Lullabies E-F

El coqui / The tree frog

Evening is a little boy / Small song

Evening song

Fa la nana bambino

Fais dodo

Far in the wood

Father’s gone to sea

Flower’s lullaby

Last updated: 3/8/2023 8:18 AM

The songs below are compiled, illustrated and sometimes adapted by Dany Rosevear

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El coquí / The tree frog O

A lullaby from Puerto Rico. A ‘coquí’ is a tiny frog about the size of a thumb that lives in tropical rainforests.

You can find a lot more about this song at: http://www.folkways.si.edu/el-coqui/music/tools-for-teaching/smithsonian

El coquí, el coquí a mi me encanta,

Es tan lindo el cantar del coquí,

Por las noches al ir a acostarme,

Me adormece cantando así:

Coquí! Coquí! Coquí, qui, qui, qui!

Little frog sings a lullaby softly.

I can hear it sing all the night long;

Though I fall fast asleep when it’s bedtime,

In my dreams comes the sweet little song:

Coquí! Coquí! Coquí, qui, qui, qui!

Little frog, little frog, while I listen,

Sings the loveliest song I have heard;

In the night time it sings in the garden,

Singing songs of two notes with one word.

Coquí! Coquí! Coquí, qui, qui, qui!

Evening is little boy 🔊

Or ‘Small song’ by Frances Frost.

Music by Dany Rosevear. You can find out more about the author at: https://vermonthistory.org/journal/56/VHS5602Frances%20Frost.pdf

Evening is a little boy

With dark wind-ruffled hair.

Who skips the stars like stones across

The darkling pond of air.

Morning is a little lass,

Her sweet head gently curled,

Who jumps a rope of knotted flowers

Across the waking world.

Evening song 🔊

From ‘Festivals, family and food’ published 1982, a lovely collection of seasonal ideas.

Who has the nicest white sheep?

The silver moon on high,

Who lives behind the treetops

Up yonder in the sky.

She comes late in the evening

When everyone’s asleep,

So slow and calm she wanders

Across the heavens deep.

All night she guards her white flocks

In meadows blue and deep,

For all the little twinkling stars

Are only her white sheep.

Fa la nana bambino O

A charming Italian lullaby.

Translated by Dany Rosevear. If you have a daughter you could sing ‘lovely one’.

Fa la nana bambino,

Fa la nana bel bambin,

Fa la nina, fa la nana,

Nei braeceti della mamma.

Go to sleep my little one,

Go to sleep my lovely son,

Close your eyes and

Go to sleep now,

In the warm arms of your mother.

Fais dodo 🔊

A traditional French lullaby in both French and English.

Just love the gentle tune of this one. ‘Colas is short for Nicholas.

Change the name to that of your child and brother to sister if appropriate.

Fais dodo, Colas mon p'tit frère,

Fais dodo, t'auras du lolo

Maman est en haut,

Qui fait des gâteaux,

Papa est en bas,

Qui fait du chocolat!

Fait dodo Colas mon p'tit frère,

Fait dodo, t'auras du lolo.

Go to sleep, my dear little brother,

Go to sleep and you shall havemilk.

Mummy’s upstairs, she’s making some cakes,

Daddy’s below making hot chocolate!

Go to sleep, my dear little brother,

Go to sleep and you shall have milk.

Far in the wood 🔊

I would love to know the origins of the delightful words of this song. I found them first in ‘Sing through the day – ninety songs for younger children’ where it was credited to anonymous. The words there included a ‘Tira lira’ refrain and had a different tune from the one below.

The music here was written by Debbie Carrol who has kindly given me permission to use it. You can find her mysterious version and more of her wonderful songs for young children at: http://debbiecarroll.com/

Far in the wood you'll find a well

With water deep and clear;

Whoever drinks by moonlight bright,

Will live a thousand years,

Will live a thousand years.

And all around the little well

Are seven lovely trees;

They rock and sway and sing a song

And whisper in the breeze,

And whisper in the breeze.

And through the seven little trees,

The evening wind will blow,

And down fall seven little dreams

My baby all for you,

My baby all for you.

Father’s gone to sea 🔊

A traditional Irish lullaby – despite this description I was only able to find this song on Nancy Raven’s CD ‘Watersongs: Flowing from seas and rivers’.

Father’s gone to sea, baby mine,

Oh, father’s gone to sea, baby mine,

And you're all I've got, here a-sleepin' in your cot,

Such a precious little dot, baby mine.

Flower’s lullaby 🔊

The seasons change and the flowers sleep ready to be called from their slumber.

From ’Song stories for the kindergarten’ published in 1940, the words are credited to Patty S. Hill and the music a Thuringian folk song.

Arranged by Dany Rosevear.

1. Hands with fingers outstretched frame face, put hands to cheek.. 2. Rock head with hands framing face, hands move like the wind. 3. Nod head, move downwards. 4. Fingers fall like snow, hands to cheek.

Summer flowers are sleepy,

Summer time was long.

Silently they’re rocking,

Swayed by north winds strong

Tiny heads are nodding,

Lower still they creep,

Soon beneath the snowflakes,

Little flowers will sleep.

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