Listen
Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
The flow'rets all sleep soundly,
Beneath the moon's bright ray,
They nod their heads together,
And dream the night away.
The budding trees wave to and fro,
And murmur soft and low,
Sleep on! Sleep on, sleep on, my little one!
The budding trees wave to and fro,
And murmur soft and low,
Sleep on! Sleep on, sleep on, my little one!
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
"Sleep On, Little One" is a traditional lullaby drawing on the nature imagery that runs throughout the cradle song tradition. The sleeping flowers, the nodding heads, the murmuring trees — all of the natural world is shown at rest, providing a peaceful context for the child's own sleep. This technique of presenting the world as already at rest is one of the most effective strategies in the lullaby repertoire: if the flowers are sleeping, if the trees are only murmuring softly, then surely the child can sleep too.
The lullaby belongs to a tradition with close parallels in German cradle songs, particularly those of the Romantic period that drew on the natural world as a source of peace and consolation. Songs like "Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf" use the same technique — the lamb on the green, the flowers in the field — to create a world in which rest is the natural condition of all living things.
The repeated "sleep on!" has the quality of a gentle instruction and a wish combined: a command so softly delivered that it becomes a blessing. Our acoustic arrangement suits the quiet intimacy of this lullaby.
