Lullabies & Cradle Songs: A Meditation
I’ve always loved lullabies. My mom has confirmed how as a toddler I’d let it be known that I liked “that other one.”
Not that one,
That other one:
From the youngest of ages, I preferred Brahm’s lullaby. Still do.
I’m sure my mother singing me off to sleep began my love of not just lullabies but music in general.
As a kid, hymns and lullabies went together. Along with those classic lullabies, my mom also sing hymns and praise songs, and carols at Christmas time.
My mom also prayed with me. A simple, prayerful refrain she often said and still says comes from our Gospel reading this morning, “Peace, be still.” That refrain is its own kind of lullaby.
The link between Christian faith and lullabies, sometimes called cradle songs, goes way, way back. When you think about it, the Christian faith’s two most central figures have infant tales.
There’s baby Moses and his story of being secured in a basket and placed in the Nile to be adopted and raised by the Pharoah’s daughter.
The movie Prince of Egypt from 1998 gives us a beautiful lullaby connected to this story. It is a lullaby sung by Yocheved, Moses’ mother, as she places Moses in the Nile.
I’m sure the pharaoh’s daughter who raised Moses had her own lullabies for baby Moses. The poet Yakov Azriel in her 2008 poem “Lullaby for Moses” imagines such a poem:
Lullaby,
Hush, don't cry.
The reeds and water have sheltered you and brought you to me, Little one.
No fire will burn you,
No ox will gore you,
No butcher, no angel of death will snatch you,
By the reeds and water I swear.
Little one,
My only one,
May you grow to learn wisdom,
To understand
Why the reeds whisper God’s praises as they bend in prayer,
Why the water purifies them with God’s grace,
Why He has given you
To me.
Lullaby,
Hush, don’t cry.
May I hold you?
May I have you?
My little one,
My little son,
By the reeds and water I swear
To watch over and guide you
To the heavens.
In the New Testament, of course, there is baby Jesus. We have a long list of cradle songs sung to Jesus going back to Medieval times, many envisioning Mary singing to her baby.
In fact, the earliest known hymn still being sung today has hints of a lullaby lyrically, being an ode to Jesus sung in the evening. The Phos Hilaron, translated O Gladsome Light in English, comes from the 3rd to 4th century.
O Gladsome Light of the holy glory of the Immortal Father,
heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.
Now we have come to the setting of the sun
and behold the light of evening.
We praise God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For it is right at all times to worship Thee
with voices of praise, O Son of God and Giver of Life,
therefore all the world glorifies Thee.
We’re going to now sing a hymn that is a classic Christian cradle song. The less familiar hymn tune we’re going to use gives it away – “Cradle Song.”
While there’s a strong connection between the Christian faith and lullabies, lullabies are universal. No matter the race, religion, or creed, for millennia, mothers, sometimes fathers, have been singing simple, short, melodic songs to their infants to help them fade off to sleep.
Let me share this terrific synopsis of lullabies by Dr. Sally Robinson, MD, a professor at the University of Texas:
The oldest known lullaby is a Babylonian lullaby found inscribed on a clay tablet. The inscription is about 4,000 years old.
Lullabies are used to soothe babies to sleep. We have inherited them, and we pass them along. Lullabies are carried across borders, carrying traces of those who came before us and will carry traces of who we are long after we are gone.
Many lullabies possess a peaceful hypnotic quality. They have simple tones with short repetitions and long pauses between sections. Interestingly, across diverse cultures, these characteristics are consistent. Samuel Mehr, director of Harvard University’s Music Lab… says that lullabies [across the world and cultures] “tend to have collections of features that make them soothing and calming”. The lab asked 29,000 participants to listen to 118 songs and identify whether it was a healing song, a dance song, a love song or a lullaby. Dr. Mehr says that statistically people are most consistent in identifying lullabies.
Recent research has shown that lullabies sung live can have beneficial effects on the physiological function and development in premature infants. Lullabies are associated with encouraging the rapid development of the neurological system and with a shorter length of stay in the hospital. The rhythms of lullabies mimics the movement babies experience in the womb.
Lullabies are often used for their soothing nature, even for non-infants. One study found lullabies to be the most successful type of music or sound to relieve stress and improve the overall psychological health of pregnant women. In addition lullaby can have restorative resounding properties for hospice patients and their families. Lullabies typically soothe people through the awake/sleep transition and can soothe people through the life/death transition.
Speaking of transitions, Corey turns 18 in three days! It seems impossible. But all too real. When we think of lullabies, we usually envision a mom singing to her baby. But dads do it, too! I certainly did. In fact, I sang to Corey at bedtime a lot.
My moments of singing Corey off to sleep – they are a core memory, the most treasured moments I'll ever know. Mom had breastfeeding. We bonded through the singing and listening of song. Transcendent, sacred, holy, these moments were.
One of the things I’m most proud of as a father is that my son loves music seemingly as much as I do. I like to think those cradle songs I sang and his mother sang had something to do with it just like my mom's bedtime music did for me.
Before we sing one last cradle song this morning, I'd like to play the song I probably most often sang to my son. The song is special for a few reasons: 1.) it’s by Don Henley, one of my favorites; 2.) it is simply a beautiful song; 3.) the gist of the song ring true, especially now looking back, knowing the challenges Corey has had to face in the years since; 4.) the song mentions a "mother's grace," a line that breaks me up every time I hear it.
Now, when I sang it, I changed the lyrics a bit to reflect our context in Florida then. Cotton became palm trees. A rainy day became a sweltering day. And Annabel, the name of the song, became Corey Glen.
Don’t worry, I'm not going to sing it to you. While I changed a couple words and the name, the gist of Don Henley's version is the same! I play it in honor of Corey Glen upon his birthday.
The most popular carol in the world is considered a cradle song. It is another song I sang a lot to Corey at bedtime. Let us sing the moving and beautiful lullaby of a hymn, Silent Night, Holy Night.
From the youngest of ages, I preferred Brahm’s lullaby. Still do.
I’m sure my mother singing me off to sleep began my love of not just lullabies but music in general.
As a kid, hymns and lullabies went together. Along with those classic lullabies, my mom also sing hymns and praise songs, and carols at Christmas time.
My mom also prayed with me. A simple, prayerful refrain she often said and still says comes from our Gospel reading this morning, “Peace, be still.” That refrain is its own kind of lullaby.
The link between Christian faith and lullabies, sometimes called cradle songs, goes way, way back. When you think about it, the Christian faith’s two most central figures have infant tales.
There’s baby Moses and his story of being secured in a basket and placed in the Nile to be adopted and raised by the Pharoah’s daughter.
The movie Prince of Egypt from 1998 gives us a beautiful lullaby connected to this story. It is a lullaby sung by Yocheved, Moses’ mother, as she places Moses in the Nile.
I’m sure the pharaoh’s daughter who raised Moses had her own lullabies for baby Moses. The poet Yakov Azriel in her 2008 poem “Lullaby for Moses” imagines such a poem:
Lullaby,
Hush, don't cry.
The reeds and water have sheltered you and brought you to me, Little one.
No fire will burn you,
No ox will gore you,
No butcher, no angel of death will snatch you,
By the reeds and water I swear.
Little one,
My only one,
May you grow to learn wisdom,
To understand
Why the reeds whisper God’s praises as they bend in prayer,
Why the water purifies them with God’s grace,
Why He has given you
To me.
Lullaby,
Hush, don’t cry.
May I hold you?
May I have you?
My little one,
My little son,
By the reeds and water I swear
To watch over and guide you
To the heavens.
In the New Testament, of course, there is baby Jesus. We have a long list of cradle songs sung to Jesus going back to Medieval times, many envisioning Mary singing to her baby.
In fact, the earliest known hymn still being sung today has hints of a lullaby lyrically, being an ode to Jesus sung in the evening. The Phos Hilaron, translated O Gladsome Light in English, comes from the 3rd to 4th century.
O Gladsome Light of the holy glory of the Immortal Father,
heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.
Now we have come to the setting of the sun
and behold the light of evening.
We praise God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For it is right at all times to worship Thee
with voices of praise, O Son of God and Giver of Life,
therefore all the world glorifies Thee.
We’re going to now sing a hymn that is a classic Christian cradle song. The less familiar hymn tune we’re going to use gives it away – “Cradle Song.”
While there’s a strong connection between the Christian faith and lullabies, lullabies are universal. No matter the race, religion, or creed, for millennia, mothers, sometimes fathers, have been singing simple, short, melodic songs to their infants to help them fade off to sleep.
Let me share this terrific synopsis of lullabies by Dr. Sally Robinson, MD, a professor at the University of Texas:
The oldest known lullaby is a Babylonian lullaby found inscribed on a clay tablet. The inscription is about 4,000 years old.
Lullabies are used to soothe babies to sleep. We have inherited them, and we pass them along. Lullabies are carried across borders, carrying traces of those who came before us and will carry traces of who we are long after we are gone.
Many lullabies possess a peaceful hypnotic quality. They have simple tones with short repetitions and long pauses between sections. Interestingly, across diverse cultures, these characteristics are consistent. Samuel Mehr, director of Harvard University’s Music Lab… says that lullabies [across the world and cultures] “tend to have collections of features that make them soothing and calming”. The lab asked 29,000 participants to listen to 118 songs and identify whether it was a healing song, a dance song, a love song or a lullaby. Dr. Mehr says that statistically people are most consistent in identifying lullabies.
Recent research has shown that lullabies sung live can have beneficial effects on the physiological function and development in premature infants. Lullabies are associated with encouraging the rapid development of the neurological system and with a shorter length of stay in the hospital. The rhythms of lullabies mimics the movement babies experience in the womb.
Lullabies are often used for their soothing nature, even for non-infants. One study found lullabies to be the most successful type of music or sound to relieve stress and improve the overall psychological health of pregnant women. In addition lullaby can have restorative resounding properties for hospice patients and their families. Lullabies typically soothe people through the awake/sleep transition and can soothe people through the life/death transition.
Speaking of transitions, Corey turns 18 in three days! It seems impossible. But all too real. When we think of lullabies, we usually envision a mom singing to her baby. But dads do it, too! I certainly did. In fact, I sang to Corey at bedtime a lot.
My moments of singing Corey off to sleep – they are a core memory, the most treasured moments I'll ever know. Mom had breastfeeding. We bonded through the singing and listening of song. Transcendent, sacred, holy, these moments were.
One of the things I’m most proud of as a father is that my son loves music seemingly as much as I do. I like to think those cradle songs I sang and his mother sang had something to do with it just like my mom's bedtime music did for me.
Before we sing one last cradle song this morning, I'd like to play the song I probably most often sang to my son. The song is special for a few reasons: 1.) it’s by Don Henley, one of my favorites; 2.) it is simply a beautiful song; 3.) the gist of the song ring true, especially now looking back, knowing the challenges Corey has had to face in the years since; 4.) the song mentions a "mother's grace," a line that breaks me up every time I hear it.
Now, when I sang it, I changed the lyrics a bit to reflect our context in Florida then. Cotton became palm trees. A rainy day became a sweltering day. And Annabel, the name of the song, became Corey Glen.
Don’t worry, I'm not going to sing it to you. While I changed a couple words and the name, the gist of Don Henley's version is the same! I play it in honor of Corey Glen upon his birthday.
The most popular carol in the world is considered a cradle song. It is another song I sang a lot to Corey at bedtime. Let us sing the moving and beautiful lullaby of a hymn, Silent Night, Holy Night.
One last thing. A playlist of 71 of my favorite lullabies, cradle songs, or songs to my child:
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