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Golden Slumbers

[ Roud V18438 ; words Thomas Dekker]

Cradle Song is a poem by Thomas Dekker from his, Henry Chettle’s, and William Haughton’s play Patient Grissel, which was first printed in 1603. The poem was set to music by W.J. Henderson in 1885, Peter Warlock in 1918, also by Charles Villiers Stanford and Alfredo Casella.

The Beatles sang Golden Slumbers on their 1969 album Abbey Road. The song was credited to Lennon / McCartney but their version is based on Dekker’s poem of which Paul McCartney used the first stanza with minor word changes, adding to it a single lyric line repeated with minor variation, and set it to his own music.

Jess and Richard Arrowsmith sang Golden Slumbers on their 2014 album of nursery songs, rhymes and lullabies, Off We Go Again!.

The Unthanks sang Last Lullaby, including Golden Slumbers with additional words by Rachel Unthank, on their 2015 album Mount the Air.

Daniel and Emma Reid sang Golden Slumbers on their 2018 CD Life Continuum. They noted:

Golden Slumbers (Gyllene slummer) kom till när vi på kvällarna spelat våra tvä barn till sömns. Texten, som vi trodde vi var ensamma, om att upptäckta, har även tonsatts av The Beatles.

[Golden Slumbers came about when in the evenings we would playing our two children to sleep. The lyrics, which we thought we were alone in discovering, has also been set to music by The Beatles.]

Eliza Carthy sang Golden Slumbers on her 2023 album Conversations We’ve Had Before. She noted:

Beatles fans ahoy! Now know, if you didn’t already—because of course you do—that this poem was first mentioned in 1599 and was written by Thomas Dekker, Henry Chettle and William Haughton. Mam was very fond of this, not least because it represents a time when most people had a piano in the corner with a book of songs resting on the music stand. Her youth, her time. Lullabies for her now.

Lyrics

Jess Arrowsmith sings Golden Slumbers

Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep, my little one, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.

Cares you know not, therefore sleep,
While over you a watch I’ll keep.
Sleep, my little one, do not cry.
And I will sing a lullaby.

Emman and Daniel Reid sing Golden Slumbers

Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise.
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby:
Rock you, rock you, lullaby.

Care is heavy, therefore sleep you;
You are care, and care will keep you.
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby:
Rock you, rock you, lullaby.

Eliza Carthy sings Golden Slumbers

Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise.
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby:
Rock them, rock them, lullaby.

You are weary, therefore sleep;
You are care, and care must keep.
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby:
Rock them, rock them, lullaby.