What the song is about
This is a soft lullaby for bedtime. The moon is out, the birds are asleep, and the stars and clouds keep the child safe through the night. The singer says goodnight and promises that morning will come and they will meet again.
Useful words
- moon, sky, stars, planets, clouds: things you see in the night sky
- fast asleep: completely asleep (The little birds are fast asleep.)
- close your eyes / rest your head: things we say to help someone go to sleep
- sparkling: shining with small flashes of light
- guarding: keeping someone safe
- pillow: the soft thing you put your head on in bed
- velvet: a very soft cloth; velvet night means a soft, dark night
- whispering: speaking very quietly
- the lights are low: the lights are dim, not bright
Useful expressions
- Goodnight!: what we say before someone goes to sleep
- Sleep tight!: a friendly way to say "sleep well"
- all through the night: for the whole night
- Everything is alright.: everything is fine
Grammar
- Present simple with be: The moon is white. The sky is deep.
- Present continuous for what is happening now: The stars are sparkling. The wind is whispering in the tree.
- Imperatives to give gentle instructions: Close your eyes. Rest your head. Wait for the morning light.
- Future with will: The sun will come to say hello.
Song language: don't copy these
Some lines change normal English to keep the rhyme and rhythm:
- sleep so tight: the usual phrase is just Sleep tight!
- dream so sweet: in everyday English we say have sweet dreams or dream sweetly.
- Silver clouds like pillows white: the normal order is like white pillows. In English the adjective usually comes before the noun.
- Till the morning we shall meet: this is poetic word order. In everyday English say We'll meet in the morning or See you in the morning.
- Planets spinning far away, resting from the busy day: these lines have no main verb. In a normal sentence you would say The planets are spinning far away.
- Safe and warm as you can be: the full form is as safe and warm as you can be.
- alright: this is a common informal spelling. In careful writing many people use all right.