I'm guessing that in early days, say before 1940, there was a parallel tradition using "Cotton-Eyed Joe" as a lullaby.

The earliest example I know of is Burl Ives' early-1950s recorded version, mentioned briefly above. It is sung slowly, to a tune that is distinct from the various dance melodies for the song. If memory serves, Burl used only two verses:

Where did you come from, where did you go?
Where did you come from, old Cotton-eyed Joe?

Come for to see you, come for to sing,
Come for to show you my diamond ring.

It has a meditative, lullaby sound. It's also an odd match -- notice verse 2 only seems to answer verse 1; it really doesn't. As if the two were put together from different sources or even different songs.

I don't know Ives' source, though growing up in Jasper County, Illinois, he learned a fair number of songs from his grandmother. I haven't found any indication whether this may have been one of hers. I'd hoped I might find Burl'd written some comments about it, but unfortunately he didn't include it in his Burl Ives Song Book, nor elsewhere that I know of -- only on record, without notes.

The diamond ring verse isn't found in the dance versions until very late (like, after 1960), and probably did not originate there. It's not in any of the early printed versions I've seen—Talley, Scarborough, White, Lomax.

So:

1. Is Burl Ives the first known user of the "diamond ring" verse in this song? Wonder what its origin is? Anyone know?

2. Anyone know of any pre-1940 evidence for "Cotton Eyed Joe" as a lullaby?
(i.e. I'd like to narrow the question down to pre-1950 at the latest, excluding versions that came later)

3. Know of any other verses used in early lullaby versions?

4. In fact, what are the chances that "Cotton-Eyed Joe" in the Ives tradition might be a separate song that just happens to be about the same figure and share a first verse?

Real mystery, this! -- Bob