In The Crown’s season 6 finale, one climactic scene features a song entitled “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep,” and there’s a deeper meaning to the song. Queen Elizabeth, now 80 years old, spends a moment alone in Westminster Abbey, the church in which almost all British monarchs have been laid to rest. As the song plays, she envisions her own coffin, and younger versions of herself (portrayed by Olivia Coleman and Claire Foy, who played the Queen in earlier seasons of the show) appear behind her, momentarily bringing back every actor who played Queen Elizabeth on The Crown. Queen Elizabeth — and, by extension, the audience — reflects on her reign as the swelling bagpipe melody rings through the Abbey.
The Crown season 6’s story ends in 2005, almost two decades before the Queen’s real passing in 2022 at the age of 96. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth’s death is not portrayed in the show. However, this final scene functions as a tribute to the real Queen, whose death is still fresh in the minds of the British public. Viewership of The Crown spiked after Queen Elizabeth’s death, putting pressure on showrunners to handle the topic delicately. Alongside the apparitions of the coffin and the Queen’s past selves, the bagpipe song foreshadows the monarch’s future; “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” is a direct reference to Queen Elizabeth’s real-life funeral service at Westminster Abbey.
“Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” Played During Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral
When Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey, the lavish service concluded with a performance of “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” by the Queen’s personal bagpipe player, Pipe Major Paul Burns. The song was played after the national anthem and before the Queen’s coffin was carried out of the Abbey for the funeral procession to Wellington Arch. The inclusion of “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” in The Crown’s finale was a tribute to this powerful moment, the real version of which was filmed and can be streamed on YouTube.
The Queen’s funeral featured a wealth of other hymns and anthems, including some from the Queen’s coronation and wedding as well as two (“Like As the Hart” by Judith Weir and “Who Shall Separate Us?” by James MacMillan) commissioned specifically for the funeral. However, “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” was chosen for The Crown likely because it was the final song played at the service before the Queen’s funeral procession departed. This makes “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” the obvious choice to accompany the last scene of The Crown; it implies the end of an era, the culmination of a long and complicated enterprise.
Real Meaning Of “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” Explained
“Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” was played as a bagpipe instrumental at the Queen’s funeral, and The Crown mirrors this choice, omitting the words of the original song. Adapted from a traditional Scottish lullaby, the song urges its subject, a soldier, to go to sleep after what the listener can assume has been a long and difficult day at war. In the context of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the song becomes a bit more metaphorical, but the meaning remains the same: after seven decades of service as the Queen of the United Kingdom, the song is telling Elizabeth II that it is time for her to rest.
Where To Listen To “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep”
Though the official bagpipe rendition of “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep” from Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is not available on streaming platforms (aside from the YouTube clip), the version from the show is available on Spotify and Apple Music. The song appears on The Crown‘s official soundtrack as “Leave You To It (Sleep, Dearie, Sleep).” It can also be found on YouTube, both as an audio track and as a clip from the show, featuring the emotional final scene.
Because it was meant to evoke the real finale of the Queen’s funeral, The Crown soundtrack version of the song is a stirring bagpipe instrumental. Many other bagpipe-only renditions by various artists are available on Spotify and Apple Music. However, since the song is a traditional Scottish lullaby, multiple different interpretations and adaptations can also be found across the internet.
The Crown is now streaming on Netflix.
