“Lullaby,

Don’t you cry,

Go to sleep my little Meowser,

Close your eyes,

And start to yawn,

Sweet dreams until the dawn

Lullaby,

Don’t you cry,

Go to sleep my little Matt

Lullaby,

Don’t you cry,

Go to sleep my little Meow.”

This is a lullaby that my mom used to sing for me when I was a child. It definitely borrows the tune and theme from Brahm’s lullaby, but I couldn’t find that version of the lyrics anywhere. Additionally, my mom inserted my name (Matt) and my nicknames (Meowser and Meow) into the song, something her mother did for her. My mother said that it reminded her of the stressful but adorable task of getting me to bed at night, but she also has a very loving memory of it. For me, the song evokes strong emotion because my mom is the person that I’m closest to in my family, and i connect that song with my mother and with my childhood.