# Unorthodox lullabies. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478 "2009-09-25T04:01:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/41 "2009-09-28T02:07:52Z")
> [@Indyellen](#): > > However, for my little darling (now 16), bagpipes were a SURE lullaby. Put in a tape/CD of the Royal Highland Guard, and _poof_ she was out. Amazing. > > It explains a lot, though… 😃 hmmm - I think my pipes are just a wee bit too loud - gotta get me some parlour pipes… ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/42 "2009-09-28T08:36:06Z")
I’m partial to [Goodnight demon slayer](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Goodnight-Demon-Slayer-lyrics-Voltaire/203E8C9CCD16191248256E480012FE19) [QUOTE=Voltaire] Tell the monster that eats children, that you taste bad And you’re sure you’d be the worst he’s ever had If he eats you, don’t you fret, just cut him open with an axe Don’t regret it, he deserved it, he’s a cad Tell the harpies that land on your bed post That at the count of five you’ll roast them alive Tell the devil it’s time you gave him his due He should go back to hell, he should shake in his shoes Cause the mightiest, scariest, creature is you Goodnight demon slayer, goodnight Now it’s time to close your tired eyes There’s devils to slay and dragons to ride If they see you coming, hell they better hide [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/43 "2009-09-28T13:55:42Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > When my daughter was a baby the only two songs I could sing that would calm her down were “You Don’t Own Me” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”. I have no idea why, it’s not like I listened to the oldies station when I was pregnant. > > My son was born in 1990 during my “headbanger” phase (hey, I was only 17) so he was treated to my horrible renditions of 80s powerhair ballads. We both got better. 😛 Interesting username/post [combo](http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Novel-Richard-Adams/dp/0743277708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254146106&sr=8-1). No kids of my own, but I used to babysit a lot, and I sang a lot of “Lemon Tree” and “Blackbird,” too. And I never even got to live through that era! Also “The Sound of Silence,” because I know all the words, not cuz it’s at all ironic to screaming infants. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jelly\_Roll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Jelly\_Roll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelly_Roll)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/44 "2009-09-28T15:18:27Z")
I sing Bob Marley’s “Three Birds” and one that my mom sung to us (that was from her grandmother): Kitty Kitty Puss Riding in a wagon Hop up Kitty Puss Your tail is a-draggin’ Hop up Kitty Puss Hop up higher Hop up Kitty Puss Your tail’s in the fire Poor little Kitty Puss Poor little feller Poor little Kitty Puss Died in the cellar Hop up Kitty Puss Hop up higher Hop up Kitty Puss Your tail’s in the fire There’s about a million verses, but those are the only two I can ever remember. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/45 "2009-09-28T16:06:32Z")
“Embraceable You” and “Love is Here to Stay” for my daughter and son, respectively. They both had a lot of Gershwin, Cole Porter and Richard Rogers sung to them when they were infants. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/46 "2009-09-28T16:17:13Z")
**Pearl Jam** has a nice lullaby in their catalog: [Around the Bend](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex8skOBObmU&feature=PlayList&p=770DA7792E044BE4&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=45) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/47 "2009-09-28T16:27:02Z")
Another nice one is [Blue Shadows on the Trail](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGX_3P4XYz0), an old **Sons of the Pioneers** song. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/48 "2009-09-28T16:41:31Z")
[MLF Lullaby](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB7PRY1Aqds) by Tom Lerher ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/49 "2009-09-28T16:55:14Z")
This thread title made me think of the scene from British comedy _The Royle Family_ in which two of the characters sing the instrumental opening of “No Surprises” by Radiohead to the baby as a lullaby. I sing “Dream a Little Dream” to my daughter as well, but the one that always gets her to settle is “Curly-Headed Baby”, a beautiful Paul Robeson classic. (I should mention that I use [this version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf3Z4SRgdEE) (starts about 2:09) rather than than the earlier, considerably less politically-correct (and less applicable to a pale blonde child) version. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/50 "2009-09-28T17:25:17Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > My favourite lullaby song has always been the Mammas and the Pappas “Dream a Little Dream of Me” > > \*Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you > Sweet dreams that leave your worries behind you > But in your dreams, whatever they be > Dream a little dream of me > \* I’ve sung this to my son since he was born, too. That’s “his” song and he doesn’t want me singing it for the new baby we’re expecting in November, so I’m thinking I’ll have to learn the words to “It’s a Wonderful World.” I also sang him [Oh, Shendandoah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Shenandoah) and Auld Lang Syne. His favorite, though (particularly when he got older) was Oh, Holy Night because I changed the words on the fly every time I sang it to him. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/51 "2009-09-28T19:37:42Z")
The first time I was called upon to sing a lullaby to my infant daughter, the only lullaby that came to mind was Lullaby of Broadway. But it became a much-beloved routine. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/52 "2009-09-29T16:55:37Z")
I also became a dad at 40 (in 1994). My lullabyes were mostly old folk songs, with a few other things mixed in: Jamaica Farewell (“Sad to say, I’m on my way, won’t be back for many a day…”) They Call the Wind Maria Four Strong Winds If I Had a Hammer The Riddle Song (“I Gave My Love a Cherry”) Blowin’ In the Wind Where Have All the Flowers Gone Puff the Magic Dragon The Unicorn This Land is Your Land Goodnight Irene 500 Miles Mr. Tambourine Man Michael Row the Boat Ashore The Circle Game You Are My Sunshine The Baby Tree (from “Blows Against the Empire” by Jefferson Starship) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/53 "2009-09-29T18:44:05Z")
When the little Torqueling was but a few months old, one night she started crying and would not stop. I suggested we sing, but in our frazzled desperation we couldn’t think of good kiddie songs. The only song that came to mind was…“The Gambler.” Yep, Kenny Rogers. Soothed that kiddo right down. I still sing that one sometimes. These days, I’m running out of songs. Most nights, the little Torqueling falls asleep on me, after we read a few books together. The routine goes: read the books, lay on Daddy’s chest, Daddy sings until little one is asleep, Daddy carries little one to bed. But she’s gotten tired of all my standards. I ask her what she wants me to sing, and lately I think she just says “no” until I say a title she’s never heard before. Some of the kid songs she’s gotten tired of: The Fox Song The Green Grass Grew All Around Polly Wolly Doodle The Echo Song Big Rock Candy Mountain She’ll Be Coming Around The Mountain Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea And some “unorthodox” ones she now nixes: Lazybones Ain’t Misbehavin’ The Gambler In The Jailhouse Now She’s An Angel Birdhouse In Your Soul As you can see toward the end there, I’ve started working through various They Might Be Giants songs. I’ve sung “Dr. Worm”, “Ana Ng”, “Hey Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal”, and “Till My Head Falls Off” at various times. Last night I went through “Someone Keeps Moving My Chair” and “Lucky Ball & Chain” before she fell asleep. Sing 'em slowly enough and soothingly, and they work quite well. Oh, and perhaps worst: I have sung Tom Lehrer’s [“Irish Ballad”](http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/tomlehrer3903/theirishballad185512.html) to her before as she drifted off to sleep. That either makes me Monster Dad, or Awesome Dad, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/54 "2009-09-29T22:13:19Z")
No lyrics, but when my daughter was just a little Kunilette, I found[this settled her down right away and put her to sleep before it was over.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqwhF6vcylg&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/55 "2009-09-30T00:18:26Z")
My Nephew’s favorite lullaby was Dion’s Abraham, Martin & John. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/56 "2009-09-30T09:00:38Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Oh, and perhaps worst: I have sung Tom Lehrer’s [“Irish Ballad”](http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/tomlehrer3903/theirishballad185512.html) to her before as she drifted off to sleep. That either makes me Monster Dad, or Awesome Dad, I’m sure. I’ve sung Phoebe’s song about cows (from _Friends_) to my daughter. Mind you, she’s too young to understand what I’m saying and I’ll probably have to stop doing it soon. \*Oh the cow in the meadow goes moo! Oh the cow in the meadow goes moo! Then the farmer hits it on the head with a hammer And that’s how we get hamburger! Nooooooooow…chickens!\* ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/57 "2009-09-30T12:40:29Z")
> [@Booker57](#): > > U.S. Marine Corps Hymn. It is the only song I know all the lyrics to. She did fall asleep. My sister and I had [Run in Cadence with the U.S. Marines](http://www.amazon.com/Run-Cadence-US-Marines/dp/B000S5CBCM/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1254313911&sr=301-1). I was always fond of [My Grandaddy was a Horse Marine](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S4FGJS/ref=dm_dp_trk8?ie=UTF8&qid=1254313911&sr=301-1). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/58 "2009-09-30T18:46:42Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I’m partial to [Goodnight demon slayer](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Goodnight-Demon-Slayer-lyrics-Voltaire/203E8C9CCD16191248256E480012FE19) Doesn’t this seem like something Susan (Pratchett reference: DEATH’s granddaughter) would sing to her children??🙂 I sang The Riddle Song Hush, Little Baby most of Peter, Paul, and Mary Long Black Veil Shenandoah Down in the Valley Tom Dooley the one about “the fox went out on a chilly night” and a bunch of strange stuff my mother (now 97) taught me: Mighty Like a Rose (definitely not fitting to my pink and blond baby girl) When You and I were Young, Maggie Mein Herr, being a trumpeter, knew zero lyrics and had to make them up (which he was not good at) or hum. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/59 "2009-10-01T01:19:10Z")
[“500 Hats,”](http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/500_hats.htm) by Tom Smith. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478/60 "2009-10-01T04:16:21Z")
“Monster’s Lullabye,” by Meg Davis – incomplete MP3 [here,](http://megdavis.tripod.com/HTMLobj-263/monsters.mp3) complete lyrics [here.](http://www.ovff.org/pegasus/songs/monsters-lullabye.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox-lullabies/511478.md?page=4)