will you watch over me as I wake?
smile at me as you whisper my name?
you’ll be the first one to see me
you’ll be the first one to hear
of the dream that I’ll dream
for a day like there’s never been before
will you watch over me when I play?
stand right next to me when I’m afraid?
you’ll be the first one to cheer me
I’ll be the best I can be
’cause when you’re here, I can reach
for a day like there’s never been before
and when we’ve had all the fun we can
when nighttime comes we’ll go hand in hand back home
we’ll take a picture to remember
will you watch over me while I sleep?
hold me close if the darkness grows deep?
tell me a story ’bout you and me
and all the magic a day can bring
when you believe in your dream
for a day like there’s never been before
Reviews
Thank you for giving my Sunday a lovely start with those beautiful,gentle words.Such a perfect voice to express the loveliness of it all! I am 86 and it brought back happy memories of times with my four wonderful children. God bless your heart. —Enid T.S.
I love it — but I’m so sorry the project was shelved…glad you’re able to pull it out and share it now. And why would we ever doubt you had a job of “composer??” —Katie C.
As a former kindergarten and preschool teacher, i love this! Thanks Doug. —Marilyn T.
Soothing just like a cuddly blankett —Maureen O.
I have ALWAYS loved this song…, beginning with the very first chords… My introduction to [it] was before I had kids, but now my kids are out of the house. This song evokes the memories of raising them, and I would have loved to have used this song as part of the background music for the video collage that we created for each of their graduations. It also calls to memory the good times of being raised by my own parents. You who are parents – or you who have parents 🙂 – I share Doug’s song with you! —Dennis S.
Tender…poignant…perfect. —Carol L. S.
We so long for these days. —Diane F.
Very beautiful and stirring —Susan F.
The music and picture are stunning. —Rosalee H.
Absolutely beautiful! —Margie Q.
Lovely song. Hope you got paid! —David C. B.
What a lovely, tender hearted song. Thank you for sharing. ❤️ —Elaine M. L.
YAY! Thank you for spreading some brilliant light in this time!!! —Alysa M. R.
Love this! ❤️ What a beautiful song! —Kathy P.
2020 Notes
I actually had a job for a couple years in the mid-90s where my official title was Composer. Can you believe that?! I was hired to write music for Media Station, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for what turned out to be a dozen-odd “children’s storybook” CD-ROMs they produced, including Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Lamb Chop Loves Music, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Barbie as Rapunzel, Tonka Raceway, and more. It was sure great fun working with the team of artists, animators, sound designers and producers to create musical themes, scene-setting and animation soundtracks.
For one of the projects, I was asked to write a theme song, and I wrote three different ones, based on the specs for the project, hoping one of them would fill the bill. It was one of only a very few times I was asked to write a song (including lyrics) for a particular project or program.
I was having kind of a rough time coming up with an approach, actually, and I remember one morning on the way to work I happened to be listening to 2nd Chapter of Acts, one of my favorite music groups at that time. The song was “Sing Over Me,” written by Annie Herring. It was a beautiful musical prayer asking God to hide her in the shadow of his wings when the storms come along and raging tempests blow:
“I’ll hide in the shadow of Your wings
And listen while You sing over me”
That thought seemed so poignant, and it resonated with me strongly on several levels. Then, suddenly, I realized I had the approach for my song! I’d write it from the viewpoint of a child, to a parent—or someone who loves the child very much—as they travel through a day together. It not only worked for the project really well, but I found myself relating to the thoughts and feelings expressed more than I expected when I started out.
They ended up selecting that song out of the three, and I recorded a demo of it. Unfortunately, not long after that, the project was canceled. So the songs have just been hanging around since then. I’ve always wanted to finish them, and here’s the first installment.
As I was looking for images for the song—when I upload a new song for distribution, I always have to include an image, which I usually choose from a stock photo service—I remembered a particular family photo, a snapshot taken before I was even born. It was my Dad carrying my brother, Curt, on his shoulders, when he was just a toddler, in the backyard of what would become my parents’ first house and home. I’ve always loved the image, and the joy and hopefulness it conveys so effortlessly.
So as I roll this one out officially, I’m thinking a lot about my parents, Joyce and Leon Howell, all the love they showed us, all the dreams they followed and all sacrifices they made so that we could realize our own dreams.
I’m also thinking of a loving Heavenly Father who always watches—and sings!—over me.
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