Venusian lullaby

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A certain Venusian lullaby was sung many times throughout the Doctor's travels.

The Venusian language it was written in was long dead by the 26th century. Some archaeological sources suggested that the tune wasn't a lullaby, but instead a bawdy rhyme. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising) The first line, "Klokeda partha mennin klatch" translated roughly to "Close your eyes, my darling. Well three of them, at least"! (TV: The Dæmons) Ian Chesterton sung the line as "Close your eyes - or three of them at least" when he was convinced he was Inikhut, a Venusian of 300,000,000,000 BC. (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby) The "ablark, araan, aroon" refrain had to do with the number of limbs they had. The Seventh Doctor told Bernice Summerfield not to ask what "shunna teerenatch" meant. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising) A longer variant that Inikhut's bud-mother Jellenhut sang was at least 11 lines long. It asked the children to close their five eyes and fold their five legs one by one undernearth the belly of their wishes, hopes, dreams, and sleep. (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby)

A contradictory account claims it was composed by Felina using the melody of a centuries-old Earth Christmas carol entitled, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", which Felina first heard performed by Henry Gordon Jago when he was trying to soothe a herd of angry shanghorns. (AUDIO: Voyage to Venus)

It was used by the Third Doctor to soothe Aggedor, along with the spinning mirror/torch, which apparently had a hypnotic effect on the beast. (TV: The Curse of Peladon, The Monster of Peladon) He also chanted the first line when he was warding away Bok. (TV: The Dæmons)

More obscurely, in the late 2000s, an illustrated book of Venusian lullabies was used by Rhys Williams to placate a giant Zansi baby when Gwen and he took care of him. (COMIC: Rift War! Part Three: Funhouse!)

The Seventh Doctor sung it to calm himself. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising)

The Eleventh Doctor used the lullaby when he organised an orchestra to prevent the Drexxons escaping from their cell in a Perpetuity Chamber, which was locked by a musical key. (PROSE: Death Riders)

Behind the scenes

• Jon Pertwee (the Third Doctor) liked to say he has made up the tune to the song by putting nonsense words to "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". If this is true, and the song wasn't devised by an episode writer or house composer, this would give Pertwee the distinction of having written a song for Doctor Who (or at least the lyrics to one).
• The original Christmas carol has since been heard several times in the 2005-present revived series.