Skip to main content

Songs beyond Rock a Bye Baby


Years ago when my son was an infant, nighttime feedings were really popular at our house, especially at 1 am.  It would have been enjoyable to sit and listen to the silence if I hadn't been so dead tired. The padded rocking chair was dangerously too comfortable as I sat there with my infant son feeding him his bottle. After he finished his formula, I held him against my shoulder and rubbed his small back, waiting for his contented noise (read burp) to let me know he was ready go back to blessed slumber.  However, the awaited noise came, but his bright, blue eyes stared back at me, no sign of going back to sleep.
                I figured this was a good time to sing a lullaby to him, a nice quiet song, not a toe-tapping Broadway melody. Besides, I was still in my pajamas.
                I had read many articles stating that it is not the words that lull the baby to sleep, but your voice that is so soothing.  I was beginning to sing the classic, Rock a Bye Baby, but I was never a fan of the “bough breaking” part, so I stopped abruptly.  Then my tired brain began to think back to all the songs that I had heard throughout my life. From the recesses of my brain, I was able to remember the lyrics to “I Say a Little Prayer” sung by Dionne Warwick. As my son’s eyes started to grow heavy, I quietly crooned the song. It is about a woman setting off to work, but still thinking about her loved one throughout her work day.  Though Burt Bacharach  had originally intended this to be a love song, the words could easily apply to a parent singing it to their child.  I was a working mom and the lyrics really struck a chord with me. Also, it did the trick—he drifted off to sleep.
It’s amazing how there are certain songs get stuck in your memory.  This song had a simple melody, so singing it a Capella didn't sound half-bad. It had stood the test of time and I was doing my part in a small way in preserving history.
Just when I thought I was entertaining myself and my son didn't remember what I was singing to him, an incident happened to make me change my mind. A few days later, we were all watching “My Best Friend’s Wedding” on video. My son’s face lit up when the characters started to sing “I Say a Little Prayer” at the restaurant. He smiled at me and cooed at the lyrics. My husband raised his eyebrows and gave me an “atta girl” nod. I looked down at my son on my lap and smiled. I swear if he could have talked, he would have said, “Hey Mommy, they’re singing our song!”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s your top ten?

Lately, I have been watching many top ten lists on You Tube.  It started with viewing watchmojo.com  with my teenage son.  We shout out what we think should be number one best video game or worst villain. He has been inspired since then to create his own countdowns. I have also stumbled across Matthew Santoro’s channel  and his show has also been added as a favorite.   Back in my day, top 10 lists were relegated to the David Letterman Show .  Now, I can watch as many top 10 lists as I please.  Yea, technology!! Taking a queue from my son, below is my countdown to my top 10 reasons why I watch Top 10 Lists: 10. The facts are listed in short tidbits that you don’t feel overwhelmed and able to retain the information.   For instance, I learned that we share a considerable amount of our DNA with bananas. Therefore, I have concluded it’s not a big insult to call someone a “banana”.  9. Goodness knows I have turned on YouTube during ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Negative energy in pages

Have you read a book that affected you? I remember a few years back a co-worker had this glossy book at her desk. I looked at its cover, which I found curious. It depicted a calming beach scene with a shark fin prominently in the ocean distance. The novelty of this book was it contained sayings that at first appear positive, for instance “If at first you don’t succeed…” and end it with negative words “…don’t waste your energy trying again.” As I flipped through the pages, I found the sayings amusing, clever and stinging. She let me borrow it so I could read it cover to cover. When I took it home and read a few pages, I began to feel an emotionally heaviness fall upon me. Generally speaking, I see myself as an optimist—I try not to let too many things get me down. However,  after reading a few pages of this book, a dark cloud of depression loomed over me. I decided to quit reading the book—it wasn’t like I was under any obligation to finish it! The very next day, I gla...
1 comment
Read more

Only one day for love?!

Last week at my Toastmasters club meeting, we ran out of time for Table Topics. This segment of the meeting is when a club member is assigned to give the other members questions so they can give an impromptu 1-2 speech on that topic. Typically, the questions are related to the theme of the meeting.  Naturally, the theme of the meeting was Valentine’s Day. It was offered that next week these Table Topics could be used. Then it was shared that may not be a good idea, since the questions related to romance and “lovey dovey” stuff. I said “It shouldn't matter if we do this next week. Do we only have one day that we can talk about love?!” I have been thinking about this the day after Valentine’s. How much emphasis is focused on this day that it has to be super romantic? What about the people without partners? Isn't it cruel to exclude them from a basic feeling such as love? Also, as I grow older, I’m not a huge fan of all of the paraphernalia that is sold during this day. Sure,...
Post a Comment
Read more