Love song from a parent

There’s one song that gives me the arm-hair chills: ‘The first time, ever I saw your face’, by Ewan MacColl (recorded by over 60 artists).

It reminds me of my Mum, who used to sing to me, and of my children, to whom I would sing in secret as I rocked them to sleep.

The lyrics are meant to describe a great romance, but to me, they describe the love between a parent and a child.

You’ll probably never hear me perform it on a stage, in my shower-croak of a voice, but it’s a song I’ll happily sing in  private concert to my children, and I hope, through the haze of childhood memories, they’ll remember it.

Try this experiment: Think of your favourite love song, and then sing it as if to your child. You may be surprised at the way the lyrics come alive in a different context.

And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love
It would last till the end of time my love

Tell us which songs you sang to you little ones or share a memory of that time with us and you could win a R250 kalahari.com voucher. Send your stories to chatback@parent24.com