Lullaby for Elsie

About six weeks before Elsie was born, our daughter-in-law Moriah stopped by for a quick visit on a Friday afternoon in late November. She just wanted to rest for a bit after her workday. I had read about the benefits for babies of hearing music in the womb, and my guitar was close by. I played a bit of the Brahms Lullaby for Moriah and thought I was done.

But as I thought about it some more, I decided that my granddaughter deserved a lullaby of her own.

I knew I wanted something gentle and lilting, so probably in 3/4 time. That Sunday morning before church, I started playing just a bit of a melody and liked the way it felt. The first section came together pretty quickly—and exactly the way you hear it now.

Later that morning, I worked through the second section. As I played with the piece a bit more as an instrumental, I decided those two sections were enough. The first section cadences on a I chord and the second on a V, so the A-B-A structure seemed to be exactly what the song needed.

Lyrics? Yes, there are lyrics.

“Time to sleep, time to rest, Little One, dear.”

While the lyrics aren't featured on this recording, you can expect to hear them in the future.

For now, listen, sleep your sleep,  dream your dreams.