This lullaby is a really easy one to sing, and when I looked up the lyrics for it online, I was surprised to find that it had all sorts of archaic stuff, is clumsy with the rhyme scheme, and even tried to jam extra syllables in. Case in point: "dog named rover," "cart and bull"???

Anyway, I called up my sister to see what she recalled our parents singing, and she said these were the lyrics she used, so I'm going to go with that.

Here is the song as a printable image using one of my favorite fonts and a soft and soothing color scheme (click for full-size):




















Note that this key is awfully high, but it sounds just great and Henry loves it. The opening note is C#.

And here are the words as plain text:
Hush little baby don't say a word
Mama's* gonna buy** you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring |
And if that diamond ring is brass
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass should crack
Mama's gonna buy you a jumping jack
And if that jumping jack won't hop
Mama's gonna buy you a lollipop
And when that lollipop is done
Mama's gonna buy you another one
So hush little baby don't say a word...
(rinse and repeat as needed)

*substitutions of "papa" "mommy" "daddy" or any two-syllable name may be admissable
**kind of a consumeristic song, huh? I envision GWB post-911 telling people "go out and buy more mockingbirds and lollipops people!"


chant/prayer/mantra: may all our babies and parents sleep soundly one day


pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel

Labels: music, personal religion, sustenance