Friday Five: Lullabies

Lullabies have been sung in many languages and music genres going all the way back to 1072, when they were first mentioned by a Turkish writer. And while most people immediately think of a loving and mellow tune sung to bring comfort and sleep to countless babies, country artists haven’t always been so light-hearted in their lullabies. Sure, country music has its share of warm and fuzzy bedside hymns, but it has an equal share of therapy inducing songs as well.

Perhaps they took a cue from the root of the word. Historians speculate that the term lullaby probably came from an old Hebrew term “Lilith-bye” or “Lilith-Abi.” In the Jewish religion, Lilith was a demon who was believed to steal children’s souls in the night. To guard against Lilith, people would hang things on the walls of their babies’ nursery with the inscription “Lilith – abi”- which is translated as “Lilith begone.” Getting warm and fuzzy yet? In comparison, our number one lullaby seems downright appropriate for toddlers of any age.

There were so many good country music bedtime songs that it seemed appropriate to double up this Friday Five to ten great lullabies.

• 10. “Hobo’s Lullaby” – Emmylou Harris

  This one was also performed by Woody Guthrie, his son Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, the Kingston Trio, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, but any excuse to listen to Emmylou Harris sing is a good one. Suffice it to say, I may not be singing my kids to sleep with this ode to a homeless boxcar hopper.

• 9. “My Little Buckaroo” – Roy Rogers & Dale Evans

  This is a great little dedication from daddy Roy to his (then) five-month-old son Dusty. The percussive horse clip-clops fit the song perfectly.

• 8. “Brahm’s Lullaby” – Jewel

  In 2009, Jewel delivered an album of lullabies and appropriately called it Lullaby. “Brahm’s Lullaby” was the last track–perhaps the best known of any lullaby ever written. It’s nearly 150 years old and sung a thousand times over each and every night.

• 7. “The Prairie Sings a Lullaby” – Sons of the Pioneers

  This is great clip from the 1940 movie The Durango Kid–the first of dozens of films starring the handsome action star Charles Starrett. Each movie starred a different western music group; this one is headed by one of the most famous of all time.

• 6. “Lullaby” – Dixie Chicks

  While the Chicks’ Taking the Long Way album is mostly known for their musical answer to the George W. Bush brouhaha, it included this beautiful and innocent little melody.

• 5. “Baby Mine” – Alison Krauss

  Way back in 1941, Walt Disney released an animated classic called Dumbo and included this iconic lullaby. Alison Krauss first recorded it for a Disney collaboration in 1996 and it was later featured on her greatest hits album in 2007. Her ethereal voice could be the finest for a children’s lullaby on the planet.

• 4. “Goodnight Moon” – Jack Ingram

  Anyone who has ever seen Ingram play a live show knows that he often ends his performance with this little ode to the end of the day.

• 3. “Swiss Lover’s Lullaby” – Yodeling Slim Clark

  Slim won the World Yodeling Championship in 1947, is a member of the Western Music Association’s Hall of Fame, and a member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Since we’re talking about kids’ lullabies and yodeling, it seems appropriate that I share a favorite with the young ones in my house:

  Knock, Knock.
  Who’s there?
  Yodel-lay-he.
  Yodel-lay-he-who?
  I didn’t know you could yodel.

• 2. “Rocky Mountain Lullaby” – Rex Allen

  Singing cowboy and motion picture star Rex Allen sings this little ditty backed by a mini orchestra. The string section doesn’t always fit into the room with a crib, unfortunately.

• 1. “Whiskey Lullaby” – Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss

  In what goes down as one of the saddest songs in the annals of country music, Paisley and Krauss tell of two heartbroken souls that drink themselves to death and are laid down to rest next to one another for eternity. So the boy gets the girl after all. Happy ending! Sort of.