Characters:  Narrator One (NARR 1)
   Narrator Two (NARR 2)
   Narrator Three (NARR 3)
   Mother
   Son

NARR 1: Mother held her first newborn child in her lap and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  And while she held him, she sang:

MOTHER: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always,
 As long as I’m living
 My baby you’ll be.

NARR 2: The baby grew.  He grew and he grew and he grew.  He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house.  He pulled all the books off the shelves.  He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mothers watch and flushed it down the toilet.  Sometimes she would say,

MOTHER: This kid is driving me crazy!

NARR 3: But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  While she rocked him she sang:

MOTHER: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always,
 As long as I’m living
 My baby you’ll be.

NARR 1: The boy grew.   He grew older until he was nine.  When he was nine for some reason he never wanted to come for dinner and he didn’t want to take a bath.  Sometimes when Grandma came he said bad words.  Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

NARR 2: But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed.  If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  And while she rocked him, she sang:

MOTHER: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always,
 As long as I’m living
 My baby you’ll be.

NARR 3: The boy grew.  He grew and he grew and he grew until he was a teenager.  He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music.  Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

NARR 1: But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed.  If he was really asleep, she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  And while she rocked him, she sang:

MOTHER: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always,
 As long as I’m living
 My baby you’ll be.

NARR 2: That teenager grew.  He grew and he grew and he grew.  He grew until he was a grown-up man.  He left home and got a house across home.

NARR 3: But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town.

NARR 1: If all the lights in her son’s house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed.  If that great big man was really asleep, she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  And while she rocked him, she sang:

MOTHER: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always,
 As long as I’m living
 My baby you’ll be.

NARR 2: Well, that mother, she got older.  She got older and older and older.  One day she called up her son and said,

MOTHER: You’d better come and see me because I’m very old and sick.

NARR 3: So her son came to see her.  When he came in the door she tried to sing the song.  She sang:

MOTHER: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always…

NARR 1: But she couldn’t finish because she was too old and sick.

NARR 2: The son went to his mother.  He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  And he sang this song:

SON: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always,
 As long as I’m living
 My mommy you’ll be.

NARR 3: When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs.

NARR 1: Then he went into the room where his new baby daughter was sleeping.  He picked her up in his arms, then put her slowly back in bed.  While he tucked her in, he sang:

SON: I’ll love you forever,
 I’ll like you for always,
 As long as I’m living
My baby you’ll be.