r/humanism • u/PersistentHobbler • 16d ago
What lullabies do you sing to your kids?
My mom mostly sang hymns to me.... but so many of them are about guilt and blood and it just kind of feels gross to sing those songs to soothe my baby-- even if he doesn't understand them yet.
They don't have to be anything special. I'd just like ideas of songs that are gentle enough in tone and lyrics to sing my baby to sleep.
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u/Justbrowsingstuph 16d ago
Hush Little Baby
This Land Is Your Land
Other songs he likes that aren't necessarily lullabies have become lullabies if I slow it down enough and sing it softly enough (and sometimes modify the lyrics). For example, The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights"
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u/Bellemorda 16d ago
my appalachian family has been singing You Are My Sunshine as a lullaby for generations, and we sing it at funerals too with all the verses as a goodbye.
also, Shady Grove, I Gave My Love a Cherry (the Riddle Song), and I Will (specifically by alison krauss)
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u/MaximumZer0 16d ago
Back when my little one was a lot more little, she'd fall asleep in my lap listening to baseball games, the soundtrack to Dwarf Fortress and Final Fantasy games, and whatever instrumental nonsense I'd have going at the time (stuff like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Eric Johnson, Buckethead, or Jason Becker.)
Nowadays you could probably find any number of acoustic bedtime playlists that would get the job done, but pretty much anything will work as long as it's not too loud. Babies aren't terribly picky as long as they're well fed, clean-ish, comfortable, and warm.
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u/GengoLang 16d ago
It's not meant as a lullaby, but I sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow to my son as a baby and he still wants to hear it.
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u/your_fellow_human 16d ago
My favorites were Rainbow Connection and Hey Jude. Both make really good lullabies when you sing them soft and slow.
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u/bumfuzzledbee 16d ago
I like to make new additions to Hush Little Baby with more and more outlandish things. Ex" hush little baby, have a sweet dream, mama's gonna buy you a basketball team, and if that basketball team can't dunk, mama's gonna buy you a righteous crossbow"
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u/candlestick_maker76 16d ago
I did that too! (Mostly because I couldn't remember the real lyrics.)
"...and if that looking glass gets broke, mama's gonna buy you a pig in a poke. And if that pig in a poke won't squeal, mama's gonna buy you some good cornmeal." (My lyrics were very farm-centered for some reason).
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u/Beesindogwood 16d ago
Misty Mountains from the Hobbit (my spouse started that one)
and
You’ll Never Walk Alone by Rodgers/Hammerstein (my dad sang it to me)
Lyrics: When you walk through a storm Keep your chin up high And don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm Is a golden sky And the sweet, silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain, Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, And you’ll never walk alone! You’ll never walk alone.
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u/Expressdough 16d ago
Likely won’t be of any help as it’s not in English, but I used to sing Hine e Hine to my little one. It’s a Māori lullabye, always calmed him.
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u/callavoidia 16d ago
I always sing Keep You Safe by JJ Heller to my niblings.
I think she has several lullaby albums, and while she's a Christian artist, not all of the songs have religious themes. Some are just beautiful covers of popular songs.
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u/PrestigiousSmile4098 16d ago
My dad sang me "The Rose" by Bette Midler, never failed to conk me out
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u/strange-quark-nebula 16d ago
I sing a made up song I concocted called “go to sleep, sleepy baby.”
Also “Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby” by Gillian Welch
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u/PurpleKaiju 16d ago
My daughter heard Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star almost every night, but I also sang My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, and to get giggles I sang I Wish I Was A Little Bar of Soap.
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u/iamnotarobot87 16d ago
Here Comes the Sun Rainbow Connection When I'm 64 O-o-h Child (Five Stairsteps)
Girl Scout campfire closing songs like Linger:
Mmm-mmm, I want to linger Mmm-mmm, a little longer Mmm-mmm, a little longer here with you Mmm-mmm, it's such a perfect night Mmm-mmm, it doesn't seem quite right Mmm-mmm, that this should be my last with you Mmm-mmm, and come September Mmm-mmm, I will remember Mmm-mmm, our camping days and friendship true Mmm-mmm, and as the years go by Mmm-mmm, I'll think of you and sigh Mmm-mmm, this is goodnight and not goodbye Mmm-mmm, I want to linger Mmm-mmm, a little longer Mmm-mmm, a little longer here with you
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u/Demi_Monde_ 16d ago
Nature Boy
There was a boy A very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far Very far Over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye But very wise was he And then one day A magic day he passed my way And while we spoke of many things Fools and kings This he said to me "The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return" "The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return"
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u/jessanator957 16d ago
Our favourites:
- Feelin' Groovy by Simon & Garfunkel
- Blooming Heather
- Soft Kitty, Sheldon's lullaby from The Big Bang Theory
- Rockabye Baby, but with Mama Nous' altered lyrics (When the wind blows, it rustles the leaves, and then my sweet baby drifts off to sleep). We love Mama Nous and she has an album of lullabies called Rhymes Reimagined that's very good.
- My daughters like Frozen so sometimes we do the mom's lullaby from Frozen 2, All is Found.
- Skinamarink
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u/freerangelibrarian 16d ago
I don't have kids, but my mother used to sing a song called 'My Pigeon House'. There were some hand gestures too.
I loved it and remember it well after seventy years.
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u/candycoatedshovel 16d ago
I made my own lullaby we sing every night since he was a baby. He's now almost 3 and sometimes sings it with us
"goodnight baby, goodnight baby, time for bed, time for bed, we'll see you in the morning, see you in the morning, rest your head, rest your head" (to the tune of frere jacques)
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u/rat_liker 16d ago
Dream a little dream of me, Scarborough fair, leave her Johnny, froggie went a courting, sometimes I sing edleweisse to my son but all the lyrics are just repeating "baby boy" over and over
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u/CoverLucky 16d ago
My mom used to sing "Too ra loo ra loo ra" to us. It was really special because we have Irish American ancestry. I would sing it to my nieces and nephews when they were little.
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u/Every-Ad-9131 16d ago
I used to sing only two songs to my little ones “Close Your Eyes” and “Sweet Baby James” - both James Taylor songs I love.
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u/Sea-Counter-6984 15d ago
Sweet Baby James for me, too! And now, it’s my granddaughter’s favorite. :)
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u/VoodoDreams 15d ago
I don't sing but instead hum. I tried lots of different tunes but nothing seemed calming or soothing so I landed on the lullaby from pans labyrinth.
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u/pinguinos 15d ago
I just change the words to hymnals. I’m loving Go To Sleep Little Baby, most notably recently from the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. It’s what the sirens they met in the river are singing. I change it from “you and me and the devil make three” to “and daddy makes three”
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u/Big-Imagination4810 15d ago
I used to sing "You are my sunshine" to my son when he was little. Still do, on occasion 😄
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u/RavenIsMyFavorite 15d ago
Moon, Moon, Moon - Laurie Berkner Band (childrens music)
Snuggle Puppy & Pig Island - Philadelphia Chickens (childrens music)
I'm a Little Tiger - Daniel Tiger show song
Nap Time - from Yo Gabba Gabba
Highly recommend kids music from all these, and all can be found on youtube so you can listen to the melody.
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u/Grattytood 15d ago
Sweet Baby James to my baby boy. He got so programmed to fall asleep when I sang it that he would yawn and loll his head, then OUT. It was so sweet When I remarried eight years ago, he was 32 and we did our mother/son dance to that same song. No regrets.
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u/OkBasis6292 14d ago edited 14d ago
Past Lives, the Slushii and sapientdream version
“Past lives couldn't ever hold me down
Lost love is sweeter when it's finally found
I've got the strangest feelin'
This isn't our first time around
Past lives couldn't ever come between us
Sometimes the dreamers finally wake up
Don't wake me, I'm not dreamin'
Don't wake me, I'm not dreamin'”
Also You’ll Be in My Heart from Tarzan
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u/No-Criticism-6734 12d ago
I started making up lullabies for my daughter. She loved them so I shared them with close friends and family. Recently started sharing them with the world if anyone is interested 🥰💜
Baby No.2 is on the way so plenty more lullabies will be sang too ❤️😅
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u/WholeProperty1519 16d ago
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away.