everleavers

"You Are the Everything", the third track off of R.E.M.'s 1988 album Green is perhaps the quintessential lullaby (as R.E.M. songs go, anyway). I started singing it to Ari when he just a baby and when he started talking, he dubbed it "everleavers"; I guess "You Are the Everything" was a bit too much to say for a one year old.

As Ari got older, he started making requests for bedtime songs, and "everleavers" sort of fell off the play list, much to my dismay. I would suggest it to him, but he would always decline and pick another song for whatever reason. I can't even remember the last time I sang it to him.

Recently, Valerie and I have been letting Ari pick who will put him to bed at night, and the other puts Emilie to bed. When I get to put Emilie to bed, I almost always sing "You Are the Everything" to her. There is just something about that song that really resonates with me and I think it is the perfect song to sing to end the day.

Sometimes I feel like I can't even sing
I'm very scared for this world, I'm very scared for me
Eviscerate your memory
Here's a scene, you're in the back seat laying down
The windows wrap around
To sound of the travel and the engine
All you hear is time stand still in travel
And feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn't end but slowly drifts into sleep
The stars are the greatest thing you've ever seen
And they're there for you
For you alone, you are the everything

I think about this world a lot and I cry
And I've seen the films and the eyes But I'm in this kitchen
Everything is beautiful and she is so beautiful
She is so young and old
I look at her and I see the beauty of the light of music
The voices talking somewhere in the house
Late spring and you're drifting off to sleep
With your teeth in your mouth
You are here with me, you are here with me
You have been here and you are everything

Sometimes I feel like I can't even sing
I'm very scared for this world, I'm very scared for me
Eviscerate your memory
Here's a scene, you're in the back seat laying down
The windows wrap around
To sound of the travel and the engine
All you hear is time stand still in travel
And feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn't end but slowly drifts into sleep
The stars are the greatest thing you've ever seen
And they're there for you
For you alone, you are the everything