Sing Books with Emily, the Blog

Most people know the folk song and lullaby ”Hush Little Baby.”

There are many illustrations of “Hush, Little Baby” but one of my favorite Singable Book versions is illustrated by Marla Frazee.

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Hush, Little Baby
Traditional Word and Tune
Illustrated by Marla Frazee

As you sing the song, you can enjoy the book’s story in pictures of a little girl who jealously wakes her sleeping baby sibling and incurs the wrath of the baby’s cries and the family’s attempts to quench the storm with gifts from the travelling junk man.

Marla Frazee’s illustration uses “Papa,” but you can sing “Hush Little Baby” with “Mama” or “Papa.”

Another nice rendition of the song has lyric adaptations and illustrations by Sylvia Long.

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Hush Little Baby
Words adapted by Sylvia Long
Traditional tune
Illustrated by Sylvia Long

At a “Sing Books with Emily” gathering, one of the moms told me about this version of “Hush Little Baby.”  This is a special rendering of the song because everything Mama gives Baby are magical non-material moments between a mother and her child. For example, “Hush little baby, don’t say a word, Mama’s going to show you a hummingbird.”  I can think of many special moments like that with my parents, gifts that last longer than any toy.

Here are the standard lyrics:

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.

The book “Jim along Josie” collected and compiled by Nancy and John Langstaff, has these lyrics for “The Mockingbird Song (Hush up, Baby)”

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Hush up, baby, don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
If it can’t whistle, and it can’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.
If that diamond turns brass, Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass.
If that looking glass gets broke, Papa’s gonna buy you a Billy goat.
If that Billy goat runs away, Papa’s gonna buy you another day.

In the Langstaff’s book sites that “The Mocking Bird” is “From ‘English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians.’”

The book “I Hear America Singing,”  collected and arranged by Kathleen Krull, calls the song “The Mockingbird Song or, Hush, Little Baby”  The citation is for “Appalachia/Alabama” and also says “Popular in the South in Pioneer days, this descends from an old English nursery rhyme.”

Peter Yarrow, in his note about “Hush, Little Baby” in his book of “Sleepytime Songs,”  suggests that the appeal of this song is the deep sense of comfort in knowing that no matter what happens, no matter what goes wrong, the child will be loved and cared for.

I read in a number of places online, that one indication that the song lyrics are American, is that Mockingbirds are native to the American Continent.  The author, composer, and origin of this song are unknown.

Lyrics to traditional songs evolve vastly over time, as suits the people in the times that they sing them.  If you are not singing along with the book, it is perfectly valid to make up your own lyrics and rhymes to the tune and sing those to your children.  Your children will know them and sing those words to their children.  And on it goes…  It is a sweet and gentle way to send something of yourself into the future.

“Hush Little Baby” is easily sung a capella.  But, if you would like to sing along with music, most music download sites have a number of good options.