I’m a geek about many things, music being near the top of that list, so of course, the selection of music for JZ’s nursery is of the utmost importance. This is the first mixed tape I made for him. The idea is that it is mellow and relaxing enough for a baby to fall asleep to. (And I tested it… Trigger and Ashley both fell asleep when I put it on the car CD player driving home from a tourney!) But there’s also the underlying positive life messages and such, since music can be a big part in making sure a child grows up happy and brave and strong and caring and such… So without further ado, here’s the annotated list.

Ooh Child – Five Stairsteps
Classic civil rights song, echoing the hope for the future and imbuing that hope in our children. I’m not quite a parent yet, but already, I just hope that I get to walk with my son in a better world than the one we inhabit. Isn’t that the point?

God Bless the Child – Blood, Sweat and Tears
I admit that this song isn’t one of the best on the CD, and it’s one that I tire of if I listen to the CD too often. But, at its best, it’s a great jazzy song that, again, speaks to what we hope for our children.

Falling of the Rain – Billy Joel
"And she did not mind the falling of the rain…" a beautiful early Billy Joel song with wonderful piano lines and sings about what is important in life.

City of New Orleans – Arlo Guthrie
It’s Arlo. It’s Americana. It’s folk music speaking about the working class and the countryside. "And the sons of Pullmen porters and the sons of engineers ride their father’s magic carpets made of steel."

It’s a Big Ol’ Goofy World – John Prine
And it is. Besides, it’s a great song for the playfulness of language.

Teach Your Children – CS&N
I’m a sap. I’ve loved this song for years, and now I’m actually going to have a son to share it with.

Mother and Child Reunion – Paul Simon
O.k., just a playful, fun upbeat song with an apropos title.

Pink Moon – Nick Drake
Some songs need to be on soft, nursery CDs just because they are so beautiful and soothing. This is one of them.

Honey and the Moon – Joseph Arthur
This is another.

The Way I Am – Martin Sexton
This is a live version of this song, and Sexton’s voice gets aching at moments and I think it really speaks to the idea of self. I want my son to like who he is.

Father & Son – Cat Stevens
I agonized over whether or not to put this on here. After all, it’s about the son outgrowing the overprotective love of the father. Is this on here for me as much as him? Perhaps… I know that, as a teacher, I’ve felt myself move from the son’s voice to the father’s voice in the song. And I feel that more as his arrival gets close. I don’t know, in the end, it just felt like a song that needed to be on here.

Your Song – Elton John
"I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind, that I put down in words how wonderful life is ’cause you’re in the world." Yeah… that sums it up.

Love and Affection – Joan Armatrading
Can’t Help Falling in Love – Luka Bloom
These two songs both speak to something Kat first said a few months ago. "Just think," she said, "Soon, we’re both going to fall in love with someone new." Me, I can’t wait.

How Can I Keep from Singing – Pete Seeger
If I lived my life as close to my ideals as I possibly could, I think I’d like to live Pete Seeger’s life. This song speaks to the hope that music can change the world, even in the face of all of the injustice we see. "Since love is lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?"

All That You Have Is Your Soul – Tracy Chapman
Just the reminder that our integrity is all we can carry with us, and it is, in the end, all that matters.

Have A Little Faith in Me – John Hiatt
Isn’t that what we want from our children? Don’t we want to know that, in the dark hours, we’ll be there to take care of them?

Forever Young – Joan Baez
Bob Dylan writing and Joan Baez singing about the hopes we hold for our children.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,

Yeah… that about sums it up.

Keep Me In Your Heart – Warren Zevon
Zevon wrote this song just before he died, and I find it to be just a wonderful song about how we want to be remembered by our loved ones. I’m not planning on dying any time soon, but even when we aren’t with the ones we love, we want them to keep us in their hearts. Again… just that idea of the power of love in a family. It seemed appropriate.

Seasons of Love – Rent Soundtrack
"Measure your life in love." If I can teach my son to do that, he’ll have a wonderful life.

And yes, I’m not just a geek, I’m an incurable sap. I can live with that.