Lullabies are usually in triple meter or 6/8 time, giving them a 'characteristic swinging or rocking motion.' This mimics the movement a baby experiences in the womb as a mother moves. This dilutes the rate of material and appeals to infants' slower capacity for processing music. The most frequent tendencies are intermittent repetitions and long pauses between sections.

In addition to pitch tendencies, lullabies share several structural similarities. Tonally, most lullabies are simple, often merely alternating tonic and dominant harmonies. To reflect this, most lullabies contain primarily consonant intervals. Furthermore, if there is a sequence of dissonant intervals in a song, an infant will usually lose interest and it becomes very difficult to regain its attention. When there is harmony, infants almost always prefer consonant intervals over dissonant intervals. These clarify and convey heightened emotions, usually of love or affection. Lullabies tend to share exaggerated melodic tendencies, including simple pitch contours, large pitch ranges, and generally higher pitch. To guard against Lilith, Jewish mothers would hang four amulets on nursery walls with the inscription 'Lilith вЂ“ abei'. In the Jewish tradition, Lilith was a demon who was believed to steal children's souls in the night. ДЄ folk etymology derives lullaby from 'Lilith-Abi' ( Hebrew for ' Lilith, begone').

The term 'lullaby' derives from the Middle English lullen ('to lull') and by (in the sense of 'near') it was first recorded circa 1560.

Tamil thalattu jo sing