Last Sunday, Memorial Day, I was sitting in my living room getting ready to take my dogs for a walk, and for some reason, one of my favorite songs came to mind as I was tying my shoes. And I began to sing it to my dogs …
“Nitey nite, now dream away;
Morning brings a bright new day.
Dream of your toys and games, dear …
Put all your cares away, dear.”
I first heard that song on A Prairie Home Companion, on the day of the “Talent from Towns Under 2,000″ contest, in the year 2000.
Leilani Clark, a 12-year-old from Wellburn, Florida, population 1,621, sang a touching song written shortly after World War II by a veteran named Charlie Piliero.
The song tells the story of a young mother putting her little girl to bed, soothing her, encouraging her to look forward to brighter days when her daddy will come home from the war.
Here’s Leiliani singing it. Just scroll down to where it says
38:40 Applause, GK Segue to Leilani Clark
41:00 Nitey Night
According to Leilani’s website, Mr. Piliero remembered his own children’s somber faces as he shipped out for the last time, and he vowed to write a song about it when he got back, which he did. But Charlie’s sweet, simple song wasn’t pitched to publishers, and eventually it ended up in a shoebox, where it sat for 50 years.
But it so happened that the Clarks and Pilieros would become neighbors and the shoebox in the attic would come down, and the song would be discovered by little Leilani.
With her beautiful, angelic voice, Leilani hit the perfect chord of interpretation, sounding to me like a young, doting mother in an old Disney film. For a 12-year-old to find that place was amazing to me.
The crowd in the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul burst into applause and cheers when she finished, and it was no surprise when she was declared the winner of the popular-vote contest.
At home, tears were streaming down my face, I was so moved. I immediately searched the Internet for her name, and found a website devoted to Leilani and her first CD. I wrote to the Clarks and obtained Mr. Piliero’s email address, and asked for his permission to sing the song myself when I sang at the local senior center and nursing homes occasionally.
Charlie replied within a day or two, and he happily allowed me to sing the song. He was quite a character — very feisty! And he was very pleased that his little song was getting exposure.
Now, several years later — Memorial Day 2007 — as I’m getting ready to walk my dogs while singing “Nitey Nite,” I thought, “Gee, my dad would really appreciate this song.”
So I spent the afternoon getting ready to serenade my 92-year-old father on the phone as a gift in appreciation for his service during World War II. Since I knew the sound quality was going to be fairly lousy over the phone, I wanted to make sure the volume balances (for me and the accompaniment I had created) were just right. And I wanted to print out the words and have them in front of me to assure I wouldn’t forget them during my “performance.”
When I called to say I was going to sing to him over the phone, my dad was surprised, of course. I’ve never done such a thing before.
But I sang it, he heard it and understood it and loved it.
Later that day, I sang it for a group of friends at a Memorial Day picnic. I’m not a great singer, but the song is so touching and sweet, I felt it was almost my duty to share it with my friends on a day when we remember the sacrifices of our soldiers and their families and friends.
Those who seek to find a rare treasure of World War II-era music will enjoy hearing Leilani’s performance on The Prairie Home Companion site.
Here are the rest of the words:
“Though your daddy’s gone away,
He’ll return on some other day.
Angels will guide you, and Mommy’s beside you, so
Nitey nite.
?
“The moon and stars are shining bright,
They’re watching over you.
Corky’s lying in the hall, just waiting for your call.
“Nitey nite, and say a prayer
For all the daddies still over there.
Pray God will keep them, for little girls need them, then
Nitey nite …”