From: Kris (9/98)
Question: Does anyone know the words to Brahm's Lullabye? It starts: Lullabye and good night...
We sing this one every night. According to my copy of the Metropolitan Museum's lullaby book, the words are:
Lullaby and good night
With roses bedight
With lilies bespread
Is baby's wee head
Lay thee down
now and rest
May thy slumbers be blessed
Lay thee down now and rest
May thy slumbers be blessed
Note the vocabulary building advantages for your little one! [bedight = adorned]
From: Lisa
Here's the version I learned in the past year and sing to my son:
Lullaby and good night,
In the sky stars are bright.
Round your head, flowers gay
bring you slumbers today
Go to sleep now and rest
May these hours be blessed.
Go to sleep now and rest
May these hours be blessed.
Lullaby, and good night
with soft flowers around you
slumber sweetly in the moonlight
close your eyes now and dream
At least that's what I sing! Diana
From: Dawn
There are several verses to Brahms' lullabye. I only have the first one memorized:
Lullabye, and good night
with roses bedight [bedecked]
with lilies o'erspread
is baby's wee bed.
Lay thee down now and rest;
may thy slumber be blest [blessed].
Lay thee down now and rest;
may thy slumber be blest.
At least two more verses are listed in _Rise_Up_Singing_, a great book for parents who sing to or with their children. This book has words to *many* of the songs we learned as children, and many folksongs, both traditional and composed during this century. The book is available at many bookstores, and I'm sure you could order it over the Internet through Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. It is spiral bound for ease of use. Although I do not have it, I have been told that a companion tape and or CD (set?) has been released with the *tunes* to many of the songs in the book. This would be great because I often find that I recall the tune to the chorus, but not to the verse of many songs.
From: Isaac
Lullabye and goodnight
In a Circle of Light
To awaken in the morn
When the sun will be reborn
Lullabye and goodnight
Let your eyes now close tight
Lullabye and goodnight
Let your eyes now close tight
Lullabye and goodnight
Oh my baby sae bright
The Watchtowers all will come
Til you greet the morning sun
East and South, West and North
I will call them all forth
East and South, West and North
I will call them all forth
after looking around some more , I found out there are a lot of versions to the lyrics , so here's another one:
Lullaby, and good night!
With roses bedight,
Creep into thy bed,
There pillow thy head.
Lay thee down now and rest,
With purest slumber be blest.
Lay thee down now and rest,
With purest slumber be blest.
Lullaby and good night!
Those blue eyes close tight,
Bright angels are near,
So sleep without fear.
They will guard thee from harm,
With fair dreamland's sweet charm.
They will guard thee from harm,
With fair dreamland's sweet charm.
From: Barbara Brahms Lullaby can be found at http://hendersonville-pd.org/nurserylullaby.html
From: Jeanne
Here is another one that my father-in-law sings to children. We have seen it in an old sing along movie reel on AMC, the movie cable channel.
Why won't you go to sleep, my little buckaroo?
Don't you know it's time for bed, my little buckaroo?
Why don't you close those great big eyes so blue.
Oh go to sleep, my little buckaroo.
I think there are other words to it.
Sept 2009
I learned this in high school during WWII when I was evacuated from London, both with German and English words. I am in agreement with your German version but have a different English version than you post in your Advice to Parents. I sang it both in German and English to all four of my children and several grandchildren.
Sleep my pretty one, sleep.
Fond vigil I keep,
Lie warm in thy nest
By moonbeams caressed
When the dawn
tints the skies
God will bid thee arise
When the morn tints the skies
God will bid thee arise.
Holy angels abide,
All night by thy side
In dreams they unfold
Heaven's portals of gold,
Slumber softly at rest
in thy dreamland so blest
Slumber softly at rest
In thy dreamland so blest
Veronica .
