Dear Jack,

Am so glad you added this! Ought to be in the Lullabye thread, too, I reckon.

Good thing songs are not like sculpture or paintings, or you'd have to fend off quite a crowd to lay claim to "You Can Close Your Eyes." When we started our family songbook, this was the top song on all our children's lists. While I might wish them a favorite with a better literary pedigree, this was the song my kids all wanted sung to them EVERY night. (My oldest son also wanted "Sweet Baby James.") At our house, YCCYE is called, "Sun Is Surely(should this be "slowly"?) Sinkin' Down," because I always sang it without the article at the beginning of the first two lines, to smooth it into an even more soothing lullabye. BTW, have you ever seen the life-savers commercial where the little boy and his Dad watch the sun set and then the lad turns to his father with unsullied trust and says,"Do it again, Daddy!" Seems just made to fit this song, eh?

Thanks, again.

Dear Wkailey,

It was Whippoorwill, not I, who referred to himself as "this kid." I realize that this was once a "pop" song, but as Whip. has provided us with a delightful "country" verse, it seems this song is truly gettin' "folk-i-fied"! (Whippoorwill: My doughnut-loving spouse asks me to convey his gratitude to Whippoorwill for the addition.)

Need to tell you that "Waltzing With Bears" has become the new household fav. here, and that's before we even have the tune! (MIDI or other sound file, anyone?) If the tune is as delicious as the words, we will quite content ourselves. In same vein, wish I could provide tune to "The Ladybug and the Centipede," which may antedate the song, and is affectionately charming.

Dear Everyone Else,

Ah! T'is sweet! There are so many riches here, so many life-affirming songs, that one might only wish the flow to continue unimpeded! Wasn't Alice's story a gem? Jack's shared memory a joy? Why is it that songs of rage, sorrow and disaster seem to get the jucier glosses? Think THIS is just the thread for Oral Historical Embellishment! Life is short; let others curse the darkness. May the candles lit here burn bright and warm! May this thread live long and prosper!

In appreciation,

Shula