What are the most haunting lullabyes and children's songs?

[BillHadersNewWife]

I find Lavenders Blue and "On the Mountain Stands a Lady" wonderfully creepy.

What about you?

I find Puff the Magic Dragon really sad, reminds me how fleeting childhood is and when I read the storybook to the DC I always catch on the bit where it says "on grey day it happened, Jackie Paper came no more" and "a dragon lives forever, but not so little girls and boys".

Oranges and Lemons - especially after reading 1984! I remember hearing a really creepy version with “chip...chop” repeated lots of times at the end; very dark.

My DS used to say that You Are My Sunshine used to make him feel very sad when he was in reception and they used to sing it. Not a children's song really though I guess.

Hush Little Baby makes me feel terribly sad but I can't really understand why. Just a feeling it gives me.

Hoik - puff the magic dragon makes me cry every time
It's not really a children's song, but the lullaby from Pan's Labyrinth is very haunting (obviously on purpose!) whilst sounding plausible as a lullaby

Oh I can't listen to Puff the Magic Dragon! Too sad by far!

I also find the one about the Mockingbird sad. Not creepy...just sad.

My mum used to sign Scarlet Ribbons to me and Shep. Both can still make me cry.

@SubtleInnuendo that’s strange my middle DS heard that at the end of a film once and climbed on my knee and cried silently for a good 10 minutes because he said that made him sad

There was a version of Boys and girls come out to play on CBBC programme years ago Moondial I think? It's stayed with me for about 20 years

There's one I have the tune to in my head but I don't remember the words, but it's sad!

Punishment Perhaps it's the "please don''t take my sunshine away"

Clementine always gets me. I think it's the combination of the sad story with the jaunty tune.

I’m not sure what it’s called but I can remember my Nanna singing this to me...and it used to make me cry as a toddler! It makes me feel awful even thinking about it now.

I left my baby lying here
Lying here, lying here
I left my baby lying here
To go and gather blaeberries

There was a chorus that I believe was sung in Gaelic

Isn’t ‘you are my sunshine’ a ww1 time song? Always made me sad because I associate it with this.

The rocking carol always gets me.

I don't think this is a lullaby or children's song. People only seem to sing the chorus now though with children and I've seen it on wall art for nurseries in all happy rainbow colours.
It's a pretty depressing song really and the if you leave me you'll regret it sounds quite threatening 😂

The other night dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cried

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

I'll always love you and make you happy
If you will only say the same
But if you leave me and love another
You'll regret it all some day

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

You told me once, dear, you really loved me
And no one else could come between
But now you've left me and love another
You have shattered all of my dreams

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me
When I awake my poor heart pains
So when you come back and make me happy
I'll forgive you dear, I'll take all the blame

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

Ladybird, Ladybird allegedly a childs song, hardly.

Ladybird, Ladybird
Fly Away Home
Your house is on fire and your children all gone.

Why is this a nursery rhyme?

Not sure about haunting but my DM used to 'la' this song to us. (It's an old one written in 1953):

The Happy Wanderer

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.
Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.

I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"

I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.

High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.

Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!

A song called Beautiful Dreamer gets me. Originally recorded by Nat King Cole I think, but I heard a beautiful lullaby version on Spotify that was haunting in a lovely way.

The “Go to sleep” song from Tee and Mo makes me cry every single time I hear it, even just reading the lyrics makes me a bit weepy

My mum used to sing this to me when I was little:

Baby’s eyes are Irish
Baby’s eyes are blue
Baby’s got eyes like his daddy
Daddy’s Irish too
Daddy’s gone to heaven
Gone to paradise
Leaving his poor little baby
With lovely blue Irish eyes

@DaughterOfEvening That's the Highland Faerie Lullaby - m.youtube.com/watch?v=WCf2G-HeVH0

Despite the sweet tune, it's pretty dark!

@PunishmentSnart
Scarlet Ribbons every time !
Harry Belafonte makes me cry .

HERE

@DaughterOfEvening my DM used to sing me a song about fairies taking a baby left in woodland away so I wonder if it's the same song? Really cheery subject!

Always been creeped out by 'Hushabye Mountain' but not really sure why!

I Once had a Dear Old Mother was quite chilling as a child:

I once had a dear old mother
Who was very kind to me
And when I got in trouble
She sat me on her knee.

One night as I lay sleeping
Upon my feather bed
An angel came from heaven and told me mum was dead.

When I woke up in the morning
To see if it were true
My mum had gone to heaven
Above the skies so blue.

So children obey your parents
And do as you are told
For if you lose your mother
You lose a heart of gold