It’s Time to Stay Wide Awake

Composed 1994

After a lullaby-like piano introduction, this syncopated song about staying awake seems to have no end. With each successive verse, the endings grow a bit longer, until the singer tires and the coda arrives with the dawn. 

Lead Sheet Preview:

You can download the song files here:

Voicing:

Unison

Musical Form:

Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Coda

Suggested Uses:

Swing rhythm singing

Performance Options:

Add simple movement to suggest falling asleep as each verse concludes, then waking up to sing the next verse; interpret the ending with movement

Piano Score Preview: