Do you have trouble sleeping?

What do you think about?

May 14, 2024

Hi all,

Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “I Cannot Sleep”, by Malvina Reynolds. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article.

Comments and questions are welcome. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEFL (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1.

(501 words)

About the songwriter and singers

Malvina Reynolds was a singer-songwriter who wrote songs about social issues. She sang about social justice and the environment. Reynolds used music to share her beliefs and inspire others to make the world a better place.

Malvina wrote the words and music for this song in 1958, but she never recorded it. Many singers since then have made recordings of it, though. The version you will find in the video below features the singers Jon Fromer and Francisco Herrera. They contributed this song to the album Hail to the Thief and His Daddy’s Judges in 2001.

Jon Fromer is a well-known name in the San Francisco bay area. His passion was making protest music. "He was a fighter for anyone who was maltreated or mistreated," according to his wife, Mary. They were married for 42 years.

Francisco Herrera is a singer-songwriter who has sung with such outstanding performers as Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Emma’s Revolution. For many years he has worked with community organization in the U.S. and Latin America, working for immigrant rights and to support women recovering from domestic abuse.

Thomas Kennington - Homeless (1890) (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

The song

The song is about someone who is having trouble sleeping because s/he is thinking about the children who are in need.

I cannot sleep for thinking of the children
Who cannot sleep, gone supperless to bed
I cannot sleep for thinking of the young ones
Who roam the streets, no place to lay their head

If there were one, it would be cause to wonder
If there were one, it would be cause to weep
But they are numbered into many thousands

And for each one, I cannot sleep

The stores are full, the bins are overflowing
In sight of food, the hungry children wait
And on the streets, the lines are getting longer
Because at home, there's nothing on the plate
.

The songwriter calls on people to work together to make a difference. Whether you live in the city or in the countryside, we can do something.

We will not sleep, my sisters from the city
We will not sleep, my brothers from the plow
Until we've shared the wealth we have created
Within the lives of those who hunger now
.
Till there are none, we will not sleep

How many of us live in a world full of plenty? How many of us are able to go to a supermarket or convenience store and fill the cart or basket if we want to? How many of us are able to meet friends at a coffee shop that has 30 special blends and other handcrafted beverages? How much do we contribute to making it a little easier for someone else to eat?

Even if you live in a rich country like the U.S or Japan, there are people - children in particular - who do not receive 3 meals a day. If you have a little extra money to spare, please think about making a donation to your local food bank or an organization that provides food assistance.

Question:

What kinds of things cause you to have trouble sleeping?

Vocabulary

inspire 鼓舞する

maltreated 虐待された

mistreated 虐待された

supperless 夕食なし

roam 放浪する

weep 泣く

bin ゴミ箱/容器/入れ物

overflowing 溢れる

plow 鋤 (in other words, rural areas where plows are used)

Sources

Jon Fromer, musician and producer, dies. https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Jon-Fromer-musician-and-producer-dies-4177500.php Accessed 13 April 2024.

More about Francisco Herrera: https://www.franciscoherreramusic.com/

“This quiet but powerfully moving song by Malvina Reynolds was never recorded by her during her lifetime.” Lyrics found at https://www.riseupandsing.org/songs/i-cannot-sleep