I remember learning the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep prayer way before I “went to school.” Naturally, I didn’t get the full meaning of it, at the time. Because I was a little kid. I just loved the sound of the rhyme.
“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.”
Did you ever learn that one? And when I say “one,” I gotta add that I didn’t realize there were several versions of that little poem. Here’s the famous version I learned.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
After I got older I started to think of that one as a little bit morbid. Or pessimistic. So, when I found this next version, I immediately liked it more.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
Angels watch me through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.
Not that dying in my sleep, and going to be with the Lord in Heaven is morbid or pessimistic. Quite the opposite. But that first version still seems pessimistic to teach to a little kid who’s just getting started in life. You can see that, right?
And this third, longer version, takes it a step further.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on.
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch and one to pray
And two to bear my soul away.
No, I’m gonna go with the second version. Because it’s filled with hope for a new day. But I guess I’m just a hopeful romantic. Or, in this case, hopeful optimist. Of course, I’ve read the ending to the bestselling book of all time. So, I know there’s massive logic to feeling optimistic. And it’s nice to lie down to sleep that way.
But, believe it or not, some kids don’t wanna lie down to sleep.
Gasp! Can that be true?! Yes. And I hear tell that some of them fight nap time with all their might. I know older people think, “Fight nap time? Why?!” But put yourself in a kid’s place. They’ve got a whole world of brand new things to learn. And sleep just robs them of time to do that.
I wrote a song about a kid who doesn’t wanna lay down to sleep. And when you read or hear the three verses, you can almost see a little kid who’s fighting sleep with all he’s got. He thinks he has good reasons, too. And you almost can’t argue with his logic. But he’s also losing the battle of mind over nap time.
That’s why the chorus says:
Now I lay…lay me down,
Blink and wink, my dreams come and take me.
Now I lay…lay me down,
If I’m gone too long, come and wake me.
So, I referenced two famous bedtime poems in the chorus.
I’m sure you could easily see the connection to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. But did you notice the “nod” to another famous one, when I said “blink and wink?”
Anyway…
Listen to a sample of “Now I Lay Me Down,” as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)
Then, after you have a nice nap, jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. By the way, you’ll find a link, in the book, to download all the songs. AND they’re included in the cost of the book. That’s called Fuh-Ree.
Download your copy of the Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now.
Stay tuned…
