Hush, Little Baby
Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Mama's gonna buy you a Mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat won't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Mama's going to buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark,
Mama's going to buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
Origin of Hush, Little Baby
Hush, Little Baby is a traditional lullaby which originated in the Southen United States – the Mockingbird being a native bird species from the American continent.
The earliest known written version of the lullaby was printed by Cecil Sharp, known as the founding father of the folk song revival in England, in the early 1900s. He is said to have encountered and documented versions of the song from Lucy Cannnady of Virginia in August 1918 and from Julie Boone of North Carolina in October 1918, which suggests it dates from at least the turn of the 20th century.
The lullaby has the distinction of being the most recorded and adapted by musical artists. Variations of the original have been performed by Nina Simone and Regina Spektor, and the lullaby has inspired tracks by artists as varied as Bo Diddley, Yo-Yo Ma, and Eminem in his track “Mockingbird”.