Moira is a wise and very experienced sales manager, who has for many years looked after educational sales teams going into schools to display and sell books. Both warmly supportive and extremely organised, her own training as a big sister, which she talks about below, may well have stood her in good stead.
You can hear our Playsongs version of Incy Wincy Spider in Downloads, no 18 in Sleepytime Playsongs.
Rock-a-bye baby is the first song I remember from childhood. I was older sister to three more, when I was 3, 5 and 7 so I became the 'chief rocker' for my sisters as they arrived.
My daughters both remember me singing Brahms Lullaby to them at bedtime – not sure where I got the words but it began 'Sleep, my Little One, sleep, Fond vigil I keep…'. It worked a treat to get them to sleep. Now I tend to do more action-based songs with little babies, and I use lots of facial expression, eg Incy Wincy Spider or Humpty Dumpty.
I do remember my daughter, Sarah, in bed and recovering from something. She was normally a good-natured little one but on this occasion she insisted that she wanted 'Nerdelaydinharmbu'!! I tried everything I could think of and gave her each of her many books to point it out to me. She got more and more frustrated (as did I but didn't show it because she still wasn't well). Finally peace was restored when she pointed excitedly at Ding Dong Bell and completely calmed down when I got to 'ne'er did any harm but…' Clearly I needed to improve my diction – or maybe her version was better!
Rock-a-bye baby
Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top, When the wind blows the cradle with rock, When the bough breaks the cradle with fall, Down will come baby, cradle and all.
Brahms Lullaby
Guten Abend, gute Nacht, mit Rosen bedacht, mit Näglein besteckt, schlupf′ unter die Deck! Morgen früh, wenn Gott will, wirst du wieder geweckt. Guten Abend, gute Nacht, von Englein bewacht, die zeigen im Traum dir Christkindleins Baum. Schlaf nun selig und süß, schau im Traum 's Paradies.
(first verse, German folk poem; second verse Georg Scherer, 1824-1909)
Sleep my little one, sleep Fond vigil I keep. Lay warm in thy bed Angels singing round thy head Slumber softly and rest In thy dreamland so blest Slumber softly and rest In thy dreamland so blest
(two verses of an English language version, author unknown)