Lullabies
N-R
Nature’s
goodnight
Nature’s
lullaby
Night
is here
Nina
bobo
Norwegian
cradle song
Now
the day is over
Now
the sun is sinking
O
ladybird
Oh,
Mother how pretty the moon looks tonight
Old
Mother Glasco
Onawa’s
Waltz
Only
the moon man knows
Oro,
my little boat
Over
the river to Charlie
Owl’s
lullaby
Owl
moon
Raisins
and almonds
Rock
gently sailboat
Rock
me easy, rock me slow
Rockaby,
lullaby
Rock-a-bye
baby
Rock-a-bye
my little owlet
Rock-a-bye
you
Rockin’
by the baby
Russian
cradle song
Russian
lullaby
Last updated: 4/12/2021
1:49 PM
The songs below are compiled, illustrated and
sometimes adapted by Dany Rosevear
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songs click on O
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved
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Nature’s good night 🔊 A lullaby written by Patty Smith Hill,
1868–1946. From ‘Song
stories for the kindergarten’ published 1893. Music by Dany
Rosevear. |
Clouds of grey are in the sky, Flocks of birds are winging by, Trees now dressed in faded
brown, Send their leaves all rustling
down, Little flow’rs in slumber deep, Nod their drowsy heads and
sleep… All the world must say
“Goodnight” 'Till Spring comes back with
sunshine bright. |
A lullaby written by Richard Compton to a Scottish
folk tune. It can be found in ‘140 Folk-songs’ from the Concord Series
published in 1921. The third verse is from elsewhere. Music arranged by Dany
Rosevear. |
Hush-a-bye, baby, The night winds are sighing, Go to sleep, go to sleep, Crickets are crying; Sleep 'til the dew Sleep 'til the morning sun Wakens you blinking. Warm in their woolly folds, Lambkins are resting, Soft in their swaying beds, Wee birds are nesting; All the dark night, In your cradle lie dreaming, 'Til the broad sun Through the window comes
streaming. Off in the distance, A hoot owl is calling, Into sweet dreams, Little babes should be falling; Hush-a-bye, baby, It's time you were sleeping, 'Til bright rays of sunlight At morning come creeping. |
Night is here 🔊 A Cherokee
lullaby. Never fear, the night sky and mother are nearby. |
Night is here, ay a ha, Stars appear, ay a ha, Mama-ma, aya a ha, Owls you hear, ay a ha, Do not fear, ay a ha, Mama-ma, aya a ha, Close your eyes, ay a ha, Go to sleep, aya a ha, Mama-ma, aya a ha. |
Nina bobo 🔊 A lullaby from Indonesia sung in the
Bahasa language and English. There are a few different versions of this song,
this is a simpe one. Translation by Dany Rosevear. I remember as
a child in Malaya that if you did not want to get bitten at bedtime it was
important to tie the mosquito net securely but I certainly would not have
frightened my younger siblings with this ‘lullaby’ beautiful though the tune
is! This is the
second lullaby I’ve sung from Indonesia, the other is the delightful |
Nina bobo, oh, nina bobo, Kalau tidak bobok, digigit nya muk. Nina bobo, oh, nina bobo, Kalau tidak bobok, digigit nya muk. x2 Tidurlah sayang adikku manis, Kalau tidak bobok, digigit nya muk. Sleep, baby, sleep, Oh my dearest baby sleep, Pesky mosquito will bite you If you don’t sleep. x2 Sleep my dear sweet sister, Sleep softly through the night; Mosquito is buzzing nearby Waiting for a bite! |
Norwegian cradle song 🔊 The lullaby
"Na ska' en liten fa sova sa sřtt" comes from Romerike, a flat
landscape in the south of Norway. Because of the wide plain there is a lot of
agriculture to be found there. This gentle melody is in a
minor key and rises and falls with a swaying rhythm to create a calming quiet
atmosphere. Translated by Dany Rosevear. |
Dear
little one you must sleep, must sleep, The cradle lies there my sweet baby. There it waits ready, so cosy and soft, Now you can slumber in safety. Hush, hush, sweetly you’ll sleep, For angels watch over my baby. |
Now the day is over 🔊 This hymn was
written by Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834-1924; the words here
have been adapted for a young and secular audience by Dany Rosevear who also
added the chords. The original tune was composed by Joseph Barnby 1868 and
has been simply arranged by Alec Wilder for ‘Lullabies and Night songs’ 1965.
Sing softly. |
Now the day is over, Night is drawing nigh; Shadows of the evening Steal across the sky. Now the darkness gathers, Stars begin to peep, Birds and beasts and flowers Soon will be asleep. Give to little children Dreams so sweet and free; Guard the sailors tossing On the deep, blue sea. When the morning wakens, Then may I arise, To greet the new day dawning With eager, loving eyes. |
Now the sun is sinking 🔊 Or ‘The
sunset’; the author is unknown. It was set to a familiar French folk tune in
the ‘Progressive music series” published in 1915 where it also lost the
second verse. |
Now the sun is sinking In the golden west; Birds and bees and children All have gone to rest; And the merry streamlet, As it runs along, With a voice of sweetness Sings its evening song. Cowslip, daisy, violet, In their little beds, All among the grasses Hide their heavy heads; There they'll all, sweet
darlings, Lie in the happy dreams. Till the rosy morning Wakes them with its beams. |
O ladybird 🔊 From ‘Dulce
Domun Rhymes and songs for children’ published 1893. Dany Rosevear
wrote the music as the original tune is in 3/8 and challenging, for me, to
sing! |
O ladybird, ladybird, fly away
home! The squirrel and fieldmouse have
gone to their nest; The daisies have shut up their
sleepy red eyes, The bees and the insects and
birds are at rest. O ladybird, ladybird, fly away
home! The glow-worm is lighting his
glittering lamp, The dew’s falling fast and your
fine speckled wing Will be moistened and wet with
the close clinging damp. O ladybird, ladybird, fly away
home! The sweet little fairy-bells
tinkle afar; Make haste or they’ll catch you
and harness you fast With a gossamer web to Oberon’s
car. |
Oh, Mother how pretty the moon looks tonight 🔊 Many
grandparents and indeed great grandparents were familiar with this
beautiful song in the U.S.A. over the
years; some suggest its origins are Irish. Mudcat has investigated its origins and say it is possibly attributed to a poem by Eliza Lee Follen. |
"Oh, Mother how pretty the
moon looks tonight, It was never so pretty before; Its two little horns are so
sharp and so bright, I hope they’ll not grow any
more! Chorus: If I were up there with both you
and the moon, We'd rock in it nightly you'd
see. We’d sit in the middle and hold
tight both ends, Oh, what a fine cradle t'would
be. We'd call to the stars to get
out of our way, Lest we should rock over their
toes. And there we would play till the
dawn of the day To see where that pretty moon
goes. And there we would play in the
beautiful sky, And through the bright clouds we
would roam, We’d see the sun set and we'd
see the sun rise, And on the next rainbow come
home." |
Old Mother Glasco 🔊 This song of
AfroAmerican origin has some of the the content of ‘All the little horses’. I
came across it first as ‘Old Molly Glasco’ in ‘Music through the day’
published in 1956 but ‘Mother Glasco’ is the only title I can find elsewhere. Sing
soulfully. |
Old Mother Glasco, where's your lamb? I left him down in the meadow. Birds and the bees, singing in the trees, Poor little lamb crying “Mammy”. |
Onawa’s Waltz 🔊 Written by John
Krumm. Onawa Padini was the young daughter of a musician who loved dancing
and singing. She tragically entered a coma after a car accident. Each evening
this song was sung to her to help her revive but very sadly this never
happened. |
I’ve been waiting all the day long To see the stars in your eyes My love come dance with me now See how the evening flies And as you sleep my dear Know that I’ll be near To hold you when you arise |
Only the moon man knows 🔊 The original,
much longer, poem was written by Mildred
Plew Merryman (nee Meigs) and published ‘Child’s Life’ in 1923. It also
appeared in ‘The golden book of poetry’ published 1945. It has since been put
to music and sung by Cathie Taylor, Bonnie Guitar and Kathy Reed Naiman among
others; this version probably follows the latter most closely. Find out more
at: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=29363
|
Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon, Out on the wrinklin’ sea, The moon man casts a silvery net Fashioned from moonbeams three. And some say when the net lies long, And no one else is there, The moon man fishes for silvery combs That fell from a mermaid's hair. Oh, the waves roll out and the waves roll in, And the nodding night wind blows, But why the moon man fishes the sea Only the moon man knows. Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon, Out on the wrinklin’ sea, The moon man casts a silvery net Fashioned from moonbeams three. And some say when the net lies long And the midnight hour is nigh; The moon man fishes for some old song That fell from a sailor's pipe. And some say he fishes the seas, Down where the wrecked ships lie; Looking for lost little baby stars, That slid from the velvet sky. Oh, the waves roll out and the waves roll in And the gray gulls dip and doze, But why the moon man fishes the sea, Only the moon man knows. Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon, Out on the wrinklin’ sea, The moon man casts a silvery net Fashioned from moonbeams three. And some say when the great net gleams, And the waves are dusky blue, The moon man fishes for two little dreams He lost when the world was new. Oh, the waves roll out and the waves roll in, And the nodding night wind blows, But why the moon man fishes the sea Only the moon man knows. |
Oro, my little boat O A sweet Irish
lullaby; hear it exquisitely sung by Pauline Scanlon and Éilís Kennedy in the
Irish language at: https://songoftheisles.com/2013/02/08/oro-mo-bhaidin/. The words
below are not a literal translation, this version was collected by Diane
Hamilton and comes from the LP ‘So early in the morning’ where it was sung by
Peg Clancy. Find out more
about this song at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=12006 |
Oro, my little boat that rests
in the bay, Oro ma vardin, Take up the oars and let us
away, Oro ma
vardin. Oro ma
curraagh O, Oro ma
vardin, Oro ma
curraagh O, Oro ma vardin. Sailing the waves over
foam-white crests, Oro ma vardin, Happy and free away to the west, Oro ma vardin. Riding the waves on the ocean’s
rim, Oro ma vardin, Sailing home as the light grows
dim, Oro ma vardin. |
A traditional Scottish lullaby from the Highlands of Scotland. Jean
Ritchie however remembered her mother dancing to this in the Appalachians. It is also very similar to the song ‘Weevily wheat’ which I sung at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNct60BiV8 though the one below is in a minor key.
|
Owl moon 🔊 Written by
Bruce O’Brien who was inspired by reading Jane Yolen’s book of the same name
which he had read to his young daughter. This can be used as a hand play. |
Oh you gotta be quiet, under a shining owl moon, Oh you gotta be quiet, under a shining owl moon, Oh you gotta be quiet, yes, you gotta be quiet, Under a shining, under a shining, under a shining owl moon. You gotta make your own heat, under a shining owl moon, You gotta make your own heat, under a shining owl moon, You gotta make your own heat and you gotta be quiet, Under a shining, under a shining, under a shining owl moon. Oh you gotta be brave, under a shining owl moon, Oh you gotta be brave, under a shining owl moon, Oh you gotta be brave, gotta make your own heat and you
gotta be quiet, Under a shining, under a shining, under a shining owl moon. Oh you gotta have hope, under a shining owl moon, Oh you gotta have hope, under a shining owl moon, Oh you gotta have hope, and you gotta be brave, gotta make
your own heat and you gotta be quiet, Under a shining, under a shining, under a shining owl moon. |
Owl’s lullaby 🔊 For the lonely
out there. A haunting
yodel lullaby sung by Clyde "Kindy" Sproat. This is a song that
Clyde learned as a boy growing up in the remote valley of Honokane Iki on the
island of Hawai`i. Clyde recalls that his mother had an old Victrola
phonograph in the 1930's and this song was on one of their records. The
"Owl's Lullaby" became the favorite family song to close out an
evening of singing. Sadly I
haven't yet learnt to yodel but it still makes a beautiful song! Find out more
at: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40875
|
Chorus: Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!?” Who will talk to me? Who will answer me? Who knows why I sing who? Whoo-oo-oo! Who knows the reason why I sing this lullaby? Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!?” The owls are flying; I hear them all sighing, Through the trees and the curtains as they hurry on home. With my feet on a limb and my eyes sad and lonely, I ask, “Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!?” Chorus As their wings brush the sky, I hear their far cry, As they “Whoo!” and they “Whoo!”, watch their shadows go
by, With my feet on a limb and my heart flying with them, I sing “Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!?” Chorus |
Raisins and almonds O A widowed mother rocks her baby son Yidele to sleep; this Yiddish
lullaby was written in 1880 by Abraham Goldfaden. The original is a much
longer song; you can find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=5468
. |
To my little one’s cradle in the
night, Comes a little goat snowy and
white, The goat will trot to the
market, While mother her watch does
keep, To bring you back raisins and
almonds, Sleep, my little one, sleep. |
Rock
gently sailboat O Also known as ‘The Israeli boat song’; a lullaby written by Lionel
Morton. This song featured on BBC’s Playschool and the classic ‘Bang on a
drum’ songs from Play School and Playaway LP.
|
Rock me easy, rock me slow O A lullaby by
Dennis Lee to the tune of Elvis Presley’s ‘Love me tender’. |
Rock me easy, rock me slow, Rock me where the robins go, Rock the branch and rock the
bough, Rock the baby robins now. Rock me up and rock me down, Rock me off to sleepy town, Rock me gently up the stairs To snuggle with my teddy bears, Rock me easy, rock me slow, Rock me where the robins go. |
Rockaby, lullaby 🔊 A poem by
Josiah Gilbert Holland 1819-1881. Music by Dany
Rosevear |
Rockaby,
lullaby, bees in the clover! Crooning so drowsily, crying so low, Rockaby, lullaby, dear little rover! Down into wonderland, Down to the under-land, Go, now go! Down into wonderland go. Rockaby, lullaby, rain on the clover! Tears on the eyelids that waver and weep, Rockaby, lullaby, bending it over! Down on the mother-world, Down on the other world, Sleep, oh sleep! Down on the mother-world sleep. Rockaby, lullaby, dew on the clover! Dew on the eyes that will sparkle at dawn, Rockaby, lullaby, dear little rover! Into the stilly world, Into the lily world, Gone! now gone! Into the lily world gone. |
Rock-a-bye baby O One of the most familiar lullabies in the English language. Find out more about its history at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock-a-bye_Baby
|
Rock-a-bye my little owlet 🔊 ‘Indian
Lullaby’ a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Music by
Walter H. Aiken. Find out more about this American poet at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow
|
Rock-a-bye, my little owlet, In thy mossy, swaying nest, With thy little woodland
brothers, Close thine eyes and take thy
rest. To whoo, to whoo, to whoo, to
whoo... Hush-a-bye, my little owlet, Many voices sing to thee, "Hush-a-bye," the
water whispers, "Hush!" replies the
tall pine tree. To whoo, to whoo, to whoo, to
whoo... Sleep, O sleep, my little owlet,
Thro' our tent the moon shines
bright, Like a great eye it will watch
thee, Sleep until the morning light. To whoo, to whoo, to whoo, to
whoo... |
Rock-a-bye you 🔊 A soft lullaby
by Theresa Mckay. |
Rock-a-bye you high, rock-a-bye
you low, Rock-a-bye you close, rock-a-bye
you slow, Rock-a-bye you high, rock-a-bye
you low, Rock-a-bye you everywhere we go. Rock-a-bye the sun, rock-a-bye
the moon, Rock-a-bye the sweet flowers
growing in June, Rock-a-bye you love, my turtle
dove, Rock-a-bye you everywhere we go. |
Rockin’ by the baby O This song from the Appalachians will give the baby a good workout on
your knee! Choose which of the verses you would like to sing. Give a hug for
each ‘wrap him up’ and make appropriate actions to suit the words.
|
Russian cradle song 🔊 A tender lullaby
for the Christmas and other seasons composed by Boris Berlin based on a
traditional Russian lullaby. |
Lullaby, my little baby, Close your eyes so bright, While the moon pours o’er your
cradle, All her silvery light; While the moon pours o’er your
cradle, All her silvery light; I will tell you tales of
fairies, Lull you with a song, While the moon, a lonely
wanderer, Creeps along ‘til dawn. While the moon, a lonely
wanderer, Creeps along ‘til dawn. |
Russian lullaby 🔊 This lullaby
can also be played as a round. |
Lullalullaby, lullaby, lullaby, Sweetly sing to lullaby, Lullaby, lullaby, Sweetly sing to lullaby. |
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