Don't Be Afraid of the Darkness

When my kids were little, I used to sing to them every night at bedtime. Usually the songs were a combination of campfire songs or old classics with modifcations in the lyrics so that they applied to my kids. One night I started singing, making up a song about not being afraid of the dark. After singing a verse or two I was asked to sing it again. I hadn't really thought about what I was singing, but I managed to recreate it. After they fell asleep, I wrote down th words. Slowly but surely I continued to add more verses and tweak what I had each night. Some day I'd like to make a children's book with the words and make a recording to accompany it. (Don't worry, it wouldn't be my voice.) Here's the song/poem:

Don’t be Afraid of the Darkness


Don’t be afraid of the darkness,
’cause it’s a special time
when you can see the lights
that you couldn’t see when the lights were on.

So don’t be afraid to turn off the light,
you just may be surprised
by all the lights and shadows
that appear right before your eyes.

The stars shine a little bit brighter;
the moon comes out from behind a dark cloud;
the street lamp in the distance
shares it s light both near and far.

The light sneaks down the hallway
and underneath your door.
The light you see in the darkness
is like none you’ve seen before.

A nightlight can ease your worries
And chase away the gloom
The beams of a passing car outside
brighten your night black room

A flashlight under the blankets
a hug from your teddy bear
don’t fret, don’t frown because you know
morning will soon be there

So next time when the lights go out
and you start to feel some dread,
don’t be afraid of the darkness
just remember what I’ve said.

Soon it will be tomorrow
the night will be but a memory
the sunrise of the morning
will put the darkness to bed

So don’t be afraid to turn off the light,
you just may be surprised
by all the lights and shadows
that appear right before your eyes.

Don’t be afraid of the darkness,
‘cause it’s a special time
when you can see the lights
that you couldn’t see when the lights were on.