A disturbing
lullaby my mother used to
sing to me as a child. Written by Irving Berlin:
Rock-a-bye, baby
In the treetop
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall
And down will come baby
Cradle and all
She would sing this verse for me while holding me in her arms, rocking in a wooden rocking chair. I remember being scared as cars drove by, their headlights throwing the shadows of the trees onto the wall, making it appear as if the trees were walking past the window. I was scared--but not too scared. After all, I was in my mother's arms, the safest place in the world.
The other verses, which I only recently discovered, are as follows:
Baby is drowsing
Cosy and fair
Mother sits near
In her rocking chair
Forward and back
The cradle she swings
And though baby sleeps
He hears what she sings
From the high rooftops
Down to the sea
No one's as dear
As baby to me
Wee little fingers
Eyes wide and bright
Now sound asleep
Until morning light