Songs that make me cry, #4: “Lullaby” by Shawn Mullins

I loved the Shawn Mullins song Lullaby when it came out in 1998, and I still love it. It appeals to me on multiple levels.

To start with, there’s its unusual structure of spoken-word verses paired with a sung chorus. (I have since been inspired to use this structure in a few of my own songs, such as Neuroendocrine Cell.) A strong contrast between sections is often good for keeping listeners interested, and here it heightens the raw emotion of that “Everything is gonna be all right” chorus. One minute Shawn is talking calmly from the stage, and then all of a sudden he’s practically hugging you!

I often chafe against vague reassurances that things are going to be OK, but Shawn manages to sound supportive rather than patronizing. This is helped by the fact that he’s apparently singing to a specific person (albeit a mostly fictional one) at a specific time, and that this person may well have reasons to be hopeful, even if they aren’t articulated in the song. Perhaps “everything is gonna be all right” is exactly what this person needs to hear at this moment.

When Shawn Mullins wrote this song, he was a struggling musician who had already released three albums to no particular acclaim. He had no clear prospects of success. Yet he delivers his gonna-be-all-right message with such conviction! I like to think that as he is singing to that sad LA native he is also singing to himself, getting himself pumped up for another long day on the road, or another show for 30 people.

Regardless of who he’s singing to, I’m grateful to be able to listen in, and to be reminded that I, too, have reasons to be hopeful.