A popular song from 1904.
Words by Joseph Northup.
Music by W. C. Parker.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
1. A mother was putting her baby to rest
In a cradle of gold and white
With a loving caress to the one she loves best
She says her farewells for the night
From outside through the window, a burglar peers in
And then stealthily climbs up the stair
But he stops in surprise, and his hardened heart sighs
As he listens to the baby’s prayer
Chorus:
“Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take”
By a sudden impulse led
The burglar knelt down by the bed
“Say another prayer,” he said
“For the burglar and his child”
2. The sweet little baby was soon fast asleep
And the burger knelt by her side
When the mother, alarmed, to the bedside did creep
“Don’t harm my poor baby,” she cried
“Don’t you know me?” he said, as he stood by the bed
“If you’ll let me, I’ll for you both care
On a new path I’ll start, for her father’s old heart
Has been softened by baby’s prayer”