The Hidden Sadness of ‘You Are My Sunshine’ and an Update for Ember

I’ve sung “You Are My Sunshine” to Ember ever since she was in the NICU. But it’s not just a lullaby for me—it’s also the song I once sang to our first daughter, Scarlett, during her brief time with us.

For years, I only ever sang the part I knew by heart:

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You’ll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don’t take
My sunshine away

A few months ago, after singing it to Ember on repeat, I got curious and looked up the full lyrics. The original lyrics make the tone of the song so much more sad.

The other night, dear
As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you
In my arms
When I awoke, dear
I was mistaken
So I hung my head and cried

When I mentioned all of this to Sara, she admitted that hearing me sing it to Ember had been breaking her heart — because it was the same song I had sung to Scarlett.

I’m no songwriter. But, with tools such as ChatGPT, it was easy to generate another set of lyrics that would fit the melody reasonably well.

Verse 1
The stars are shining, so soft above you,
They whisper dreams as you close your eyes.
And in the morning, when light is golden,
I’ll be right here when you rise.

Chorus (original)
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are gray.
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you,
Please don’t take my sunshine away.

Verse 2
Your little laughter, it fills my heart up,
Brighter than sunshine, warm as a flame.
No matter where, dear, this world may take you,
My love will always stay the same.

Verse 3
The moon is glowing, the night is peaceful,
Dream, little darling, safe in my arms.
And when you wake up, the world will greet you,
With all its wonder, love, and charms.