Lullabies C-F

Castle of Dromore

Come little bunny

Come to the window

Counting sheep

Counting stars and sheep

Cotton-eyed Joe

Cradle song / Bye low, bye low

Cradled cosily

Creep to the window

Cushlamochree

Last updated: 11/14/2022 2:15 PM

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

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Castle of Dromore 🔊

Sometimes called ‘October winds’, this ‘Irish folk song’ was written by Sir Harold Boulton to a traditional tune. It was later popularised by the Clancy Brothers in the 1960s, which is when I first came across this haunting song.

Find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=77129

October winds lament around the castle of Dromore,

Yet peace is in her lofty halls, my loving treasure store,

Though autumn leaves may droop and die, a bud of spring are you.

Sing hushabye loo la loo la lan,

Sing hushabye loo la lo.

Bring no ill winds to hinder us, my helpless babe and me,

Dread spirits of the blackwater, Clan Owen's wild banshee,

And Holy Mary pitying us, in Heaven for grace doth sue.

Sing hushabye loo la loo la lan,

Sing hushabye loo la lo.

Take time to thrive my ray of hope, in the garden of Dromore.

Take heed young eaglet till thy wings are feathered fit to soar.

A little rest and then the world is full of work to do.

Sing hushabye loo la loo la lan,

Sing hushabye loo la lo.

Come little bunny 🔊

Bedtime routines are of great importance to young children, it helps them to understand what comes next and prepares them for a good night’s sleep. Not sure of the origin of these words. Music by Dany Rosevear.

Come, little bunny,

Say, “Good night”.

There’s lots to do

‘Til you turn out the light.

Gather up your toys

And put them away.

Kiss them good night –

It’s the end of the day.

Hop in the bath

For a rinse and a scrub.

Play with the bubbles –

Rub-a-dub-dub!

Finish your story

And turn out the light.

Time to tuck you in warmly

And kiss you good night.

Come to the window O

Words traditional, music by Dany Rosevear. I was unable to find a tune to these lovely words, some have suggested singing it to Hush-a-by baby, but a little melody popped into my head that I hope do the words justice.

Come to the window,

My baby, with me,

And look at the stars

That shine on the sea!

There are two little stars

That play games of Bo-Peep

With two little fishes

Far down in the deep;

And two little frogs

Cry “Neap, neap, neap;”

I see a dear baby

That should be asleep!

Counting sheep O

A song of German origin. This particular version, tune and words, can be found in ‘Infant Joy’ by Desmond MacMahon, published 1954. The third verse I took from another source.

Sleep, baby, sleep,

While father tends the sheep,

Thy mother shakes the slumber tree,

Down gently falls a dream for thee.

Sleep, baby, sleep.

For night enfolds the sheep

The twinkling stars are lambkins small,

The moon, the shepherd of them all.

Sleep, baby, sleep.

Father guards the sheep.

The wind is blowing fierce and wild,

It must not wake my little child.

Sleep, baby, sleep.

I'll bring to you a sheep.

With golden bell to ring out clear,

And waken you when day is near.

Sleep, baby, sleep.

Counting stars and sheep 🔊

‘The mystic number’, an old counting rhyme and lullaby set to an Austrian folk tune.

From ‘New elementary music’ by Charles F. Fullerton published 1925.

I counted in the heaven,

When the moon shed its light,

White stars that numbered seven,

They were twinkling so bright.

Chorus:

I counted one, I counted two,

I counted three, I counted four,

I counted five, I counted six,

I counted sev’n, Goodnight!

White sheep grazed in the meadow,

Ev’ry one wore a bell;

Each one followed its shadow,

O’er the grass where it fell.

Chorus: + Sleep well!

Cotton-eyed Joe O

A gentle lullaby that originated as a fiddle tune and lively song. Burl Ives suggests it is a Tennessee mountain lullaby.

Find out more about this song at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=13537

Where did you come from,

Where did you go?

Where did you come from,

My cotton-eyed Joe?

I come for to see you,

I come for to sing,

I come for to show you,

My diamond ring.

My ring shines like silver,

My ring shines like gold,

Gonna give it to my little Cindy Jane,

Hers for to hold.

Got a hole in my pocket

Got a nail in my shoe.

Little Joe’s on his pillow

Dreaming dreams the whole night through.

Cradle song / Bye-low, bye-low 🔊

This song was published in the ‘American Primary Teacher’ magazine in October 1911 and was credited to Alys Eliza Bentley’s song primer ‘Play songs’ published in 1907; the lovely melody is by Rose Craighill.

Bye low, bye low,

Baby's in the cradle sleeping;

Tip-toe, tip-toe,

Still as pussy slyly creeping.

Bye low, bye low,

Rock the cradle, baby's waking;

Hush, my baby, O!

Bye low, bye low,

Baby's in the cradle sleeping;

I know, I know,

Baby's dreaming, oh, so deep in

Sleep-o, sleep-o,

Time to wake and greet the new day;

Hush, my baby, O!

Bye low, bye low,

Baby's in the cradle sleeping;

Tip-toe, tip-toe,

Still as pussy slyly creeping.

Bye low, bye low,

Rock the cradle, baby's waking;

Hush, my baby, O!

Cradled cosily 🔊

A winter hand play and lullaby. Perfect for snuggling up and drifting into sleep.

Winter is here, we put on warm clothing but the little seeds have a blanket of earth and snow.

The weather might be freezing above the soil but down below Nature is just sleeping ready for warmer days to come.

Another poem from the Steiner tradition.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

1. Rock hands gently. 2. Put hands to cheek. 3. Twinkle fingers. 4. Hands to cheek, make sun with thumb and forefinger, rise until above head. 5. Raise fingers and move upwards.

Cradled cosily, cradled deep,

Wrapped in the warm earth baby seeds sleep.

Light we shed on you, light divine,

Seeds in the darkness twinkle and shine.

Dream till the spring sun climbing the skies,

Shines throught the darkness and bids you arise.

Creep to the window 🔊

Encourage a sense of wonder in your child at the dark night sky with this hand play.

Inspired from words from the Handbook for First Year Experimental Language Development: Book Three’ Published in Australia May 73.

Music and adaptation by Dany Rosevear.

1. Make a creeping motion, hand to forehead. 2. Form moon, open and close hands for stars. 3. Place fingers and thumbs round eyes. 4. Finger to lips.

Creep to the window,

Look out at the night,

See the moon a-shining

And the stars gleaming bright.

The owl blinks down

From its perch in the tree,

And all around is quiet,

As quiet as can be!

Cushlamochree 🔊

From Lucy Coat’s ‘First Rhymes published in 1994. The tune is Brahm’s lullaby. ‘Cushlamochree’ is Gaelic for ‘darling’ and ‘Cariad bach’ is ‘little darling’.

Cushlamochree, o cushlamochree,

Shall you dance for the stars?

Shall you play in the sea?

Shall you swim with the whale?

Shall you follow the sun?

O cushlamochree, has your dreaming begun?

Cariad bach, o cariad bach,

Shall you sing to the moon?

Shall you shout for the dark?

Shall you whisper with bears?

Shall you waken the night?

O cariad bach, sweet dreams and sleep tight?

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