Lady Maisery is an English folk vocal harmony trio composed of Hannah James… Read Full Bio ↴Lady Maisery is an English folk vocal harmony trio composed of Hannah James (formerly in Kerfuffle) (vocals, piano accordion, clogs, foot percussion) Hazel Askew (of The Askew Sisters) (vocals, concertina, harp, bells) and Rowan Rheingans (of Fidola, The Rheingans Sisters) (vocals, fiddle, banjo, bansitar). Inspired by folk singing traditions of the UK and northern Europe, Lady Maisery sing songs and ballads both unaccompanied, and with backing from their combined instrumental talents on accordion, harp and fiddle. They are reviving the tradition of diddling, or singing, tunes, something which has nearly died out in the England but is still prevalent in Scandinavia and other parts of Europe.

They released their first album, Weave & Spin in 2011, and their second, Mayday, in 2013. Their third album, Cycle, was released in October 2016

The Changeling's Lullaby
Lady Maisery Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My bairn was often silent and did sleep through half the night.
And he greeted me every morning with a smile so full of light,
But now you are much altered and do bawl the whole night through,
So hush a while, my darling, so I might know it's you.

(after each):
Hush awhile, hush awhile, sleep now for me.
Lay yourself softly if my babe you be,

Or did some fay creeping from your crib steal you sleeping
And leave me a creature that's nothing of me?

Your skin was like the lily fair, as soft as winter snow,
Not like some screaming devil with his scarlet face aglow
Who wails across the wind's soft sighs that creep the casement through,
So hush a while, my darling, so I might know it's you.

Your father says you're not his own nor any child of man's,
But I think you have your father's smile, your father's gentle hands,
And I pray that you will love me like your father used to do,
So hush awhile, my darling, so I might know it's you.

If your other couldn't love you, though a fairy babe you be,
I would take you to the forest and I'd leave you 'neath yon tree,

But while you are all I have, love, yet I still will cleave to thee,
For whatever else you are, love, still your mother's love you be.

Overall Meaning

The Changeling's Lullaby by Lady Maisery is a hauntingly beautiful song that tells the story of a mother's doubts and fears about her child who she believes may have been replaced by a fairy. The first verse describes how the baby used to be a peaceful sleeper, but now cries all night, making the mother wonder who or what is in the crib with her. She begs the baby to be quiet for a little while so she can be reassured that it is her own baby and not a changeling.

The second verse describes how the baby's appearance has changed as well, no longer having delicate, soft skin like a lily, but instead resembling a screaming devil. The mother longs for the baby she used to know and begs for her child to stop crying so she can know for sure that it is her own baby. The final verse reveals that the father does not think the baby is his own, which only adds to the mother's worries. However, she still loves and cherishes the baby, even if it is a fairy changeling, because it is her own.

Overall, this song is a beautiful and poignant exploration of a mother's love and fears for her child. Lady Maisery's enchanting vocals and the haunting melody create a sense of unease and mystery that perfectly captures the song's themes.

Line by Line Meaning

My bairn was often silent and did sleep through half the night.
My child was a peaceful sleeper, but now they cry all through the night.

And he greeted me every morning with a smile so full of light,
He used to greet me with a happy face each morning.

But now you are much altered and do bawl the whole night through,
Now you cry all night and are completely different from what you used to be.

So hush a while, my darling, so I might know it's you.
Please stop crying for a moment so I can recognize you as my child.

Hush awhile, hush awhile, sleep now for me.
Be quiet and go to sleep for me.

Lay yourself softly if my babe you be,
Lie down gently if you are really my child.

Or did some fay creeping from your crib steal you sleeping,
Or did a fairy sneak into your crib and take you away while you were sleeping.

And leave me a creature that's nothing of me?
And leave me with a child that looks like mine but is not really mine?

Your skin was like the lily fair, as soft as winter snow,
Your skin was beautiful and soft like a lily or winter snow.

Not like some screaming devil with his scarlet face aglow
Now you look like a screaming demon with a red, angry face.

Who wails across the wind's soft sighs that creep the casement through,
You cry so loudly that it sounds like the wind is wailing through the windows.

So hush a while, my darling, so I might know it's you.
Please stop crying for a moment so I can see that it's really you.

Your father says you're not his own nor any child of man's,
Your father denies that you are his child or anyone else's.

But I think you have your father's smile, your father's gentle hands,
But I see parts of your father in you, like your smile and gentle hands.

And I pray that you will love me like your father used to do,
I hope you will love me just like your father did.

So hush awhile, my darling, so I might know it's you.
Please stop crying for a moment so I can tell that it's really you.

If your other couldn't love you, though a fairy babe you be,
If your biological father couldn't love you, even if you are a fairy child,

I would take you to the forest and I'd leave you 'neath yon tree,
I would take you to the forest and leave you under a tree.

But while you are all I have, love, yet I still will cleave to thee,
But since you are all I have, I will still love and take care of you.

For whatever else you are, love, still your mother's love you be.
Because no matter what, you are still my child and I will always love you.

Contributed by Oliver A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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