BLESSINGS & LULLABIES
by Gail Erwin
(Copyright Gail Erwin, 1995)
ISBN 1-575514-201-5

Note: All songs are heard twice. First as vocals then as instrumentals so you can sing along.

1. My Love to Keep
   
2. The Elk Dog Song
   
3. Twilight Lullabye
   
4. Tree House
   
5. Sometimes When I'm Dreaming
   
6. Country Lullabyes
   
7. In Some Little Corner of Myself
   
8. Look Inside a Mother's Heart
   
9. Love is a Burden
   Listen to music sample.
10. The River Song
    
11. Choctaw Lullabye
    
12. Go Where the Wind Will Take You
    
13. The Seasong Lullabye
    
14. Instrumental My Love to Keep
    
15. Instrumental The Elk Dog Song
    
16. Instrumental Twilight Lullabye
    
17. Instrumental Tree House
    
18. Instrumental Sometimes When I'm Dreaming
    
19. Instrumental Country Lullabyes
    
20. Instrumental In Some Little Corner of Myself
    
21. Instrumental Look Inside a Mother's Heart
    
22. Instrumental Love is a Burden
    
23. Instrumental The River Song
    
24. Instrumental Choctaw Lullabye
    
25. Instrumental Go Where the Wind Will Take You
    
26. Instrumental The Seasong Lullabye

Review:
Poetic Lyrics, Beautiful Melodies
This CD blends poetic lyrics, soothing arrangements, and lovely melodies into lullabies that I find myself humming even when the CD player is turned off. An invaluable friend to mom and dad at bedtime ! – Stacy K.

Notes from Gail Erwin

When I heard a famous woman artist singing in a concert years ago, I raved about her. I was really a fan. But her choice of songs disappointed me. I thought they were boring. So my companions bet me that I couldn't write anything better. I went to work. I started with a simple Christmas carol, and when I took it to my former college music professor, he not only liked it, he offered to arrange it.

I kept writing, and took my songs to more people. They encouraged me to tell the stories that the songs hinted at. (I was kind of surprised they hinted at much of anything.) But I heeded their advice.

Since then, I've had fifteen musicals or plays with music produced. Some of them have gone on tour: THE GINGERBREAD BOY in Georgia, Nebraska and Iowa, THUMBELINA (from the Hans Christian Andersen story) on national tour by the Omaha Theater Company for Young People in 1994.

I was Playwright-in-Residence for that theater for fifteen years. That's a lot of stories! I love writing for young audiences. They either like it or they don't, and they're not shy about telling you their reactions. Most of my plays for youngsters and their families were adaptations of well known stories. Invariably there is a time in these stories when the little ones are put to bed by their parents. Naturally, that's where I put a lullabye.

Even when I write more adult material, I seem to sneak a lullaby in here and there. There's something purely simple about a lullaby. It is often a blessing too, bestowed on the child's whole life to come. In these troubled times, we try our best to surround our children with talismans of our love and protection.

Some of my friends who had young children complained that it was hard to find a good lullaby CD, and wondered if I had ever thought of doing one. I decided it was worth a try.

I enlisted my friend and collaborator Kate Schrader to arrange the songs, and I recorded them. We recorded all the songs with and without vocals so that moms and dads could sing along if they wanted. The lyrics are printed on the J-card.

I gave some of the CD's to friends who had new babies to try them out. The response was great! While all the songs encourage relaxation and downright sleepiness, there are many styles of music. And I can vouch for the fact that lots of babies, big and little, have gone to sleep listening to these lullabies.