Hi, Gerry. Thanks for those lyrics. I used to sing those years ago, when the Kingston Trio was the latest hot thing.

The melody for this song is very beautiful. I like to play it on fretted dulcimer.

The Sing Out! book says this is a lullaby, and I can see how that would be. It is so calm and peaceful in tone. But the baby being sung to better be too little to understand the words. Telling a baby that its mama will die is hardly designed to soothe.

I picture a poor family going out to work at whatever they can find, while an old, sickly member of the family is left at home to care for the baby.