I think that this lovely little song celebrates the inevitability of getting old.

However, I have adapted the words (see below) to make it into a lullaby that I sing to my 2yr old before he goes to sleep (you’re never too young to have some Tom Waits influence in your life!).

Although it has a different connotation in Wait’s version, I think the ‘bend down the branches’ line works really well in the context of a bedtime song as, in the wild, the great apes (Gorillas, Chimps, Orang Utans) bend down branches to make nests for themselves to sleep in at night.

The moon’s as bright as it can be
Bend down the branches
Sleepy heads have cleaned their teeth
Bend down the branches

Under your pillow
Your dreams are waiting
To take you safely
Into the morning

Climb the stairs, they’re not so steep
Bend down the branches
Close your eyes and go to sleep
Bend down the branches