At close of day,
Just off Broadway,
In a dreary little room.
Sitting there,
In a rockin' chair,
Where Broadway's lights,
Fade into blue.
You will see,
Little Lee,
Try to hush a baby's crying.
All too soon,
She'll croon another tune,
On Broadway,
That is why she's tired.
Lee's Lullaby,
Honey don't cry,
Mother loves you,
That you know.
Lee's Lullaby,
Tear in her eye,
Honeylamb,
'Most time to go.
Moon swingin'
high,
Turn down his light,
While I rock you,
To and fro'.
Everytime I have to,
Leave you Jackie,
I pray the Lord may keep you,
Safe and happy.
Go to sleep,
And I'll keep,
Singin' Lee's Lullaby.
Sandman's a comin',
Bullfrogs,
Are leapin',
Down in the meadow.
Bye-bye,
My little dusty darlin',
Go to sleep,
And dry those tears away.
Everytime I have to,
Leave you Jackie,
I pray the Lord to keep you,
Safe and happy.
Go to sleep,
And I'll keep,
Singin' Lee's Lullaby,
Mother Lee's Lullaby.
some thoughts...
In one of her earliest recordings, perhaps even her first, Lee dedicates this
tender lullaby to her
son, Jack (b.1916). It's an extremely personal composition which reflects the anguish
that she felt having to leave "Jackie" alone for long periods of time while she
maintained a successful career on Broadway. When this song was recorded on the Pathe label
(circa. August of 1924), Jack would have already been 8 years old, a little too old for a
nurturing lullaby such as this. At first, it might be assumed that the composition was
written at an earlier date when Jack was still a young infant, but the references to
Broadway belie this assumption. Lee's Vaudeville career was based on the West coast until
she joined the Broadway revue, "Artists and Models" in 1923. It may have
been that Lee felt a deep sense of guilt having to neglect Jack through his formative
years. Writing him a lullaby would have kept him forever young in her heart.
When we review the verses, we can gain some insights into the
demands of her singing career and the troubled relationship between a mother and child.
The first two verses seem to suggest that she was a night-owl by virtue of her career on
Broadway. "At close of day, just off Broadway" would have been late at night
when the theatre district finally closed. In the second verse, "Where Broadway's
lights fade into blue" is evocative of a rising dawn. The burden of this lifestyle is
clearly evident in the fourth verse, "All too soon, she'll croon another tune, on
Broadway, that is why she's tired." It almost seems as if she resents her
self-imposed career. It's incredible to think that Lee could have been expressing thoughts
of stress and exhaustion in 1924 at the very beginning of her prolific
decade-long recording career which resulted in just over 200 recordings.
Lee Morse was the product of a musically gifted family challenged by impoverished
circumstances. By pursuing a singing career, Lee was able to use her natural talent in
order to elevate her living condition above what she was accustomed to. Clearly, this
became the driving thrust behind her ambition even at the expense of her personal
relationships. Lee must have felt compelled to provide financial security for her son if
not emotional security. Her "dreary little room" on Broadway must have been
similar to her
living quarters in Kooskia, Idaho where she gave birth to Jack in 1916.
Sadly, Jack was never able to "dry those tears away". He
felt resentment towards his mother's career aspirations and her neglect for him even into
his adult years. Throughout his childhood, Jack was in the care of a hired nanny, an
African American woman who he always considered to be his mother, at least, emotionally.
At the time of Lee Morse's passing in 1954, her relationship with Jack was still in ruin.
They never did resolve the problems in their relationship.