So I don't know how this started but we sing a lot of very dark lullabies to Edie. I blame myself. Valerie has a wonderful mind and has actually memorized a surprising amount of diverse songs over the years, from hymns to nursery rhymes, that spring to her lips quite effortlessly. But me? I suck at memorizing songs. As much as I love music, I'm awful at keeping any lyrics in my brainbox.
So I started singing snippets of songs that I think are beautiful. But as it turns out, my taste runs to the tragic and depressing. Let's examine a few.
The song I sing the most to Edie is the Grizzly Bear version of "Deep Blue Sea". It's a gorgeous song, I'll embed the youtube clip. But here's a sample of the lyrics.
Deep Blue Sea, Deep Blue Sea
It was Momma that got drowned in
Out in that deep blue sea
Dig his grave, darling
With a silver spade
Other songs I sing to her are "Yesterday" by The Beatles. "Lullabye" by Billy Joel, which is not exactly a happy song. It ends with these lyrics.
Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabies go on and on
They never die
That's how you and I will be
Maybe lesser knowns to the general public, but I like to sing her "The Weather" by Built to Spill which is happy, "One Day" by Sharon Van Etten which is happy/sad and "Jesus, Etc" by Wilco which is in the city limits of Downersville. It is one of my absolute, all time favorite songs though.
The thing is Valerie likes all these songs, too. And I've heard her singing snippets of them. The only one we changed was "Born on a Train" by The Magnetic Fields after Valerie pointed out something about the lyrics. I'll include a video with the music below, too.
The chorus is thus:
I've been making promises I know I'll never keep
One of these days I'm going to leave you in your sleep
I have to go when the whistle blows
The whistle knows my name
Baby, I was born on a train
After an astute observation by Valerie that she doesn't want any phrase buried in Edie's subconscious that says, "I'm going to leave you in your sleep", she changed the line to "One of these days I'm going to KISS you in your sleep." That's nicer.
Why these songs? Why not something more cheerful? I don't know. I guess I'm being true to myself. But before you think I'm just a dark weirdo that fills Edie's sleepy moments with sad depresso songs, let me share a song that Valerie sings her. It's called "Silver Dagger". It's an old folk song. Dolly Parton does a great rendition of it but Valerie's version is inspired by the Fleet Foxes' cover of it. It means a lot to Valerie and I like to hear her sing it. I'm going to include the full lyrics underneath for your perusal.
We just want Edie to have a very deep sense of tragedy to draw on throughout her life.
Don't sing love songs; you'll wake my mother
She's sleeping here, right by my side
And in her right hand, a silver dagger
She says that I can't be your bride.
All men are false, says my mother
They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies
The very next evening, they'll court another
Leave you alone to pine and sigh.
My daddy is a handsome devil
He's got a chain five miles long
And on every link a heart does dangle
Of another maid he's loved and wronged.
Go court another tender maiden
And hope that she will be your wife
For I've been warned and I've decided
To sleep alone all of my life.
She's sleeping here, right by my side
And in her right hand, a silver dagger
She says that I can't be your bride.
All men are false, says my mother
They'll tell you wicked, lovin' lies
The very next evening, they'll court another
Leave you alone to pine and sigh.
My daddy is a handsome devil
He's got a chain five miles long
And on every link a heart does dangle
Of another maid he's loved and wronged.
Go court another tender maiden
And hope that she will be your wife
For I've been warned and I've decided
To sleep alone all of my life.
We just want Edie to have a very deep sense of tragedy to draw on throughout her life.
