Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is the nightly song Nina Winchester sings to her daughter, Cecelia Winchester. In Millie Calloway’s account, its place in their bedtime ritual makes it a repeated feature of the household, while Nina’s hauntingly beautiful, untrained voice gives the ordinary routine a distinctive quality.

Place in the Bedtime Routine

At precisely 8:30, Nina goes upstairs to put Cecelia to bed. Millie can hear Nina read a bedtime story and then sing the same song each night, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, from The Wizard of Oz. The repetition makes the song part of a regular sequence rather than an occasional performance: story first, song afterward, as Cecelia settles for sleep.

Nina’s Voice and Millie’s Perspective

Millie notes that Nina does not sound as though she has vocal training, yet describes the way she sings as strangely, hauntingly beautiful. The contrast between an unpolished voice and its effect is the song’s distinctive characterization in the evidence. It also places Millie in the role of an attentive listener, hearing an intimate moment in the Winchesters’ family routine from elsewhere in the house.