Collection Information: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was collected on May 7th, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. It belongs to a sub-genre of nursery rhymes called lullabies.
Informant: The informant was Joanne McNeal, a 67 year old Detroit native. Joanne worked as a Daycare supervisor. She has three children: two sons and a daughter. Through her role as Daycare Supervisor she has heard and performed many lullabies and as such was an excellent person to chose as an informant.
Text:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle all the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
In the dark blue sky you keep,
While you thro’ my window peep,
And you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Context: This lullaby can be performed by an elderly figure, whether male or female. This lullaby is sung to infant children prior to bed, in order to assist them in their slumber. The informant sang it to all her daycare children - me being one of them. Further, she sang this lullaby to her children and grandchildren.
Meaning and Interpretation: This lullaby’s intention is to put children, but primarily infants to sleep. The setting is the the night sky when people sleep. He main character is a little star in the sky. The lullaby then goes through difference characters in the night sky. This is a soft lullaby unlike the previous two without negative, morbid references.
Collector’s Information: Malcolm Leverett, Dartmouth College ’14, Russian 13, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Spring 2014
