Let the sun gather round my shoulders And I will forget my loss For I had a child Whose skin was soft as summer As I laid her down for sleep But she says, "Father don't leave me My dreams have turned to black" Listen here, my only daughter, closely And you can sleep in peace For I have strong hands And a cautious eye for danger So you can sleep in peace But she says, "Father don't leave me My skin has turned to white" Listen here, my only daughter, closely, And you can sleep in peace For my house is warm From the winds that blow so coldly So you can sleep in peace But she says, "Father stay closely My heart, it's cold like stone" My daughter sleeps But she will not be dreaming Her breathing grows so weak My heart tears the skin A bird has lost its feathers My hands, they grow so weak The moon rises over my apartment but I can't look fondly on Let the earth gather round my daughter And I will forget my loss For I had a child Whose skin was soft as summer As I laid her down for sleep
