The Digital Tradition says "Liverpool Lullaby" is a song by Stan Kelly, recorded by Judy Collins on the 1966 album, In My Life. It's one of the most powerful songs about child abuse that I know, and Judy Collins recorded it long before child abuse was talked about very much. I don't know anything about Stan Kelly or the song. Can anybody enlighten us?

There's a Wikipedia page about Stan. There's also a YouTube of Stan singing the song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAPwpnvu1i0. The introduction to the song bothers me, but he sings the song very well. There's a powerfully understated recording of the song at A Liverpool Folk Song a Week. Here's a very good recording on YouTube, http://miserableoldfart.blogspot.com/2012/02/poems-and-politics-liverpool-lullaby-by.html. Is this the Cilla Black recording, or am I confused? It isn't "sanitized" in any way.

Within context, "I'll buy your dad a brewery" is one of the most powerfully ironic phrases I've ever heard.

-Joe-