The Repertoire

Elliot has, sadly, become less susceptible to singing.  By susceptible, I mean it doesn't put him to sleep as reliably.  That's the main thing I pay attention to these days: when does Elliot fall asleep and how long will he stay that way.

It used to be that if I put his little head against my chest and sang, I could get him to sleep pretty quickly.  The vibrations of the song combined with the rhythm of my heartbeat was better than a 10mg Ambien tab.

Now its gotten a little tougher.  Certain songs do nothing for him, others make his eyelids heavy.  Nothing will knock him out like flipping a light switch anymore.

This is teaching me which songs are real winners and which aren't.  "Slip Sliding Away" by Paul Simon is probably the number one song to put him to sleep.  I have no idea why.  But I will watch closely to see if there's any lasting impact on his affinity for mellow singer-songwriter acoustic guitar tunes.

I always thought that my favorite verse from that song was the one about the father.  Here's how it goes:

I know a father, he had a son

He longed to tell him all the reasons for the things he'd done

He drove a long way, just to explain

He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping

Then he turned around and headed home again

But I almost never sing Elliot that verse.  Instead I find myself singing this one:

I know man, he came from my hometown

He wore his passion for his woman like a thorny crown

He said "Dolores, I live in fear."

"My love for you so overpowers me,

Sometimes I think I will disappear."

As I write out those two verses, it becomes a little more clear to me why I sing one and not the other.

The winner of Most Unlikely Song to Put Elliot to Sleep is a Bruce Springsteen tune off the album Born in the U.S.A. called "I'm on Fire":

Hey, little girl, is your daddy home?

Did he go away and leave you all alone?

I got a bad desire

Ooh ooh ooh I'm on fire

Hey, little girl, is he good to you?

Does he do to you the things that I'd do?

I could take you higher

Ooh ooh ooh I'm on fire

I feel kind of icky writing out the lyrics.  But it's a gorgeous tune, spooky and silky smooth, like a ghost story whispered around a campfire.  Here's the second part of the song, which I also sing to Elliot:

Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, babe, edgy and dull,

and cut a six inch valley through the middle of my skull

Sometimes I wake up with the sheets soaking wet, 

and a freight train running through the middle of my head, and you, 

You cool my desire

Ooh ooh ooh I'm on fire

"Karma Chameleon" was an early favorite of his.  I'm not sure that's still the case--- he hasn't heard it for a while because it's no longer a favorite of mine.  So until Elliot learns how to put in requests, this will be a Boy George-free household.  For which I'm sure Hannah is grateful.