American | Australian | Beatles | Canadian | Ceilidh | Childrens' | Chinese | Dutch | English | French | German | Gospel | Irish | NZ | Norwegian | Other | Platt | Pub | Sacred Harp | Scots | Sea Songs | Tyneside | Welsh | Yorkshire |
 
Oh mother, how pretty the moon is tonight
Last updated: 11.10.23
It was surfer Marilyn Evans who put me onto this lullaby in September 2001. It was sang to her by her English grandmother and she was looking its lyrics and melody. An Internet search turned up the lyrics which fascinated me, I would just love to sing it myself! Now there are at least two of us looking! Any help out there?
Thanks a lot Marilyn.

Well as of November 2002, surfer Marion Scherer of Florida, USA has offered help saying both that she knows the song and melody. Her version can be by clicking lyrics above. In her email she goes on to say that she learned it from her grandmother who arrived in Canada from Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, when she was seven years old. She always thought that the lullaby was English but wasn't sure if the song was specific to Guernsey or had originated in England or some other part of the Britsih Commonwealth.

Oh mother, how pretty the moon is tonight, it was never so pretty before.
Its two little horns are so sharp and so bright I hope they don't grow anymore.
If I were up there with you and my friends, we'd rock in it nicely you see
We'd sit in the middle and hold on both ends, and on the next rainbow come home.
We would call to the stars to get out of our way, lest we should rock over their toes.
And there we would stay till the break of the day, and find where the pretty moon goes.

Another version supplied by surfer Marion Scherer in November 2002:

Oh Mother how pretty the moon is tonight, it was never so pretty before,
It's two little horns are so sharp and so bright, I hope they don't grow anymore.
If I were up there with you and a friend, I'd sit in the middle and hold on both ends,
What a nice cradle t'would be, t'would be, what a nice cradle t'would be.

     Title Performer Composer
       
youtube15.jpg Oh mother, how pretty the moon is tonight (2:39) Dany Rosevear