The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #70082   Message #37991
Posted By: Lee Thomson
12-Sep-98 - 09:30 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Hush little baby, don't say a word
Subject: lyrics for Mockingbird lullaby
I have been desperately and randomly making up verses to the Mockingbird lullaby to satisfy my 4 yr old daughter's requests for it, but would like help either from scratch or from memory bridging some of the gaps:

Hush little baby don't say a word
Momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird
If that mockingbird don't sing
Momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring
If that diamond ring is brass [glass]
Momma's gonna buy you a looking glass
If that looking glass gets broke
Momma's gonna buy you a billy goat
If that billy goat won't [exactly what do billy goats do??]
Momma's gonna buy you a ...

[somewhere in here are: Momma's gonna buy you a dog named Rover If that dog named Rover don't bark Momma's gonna buy you a horse and cart If that horse and cart turn over Momma's gonna buy you a dog named Rover ... and I get caught in a loop]

and it ends

and if that something something something ...own you'll still be the prettiest little baby in town

I know James Taylor and Carly Simon recorded a pretty raucous version of it in my youth, but even that didn't have all the verses I remembered from my parents' folk song nights.

Your help is greatly appreciated -

Lee Thomson