The flowers are all sleeping Safe in their starlit beds, And as the moon comes creeping They nod their fragrant heads. The drowsy, budding branch lets fall An air that seems to call: Sleep a while, sleep a while, My children, sleep a while.
The birds that sang so bravely Are silent in the nest, The sun itself has gravely Found pillows in the west. The cricket as he grinds away Works all night long to say: Sleep a while, sleep a while, My children, sleep a while.
The Sandman comes in gliding Up to each sleepyhead To see if someone's hiding Who should have gone to bed And when a yawning child he spies, He drops sand in his eyes. Sleep a while, sleep a while, My children, sleep a while.