Weekly Update #6: The Heart of Little Rogue, a Lullaby

The lullaby is a sort of universal leitmotif throughout the game. The songs in the game are all in some way linked to one another. All stemming from this ancient song.

I started out by picking pieces from the title song Flesh and Blood and simplified the melody to fit a lullaby. (You can’t use a rock song to get kids to sleep). I’ve used chords for more melancholy and movement. I made different versions to see which fitted the singer’s voice best.

The lyrics were inspired by the legend of the Selkie - a seal-like creature that changes into a woman once she comes on land. She can only return to the sea if she puts her seal skin back on. Now that’s a song! She meets a boy, and because he doesn’t want her to leave he hides her skin.

She falls in love, becomes a mother. One day she finds her skin and can’t deny the call of the sea and returns. Every year she comes to the beach to see her children again. She sings this song at a bonfire the night before she goes back to the waves.

Marijke Guetens has a lot of experience with ancient folk music. Her voice made it a deeply moving traditional lullaby, filled with a mother’s love for her child.

- Ward Snauwert