After learning to play the guitar, the fiddle, and the piano, as well as to sing, Rusby played at many local folk festivals as a child and adolescent. She came to wider attention through her duets with her friend and fellow Barnsley folk singer Kathryn Roberts on the 1995 album Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts.
At about this time she joined, and became the lead vocalist of, the all-female Celtic folk band The Poozies. This led to her becoming a founding member of the group Equation, which included Kathryn Roberts and Seth Lakeman. Rusby left Equation (being replaced by Cara Dillon) to follow a more traditional direction and, in 1997, released her debut solo album Hourglass produced by Scottish fiddler John McCusker (to whom Rusby was married for some time).
In 1999 Rusby recorded Sleepless which earned her a Mercury Music Prize nomination and the BBC Folk Award for Best Album and Best Folk Singer.
Rusby continues to release albums mixing traditional and self-penned songs on her own Pure Records, winning fans as diverse as Graham Coxon (who provided the illustration for her album The Girl Who Couldn't Fly) and collaborator Ronan Keating.
2008 saw the release of Sweet Bells, an album of traditional Christmas songs interpreted by Rusby.
In 2010, Rusby released the album Make the Light, a collection of self-penned songs, and in 2011 issued a second collection of Christmas songs titled While Mortals Sleep.
www.katerusby.com
Who Will Sing Me Lullabies?
Kate Rusby Lyrics
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Lay me down gently, lay me down low,
I fear I am broken and won't mend, I know.
One thing I ask when the stars light the skies,
Oh who now will sing me lullabies.
In this big world I'm lonely, for I am but small,
Oh angels in heaven, don't you care for me at all?
You heard my heart breaking for it rang through the skies,
So why don't you sing me lullabies,
Oh why don't you sing me lullabies.
I lay here; I'm weeping for the stars they have come,
I lay here not sleeping; now the long night has begun.
The man in the moon, oh he can't help but cry,
For there's no one to sing me lullabies,
Oh there's no one to sing me lullabies.
So lay me down gently, oh lay me down low,
I fear I am broken and won't mend, I know .
One thing I ask when the stars light the skies,
Who now will sing me lullabies,
Oh who now will sing me lullabies.
Who will sing me to sleep
Who will sing me to sleep
Who will sing me to sleep
Who will sing me to sleep
The song "Who Will Sing Me Lullabies?" by Kate Rusby is an emotional and heartfelt song that speaks of loneliness and a deep longing for comfort. The singer of the song is feeling broken and knows that they won't heal. They ask who will sing them lullabies when the stars light the skies, conveying a deep sense of helplessness and vulnerability. The singer wonders if the angels in heaven, who have heard their heart breaking, care for them at all. The absence of someone to sing them lullabies adds to their sense of loneliness and despair. Even the man in the moon cannot help but cry, answering the question of who will sing them lullabies with a resounding silence.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay me down gently, lay me down low,
I am feeling broken and hopeless, and I just want to be comforted and put to rest.
I fear I am broken and won't mend, I know.
I am so damaged that I may never fully heal from my pain and troubles.
One thing I ask when the stars light the skies,
I have a simple request during this dark and lonely time, and that is for someone to sing me to sleep.
Who now will sing me lullabies,
I am begging for someone, anyone, to give me the comfort and solace I need in the form of a lullaby.
Oh who now will sing me lullabies.
I am so desperate and alone that I implore the world for someone to sing me to sleep.
In this big world I'm lonely, for I am but small,
I feel small and insignificant in a big, lonely world that doesn't seem to care about my pain and suffering.
Oh angels in heaven, don't you care for me at all?
I wonder if even the supposedly loving and compassionate angels in heaven are ignoring my pleas for help and comfort.
You heard my heart breaking for it rang through the skies,
My agony and despair is so palpable that even the heavens seem to be aware of it.
So why don't you sing me lullabies,
With all the pain and suffering I'm experiencing, why won't anyone offer me the smallest amount of comfort through a lullaby?
I lay here; I'm weeping for the stars they have come,
Even as the stars above provide a small sense of beauty and wonder, my tears continue to flow from the depth of my pain.
I lay here not sleeping; now the long night has begun.
The darkness of the night feels endless to me, and the sleep that should come with it is elusive.
The man in the moon, oh he can't help but cry,
Even the celestial bodies seem to be saddened by my plight, as the man in the moon is in tears.
For there's no one to sing me lullabies,
Despite my desperate need for comfort, there is no one around to give me the respite of a lullaby.
Oh there's no one to sing me lullabies.
I am so alone that I feel like I am the only one in the world who needs a lullaby, and there is no one to provide it.
Who will sing me to sleep
Once more, I beg for someone to sing me to sleep and give me the respite I need.
Who will sing me to sleep
I repeat my plea for someone, anyone, to sing me to sleep and offer me a moment of comfort and peace.
Who will sing me to sleep
My desire for a lullaby and some comfort is so deep that I repeat my plea for a third and final time.
Contributed by Levi R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@markofol111
Searched for this song after hearing it on After Life. Smashing song - aways great to hear an artist you've never heard of and they have loads of material!
@minizzel
I’ve just done the same, beautiful song
@davidcoorey423
I just heard it on After Life, too. I must have played it twenty times in the last couple of hours. It's an angelic tune, and when I read the lyric's meaning, I had to shed a tear. Sad, but so, so beautiful.
@deborahmcwhae1512
Me also. Beautiful, my eyes are watering 😊
@davidparkhill1852
And me
@mariamcgarrkatus3580
Me too....... beautiful
@alexong2542
Thank you, After Life and Ricky Gervais, for introducing us to this masterpiece
@kangvang
Came straight here when I heard the song on After Life.
@DEWDLES
I first heard it on Stella
@hikikomori8722
me as well