Swedish Lullaby

Here's another story I've told the wrong way before. And another reason for me to fall back in love with Jewel.

At age 17, I crushed on Jewel. I was enamored with her, watching her Hard Rock Live performance on VH1. Each thing I learned about her--born in Payson, grew up in Alaska--made me more smitten. Well, perhaps there were strikes against her--I cannot say that I was enamored with her every word, in her poetry book; or with every song, "Foolish Games". But from "Who will Save Your Soul" and "You were meant for me" I was hers.

I saw her sing Swedish Lullaby and melted. Beautiful. Defying description. At the time, I envisioned her picking up a tune and some Swedish from a grandmother who sang her to sleep.

Then, later I discovered that Jewel wrote the song herself:

This is a song I wrote in Swedish. When I was writing it I didn't know how to say man or woman yet. But I knew how to say wolf and dolphin.--Jewel

And so, an amazing, simple, and beautiful lullaby. In remedial Swedish:



Sov gott, vackra delfin
Sov gott, jag vita varg
Vi har kärlek för varandra
För varandra
För alltid
Sov gott, vackra delfin
Sov gott, jag vita varg
Morgonen vaknar
Då kysser vi
Kysser vi för alltid
Sov gott, för alltid

She had simply decided to up and learn some Swedish--something that speaks to my soul. Find me a girl who just decides to learn Swedish, and I'll surely forgive her for not having a piercing, angelic voice. In fact, I'll overlook a measure of sappiness,* to boot.

Btw. Did you know that Jewel's cousin plays Pocahantas in New World? Tell me there is another Kilcher for me out there.

(*While I think the story about using wolf and dolphin is cute, and that people who just up and learn Swedish are cool, it's a bit sappier than what I'd had in mind when hearing the song.)