Which was your favorite bedtime story/rhyme as a child?
If you have kids, you can share their favorite bedtime story/rhyme too.
Mine was "Hush Little Baby, Don't Say A Word."
Hush little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns to brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke, Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat won't pull, Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turn over, Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Papa's gonna buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down, You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town!
I only really liked hearing the last line of the poem.
@gxyzshot I sang that to my daughter with "Mama" and I'll bet every generation back sang it too. I love the whole beginning part because you know that last line is coming, and it builds the anticipation of being totally treasured. Thanks for posting it!
Dr. Seuss.
Berenstain bears.
I'm not sure I'd steer kids towards Edward Gorey...
@gxyzshot Isn’t that a song sung by dale and grace many years ago ?
@Sideon my daughter loved stuff like that. But we're a dark bunch.
Dad used to play his guitar and sing:
When nighttime comes You think you'll die You want to run Away and hide But then you do what Dad says And hop into your bed And dream Dream, dream, dream
And so on. There were a number of verses, and I don't remember them all—but I definitely liked his version better than the Everly Brothers original. Still do, in fact....
Mom would sing that old Brahm's favorite:
Lullaby and goodnight With roses bedight With lilies bespread Are my little ones' wee beds Lay thee down now and rest May thy slumber be blessed Lay thee down now and rest May thy slumber be blessed
Among others. This is the one I remember the most, though. Isn't it strange? No Gorey at all. One wonders how I managed to turn out this way despite the disadvantages of my upbringing.
One hundred bottles of beer on the wall One hundred bottles of beer; You take one down and pass it around Now there’s 99 bottles of beer on the wall.
While my dad was a career military officer and engineer, he had a PhD in mathematics. So I think he liked statistics. Or I drove him to drink.
Haha! We drove our parents to drinking SINGING that song!
I don’t have many good memories of my father. But, when I was young, he’d often read or sing to me at bedtime.
My favorite thing was when he’d start slapping at his knee, keeping a slow and steady beat. He’d eventually lean in and start singing:
Help me I broke apart my insides Help me I've got no soul to sell Help me The only thing that works for me Help me get away from myself...
This is a joke.
@hogboblin Wow! You’re Trent’s son?
@FunCartel
No. My dad had simply heard the song.
What a strange conclusion to make. I was very tempted to say “yes”, but that would have been a terrible lie.
lol but it would be cool
@hogboblin I see what you did there
@cuddlerforu24 I do not know who originally sang it. But the Dale and Grace version might have been among the more popular ones.
@littermate Yes, I am sure this timeless lullaby dates back to a few generations. And that's a good way to think about it. When a classical masterpiece is performed, the finale is always at the end.
I don’t know what my fav was. I sang Tom waits innocent when you dream to my kiddos. ❤️ Every night. They know the words too but it’s hard to sing that one.
@Missnursejen I wish I had you to sing me to sleep when I was young, I love Tom Waits! And I am also a bit older than you are, so I don't think it could have been possible for you to have sang to me as a child. Oh well, I still like Tom Waits.
My mother didn't sing to me. But she did used to read me the comic strips from the newspaper. And we did spelling games, where she would give me words to spell or phrases or sentences, and I would spell them from to back. That would usually put me to sleep after a little while.
I used to get to sleep by reading a couple of pages of my Dad's old and very complicated chemistry text book. Unfortunately, as I started to understand it, I got engrossed, and read it for too long.