Shine on Harvest Moon”, and “The Bells are Ringing (for me and my gal)”. My 4 daughters are pretty much grown now but they still seem to remember that fondly.
November 30, 2010 at 5:58 pm
I am ashamed to say, Tom, that I do not know any of those songs. Nonetheless — and this goes for all of the songs people have suggested on this thread — I am compiling a list, tracking them down, and, if I like them, I will do my best to learn them.
Thanks for your comment.
November 30, 2010 at 10:13 pm
When I was in the 8th grade, I performed “Shine on Harvest Moon” and “On Moonlight Bay” in our 8th grade talent show. It wasn’t my idea–we were told what we were going to do. There were four couples and we danced and sang in gay 90s bathing costumes. Like this red one–in fact this might be the pattern my mother used. http://www.ecrater.com/p/8151013/vintage-butterick-6342-sewing-pattern-gay
AMDG
November 30, 2010 at 10:24 pm
The really sad part of all this is that our performance was on the night of the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan–their first appearance on American TV–and we had to miss it.
BTW, I think that “By the Sea” is too upbeat for bedtime.
AMDG
November 30, 2010 at 10:26 pm
You might regret missing the Beatles, Janet, but I’m sure — I’m sure, you understand — that your audience that night shares no such sentiment.
By the way, I didn’t know you were in the 8th grade in the 1890s!
November 30, 2010 at 10:30 pm
I bet you didn’t know that the Beatles were on TV in the 1890s either. They were very forward-thinking.
AMDG
November 30, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Touché.
December 13, 2010 at 1:38 am
“Tell Me Why” has been my mainstay. “As I Went Down in the River to Pray” was in the rotation for quite awhile.
December 16, 2010 at 12:07 am
No WAY!
Every night, a pinkerton comes and asks Mommy to sing “the night song,” which is…”Tell Me Why.”
My husband sings “The Eyes of Texas” to the kids.
I was wondering if you actually sing “Lulla, Lullay” to children. It is a terrific song, but not what I’d consider a lullaby.
December 16, 2010 at 10:10 pm
No, I wouldn’t actually sing ‘Lulla, lullay’ to her. Not even at Christmas.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
December 13, 2010 at 8:31 am
I sometimes find myself singing another tune from O Brother, Where Art Thou?: the Siren song, “Go to sleep, you little baby…” But it’s all about leaving the baby alone. “You and me and the devil makes three”, etc., is not very appropriate for bedtime (or for anytime, for that matter).
March 5, 2011 at 1:20 am
I know this is really late, but my wife and I just had another baby, and he really seems to like it when I sing Quiero Decir Que Sí by Luis Diaz-Bratos. For a couple different renditions…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRTMr8kRQns
or for the words…
http://www.cantamos.es/canta/slletter/s0248l.htm
March 5, 2011 at 3:06 pm
I haven’t heard that song before, and it is quite lovely. If only my Spanish were better.
Thanks for leaving a comment, Douglas, early or late.
March 9, 2011 at 11:00 am
It is basically a song about saying yes to God like Mary. The other verses are basically about doing His will and not our own, following Him and serving Him.