ROSEMARY READS: LOVE YOU FOREVER
    
    
    A mother held her new baby and
    very slowly rocked him back and forth,
     back and forth, back and forth.
    And while she held him, she sang:
    
    
I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always,
     As long as I'm living
     my baby you'll be.
    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
     mother's watch and flushed it down the
    toilet. Sometimes his mother would say,
     "This kid is driving me CRAZY!"
    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:

    
     I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always,
     As long as I'm living
     My baby you'll be.
    The little boy grew. He grew and he grew
    and he grew. He grew until he was nine
    years old. And he never wanted to come
    in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath,
     and when grandma visited he always
    said bad words. Sometimes his mother
    wanted to sell him to the zoo!
    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:

    
     I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always,
     As long as I'm living
     My baby you'll be.
    The boy grew. He grew and he
    grew and he grew. 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!
    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.
     While she rocked him she sang:

    
     I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always,
     As long as I'm living
     My baby you'll be.
    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 town.
    But sometimes on dark nights
    the mother got into her car and drove
    across town.
    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:

    
     I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always,
     As long as I'm living
     My baby you'll be.
    Well, that mother, she got older.
    She got older and older and older.
     One day she called up her son and said,
    "You'd better come see me because
    I'm very old and sick."
     So her son came to see her.
    When he came in the door she tried
    to sing the song. She sang:

    
     I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always...
    

     But she couldn't finish because
     she was too old and sick.
    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:

    
     I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always,
     As long as I'm living
     My Mommy you'll be.
    When the son came home
    that night, he stood for a long time
    at the top of the stairs.

    Then he went into the room
    where his very baby daughter
    was sleeping. He picked her up in
    his arms and very slowly rocked
     her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
     And while he rocked her, he sang.

    
     I'll love you forever,
     I'll like you for always,
     As long as I'm living
     My Baby you'll be.