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    Someday your child may cry
    And if you sing this lullabye
    Then in your heart
    There will always be a part of me

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     Billy's ballad "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" is a dreamy and contemplative song about our connection with our children or other loved ones.  Billy's little girl Alexa, who was about seven years old at the time, had asked Billy what will happen when he dies.  He reassures her that "wherever you may go, no matter where you are, I never will be far away."  And later that he will continue to live through her, "someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby, then in your heart, there will always be a part of me."  

     Billy explained that he told Alexa that "when we die, you go into other people's hearts, you never really go away.  You go into the rest of the people that you know, go to the rest of their lives . . . ."   Billy has said that he believes that when you die, you go into the hearts of your loved ones.    Billy talks about the song and its special meaning between him and Alexa in this snippet from SiriusXM.  Click player below:

   ​    In addition, this was around that time Billy and his wife Christie were separating and eventually divorced, and the song was a way for Billy to express to young Alexa that he would always be there for her.  As Alexa stated in an Instagram post in 2022: "this song was his way of reassuring me that he would never leave me; that I would always be a part of him… no matter what. That’s the kind of love that transcends space and time— for a melody like this; as sacred, storied, and beloved as an ancient hymn: it carries on through the ages forevermore. ‘Someday we’ll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on… they never die, that’s how you and I will be.'" 🕊
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Alexa discusses "Lullabye' on SiriusXM

Billy and Alexa  from Alexa's Instagram account (detail from album cover by Christie Brinkley).

Words and Music by Billy Joel

Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away

Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep
Inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me

Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullaby
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me

Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabies go on and on
They never die
That's how you and I will be

Billy and Alexa Ray sailing on an emerald bay. 
​Photo: Christie Brinkley (from Newsday.com?).

Billy and Alexa (2014).  Photo: unknown.

Young Billy Joel and Alexa Ray Joel at their pianos, a mash-up that I created.  

Second photo: Mary Ellen Mark.  Third photo: Christie Brinkley from Alexa Ray Joel Instagram account.​

More on "Lullabye" from SiriusXM.  

​​     The verses have a nice progression, first talking about the present, then a memory from the past, and then the future.   In the first verse it is "time to close your eyes, in the next verse it is "time to sleep," and in the final verse it is "time to dream."  The song has a lilting, rocking feel, as if father and daughter were out on a boat at sea, perhaps on the Downeaster Alexa.   The lyrics and this nautical motif help imbue the song with both a sense of spirituality and the notion of a  journey, which leads seamlessly into the next song "The River of Dreams." 

   ​    The last five songs on the album, beginning with "All About Soul," blend together thematically and musically, somewhat like the songs on Side Two of The Beatles' Abbey Road, though they are not directly linked like those songs.   When these five songs ("All About Soul," "Lullabye," "River of Dream," "Two Thousand Years" and "Famous Last Words") are heard in consecutive order as is intended on the album, then the song "The River of Dreams" seems less of an anomaly in the Billy Joel catalog, but rather a part of this suite or collection of songs.  "Lullabye" and "The River of Dreams" flow well together and originally "Lullabye" flowed directly into the The River of Dreams" (see video below about the "Shelter Island Sessions").  And both songs fit well within the overall context of Side Two of the album.   At the same time, "Lullabye" stands on its own.  It is a timeless song, it will go on and on.

"And dream how wonderful your life will be" (from Alexa's Instagram account)

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 ​     The word "lullabye" is apparently intentionally misspelled in the song title with the extra "e" at the end to signify that the song is simultaneously a goodbye but also an enduring lullaby. There is also a children's book with the same title which consists of the lyrics and an accompanying CD (see left). 

    I used to play this song for my own daughters (Lolo and Jams) before they went to bed, and made a "Billy Joel Lullabies" CD for them too similar to the first ten songs on my YouTube playlist.  I always liked the line "and dream how wonderful your life will be." It's every parent's hope that their children will lead wonderful lives, better lives.  The song always reminds me of my girls.  
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      Each time I hear the song, I remember how precious it is to have a daughter.  Many times I've thought about their lives and futures.  I only hope that they realize how much I love them and carry them in my heart even if I cannot see them every day.  Knowing this will hopefully sustain them when they are down, and when I am gone.  Only time will tell.

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     The video for "Lullabye," directed by Marcus Nispel, is one of the better Billy Joel music videos. It is shot in black and white and features a series of images of children playing while wearing angel wings or other nostalgic imagery. The video is simple and elegant, befitting the song.

      There are many cover versions of the song, mostly by choirs and a cappella groups. I am not a Celine Dion fan, but she does a nice cover.  Lee Ann Rimes also sang the song at 2013 Gershwin Prize ceremony honoring Billy.  I particularly like the cover by La Chasse who give it their own interpretation (see video below).  They dedicated their cover to the parents and children of Sandy Hook.
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        Alexa Ray Joel posted a nice mini-tribute to her father on her Instagram account on Father's Day in 2015, and frequently posts such loving tributes to her parents.  

Videos
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This is a very well done video for "Lullabye" directed by Marcus Nispel.  © 1993 Sony BMG Music Entertainment.  
Watch more videos on BillyJoel.com or Vevo's YouTube channel.

Billy discusses "Lullabye" in this 1993 interview.

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Billy explains, to producer George Martin, the origins of "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)."

After he is asked a question about "This Night" and classical music, Billy explains how he wrote "Lullabye" and "River of Dreams" (audio only).   From a Master Class in 1994.

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Billy explains why he wrote "Lullabye" at a Master Class in 2001.
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Billy discusses "Lullabye" on 60 Minutes (Australia) in 2022, as well as "Root Beer Rag" and "Prelude/Angry Young Man."

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This is an early version of "Lullabye" from the Shelter Island Sessions.  It then leads right into "The River of Dreams."

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Live version of "Lullabye" from a 1993 concert at the Carrier Dome.   Billy sounds great.

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Billy sang the "ABC Song' on Sesame Street in or about 1989.  Alexa can be seen to his left, beginning around 0:17.  She is the adorable girl with the pink ribbon in her hair.

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This is nice acoustic guitar cover by Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles.

This is a nice cover by La Chasse, on acoustic guitar.

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