My T'ai Chi teacher sang me this song the other evening during our class. She knows that I am a song collector and this is a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her, that she in turn sang to her kids. She grew up in Delaware and she said that this song has been passed down through her family for many generations. Where her mother hails from, I do not know, but this lullaby implies that it might well have had its origins as a song sung by slaves. Does anybody recognize this song?

When I was a little baby,
I remember long ago
Daddy would sit all evenin' and play the old banjo
Momma, then would call me honey,
Take me up upon her knee and rocking me gently,
She'd sing this song to me.

Don't you cry my honey, don't you weep no more
Mammy only loves her baby
All the other po' folks a'sleeping on the floor
Mammy only loves her baby.

I'm trying to ascertain its origins, like where it comes from, how old it is and all that. If anyone's got any clues, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks so much!
~Sally in Ohio