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Original poster

What lullabies do you sing to your children?

63 replies

Kjlkate · 28/10/2001 17:19

Just wondered last night as I was warbling away what other people sing to their little darlings? As it's nearly Christmas, I'll soon be into carols (O Little Town of Bethlehem is a good long one for a particularly fretful child) but usually my repertoire contains such favourites as 'Moon River' 'Summertime' 'The Way You Look Tonight' (not sure who by but Fred Astair sings it!) 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' and a couple from Mary Poppins ... Oh, and 'Paper Doll' - that dates from about 1925.
Am I strange? Is everyone else just tucking them in with a quick burst of Hushabye Baby? Please tell me I'm not alone!

OP posts:
Robinw · 29/10/2001 06:31

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Mooma · 29/10/2001 07:08

Morning Town (The Seekers?) because it has a train in it(!), On Mother Kelly's Doorstep (my Mum used to sing it to me), Danny Boy, and a lovely little lullaby from a children's Christmas play that my eldest did aged 5. I think the play was called The Smallest Angel, and the song goes:

Little one, time to go to sleep,
Close your eyes, time to count your sheep.
Time to rest, been a long, long day,
Time to ride down the Milky Way.
Find your rainbows, they can't be far.
If you try, you'll catch every falling star.
So sleep and dream, you must travel on
To the dawn, little one.

I can't give you the tune, of course, but we mumsnetters are an inventive breed!

Robbie · 29/10/2001 12:03

"You are my sunshine" was always my favorite with sunshine replaced by dd's name. But one that worked best was "Twinkle, twinkle ". Also been known to try "Gerard, Gerard Houllier", to tune of "Stand up, if you hate Man U" but problem with that one is dd usually joins in.

Jessi · 29/10/2001 12:18

I sing to my son every night,a bizarre mixture, mostly made-up lyrics that apply to him!'The owl and the pussycat' is a favourite one and 'You are my sunshine'.Jingle bells is sung all year round as he was born near christmas,don't know many of the words though!

Marina · 29/10/2001 12:51

You're not strange - or perhaps all of us are on this thread. Our son appreciates a medley of The Wheels on the Bus, Bob the Builder, a simple setting of the Lord's Prayer, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Flanders and Swann's Hippopotamus Song and a made-up song about Wallace and Gromit to the tune of "Here we go round the Mulberry Bush". And his favourite hymn is "In the Cross of Christ I glory".

Emmam · 29/10/2001 14:08

I'm not allowed to sing. My ds tells me to 'stop that noise'.

Rosy · 29/10/2001 14:08

I used to sing "Don't Fence Me In" (Bing Crosby, I think, but on The Singing Detective), and "Blues in the Night" (also on SD), though my husband objects to that one. Now I always sing "Show me the Way to go Home" before bed, which is shorter. And my husband's is "Bridge over Troubled Water". "Silent Night" is great for the festive season.

Original poster
Kjlkate · 29/10/2001 16:34

Thanks so much! I'm getting some wonderful (not to mention inventive!) suggestions here to try out tonight. And another Singing Detective fan too! Please, more, more!

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Chanelno5 · 29/10/2001 20:08

I used to sing 'Don't cry for me Argentina' and also the one by Kate Bush about Heathcliffe (is it 'Wuthering Heights'?) Don't know if the kids liked them but they certainly sent me off to sleep! Now the kids are older they tell me to be quiet when I start singing.

Kizzie · 29/10/2001 20:22

'Two Little Boys' - we all love it in our house.

Dannie · 29/10/2001 22:15

I do "They're changing guard at Buckingham palace", a couple of Canadian Girl Guide canoeing songs and "Lavender's blue, dilly dilly". Weird, tuneless, but effective, if only because it gives me a routine if I'm faced with an exhausted but grumpy toddler.
When my daughter was very small, the thing that really worked was to put her in a sling in my lap and play her Fela Kuti. It probably worked because it relaxed me rather than because Afrobeat is particularly soothing, but hey, I had a sleeping baby.

Chairmum · 29/10/2001 22:17

Either 'I Left My Baby Lying There' which is a traditional lullaby or 'You are My Heart's Delight' sung by ???. But nowadays my singing is too embarrassing even for my youngest to listen to, apparently.

Chairmum · 29/10/2001 23:33

Either 'I Left My Baby Lying There' which is a traditional lullaby or 'You are My Heart's Delight' sung by ???. But nowadays my singing is too embarrassing even for my youngest to listen to, apparently.

Robinw · 30/10/2001 06:40

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Chairmum · 30/10/2001 10:32

Oh crumbs, you're calling my bluff now, Robinw. I'm hopelessly tone deaf and my memory is so poor that I just repeat the same words over and over!! 'I Left My Baby' was a song that used to be on 'Listen With Mother' on the radio (now I'm giving away my age, most of you won't have even heard of that programme!) after Woman's Hour when it was on in the afternoon.

'I Left My Baby Lying There'

I left my baby lying there, lying there, lying there.
I left my baby lying there, when I went to gather blaeberries.

Chorus (to which I don't know the proper words but it sounds like this)
Gloria, gloria, gloria o, gloria o, gloria o;
Gloria, gloria, gloria o, I never found my baby o.

I saw the track of the fallow deer, fallow deer, fallow deer,
I saw the track of the fallow deer, but never saw my baby o.

Chorus

I think there are more verses - maybe I can dig out the old LP we have it on.
----
I can only recall two lines from 'You Are my Heart's Delight'!! (I think the most famous version is by Richard Tauber, long-dead singer)

You are my heart's delight,
I long to be within your arms.

HTH!!!

Original poster
Kjlkate · 30/10/2001 16:23

RobinW - search on Google for 'Two Little Boys'. I found it there in a site about Rolf Harris lyrics, but I'm afraid I haven't the computer nouse to give you the link and the address went on for yards!

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Chairmum · 30/10/2001 20:37

I found a site with traditonal lullabies and songs on. Some of them even play the music. I'm going to try making a live link, now!!
Traditional Songs

Chairmum · 30/10/2001 20:45

It's dead. I'll have to try again.

Chairmum · 30/10/2001 20:48

Traditional Songs

Does that work?

Robinw · 30/10/2001 22:05

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Chairmum · 30/10/2001 22:32

Sorry, Robinw, I was sending a general posting about lullabies, not referring to Two Little Boys.

Robinw · 31/10/2001 07:17

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Chairmum · 31/10/2001 11:04

How about this? Does it take you to the right place?

Two Little Boys

Janh · 01/11/2001 09:44

mooma - "little one, time to go to sleep" was in a play done at my ds's school when he was 9 - he sang the verses solo, i was so proud i nearly choked! (fortunately i was making a video of it to be copied and sold to parents so i had to behave!)

the play is "the first christmas rose" - about a little girl who follows the star after the kings or some of the shepherds come into her father's inn? (she is the "little one" - ds was yet another shepherd whose campfire she shared.) it is a sweet story.

and robbie - "you are my sunshine" and "twinkle twinkle" were always my staples too. i tried to use "you're the cream in my coffee" but couldn't quite get the tune or words right - then we got it off napster, by nat king cole, and after hearing him my ds (other ds, now 8) refused to let me ruin it for him! classics like that make a nice change if you can remember words and tune.

i CAN'T sing two little boys or danny boy - they make me cry!

Mooma · 01/11/2001 13:49

Janh, thanks for putting me right. dd and I thought we might have remembered the play incorrectly! How on earth were you able to control yourself and make a video whilst your little boy was singing? Talk about a tear-jerker!