Lyr Req: Rocking My Baby to Sleep (Mike Waterson)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rocking My baby to Sleep
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 01 Oct 10 - 07:26 PM

Hazel, I think that's the more well known song with the 'by the lord Harry' in it (Roud 357). I'm currently doing a study of all versions of both songs now, but it's starting to look like they are similar but 2 quite separate songs. If that is right they will need separate Roud numbers.

I have an early version, c1800 from a garland, of 357.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rocking My baby to Sleep
From: nutty
Date: 01 Oct 10 - 05:35 AM

There's an interesting version of this here in the Bodleian

ROCKING THE CRADLE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rocking My baby to Sleep
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 06:18 PM

Thanks, Jim.
If it's a relatively recent hybrid that partially explains why it's not in my indexes.
I'm familiar with its 2 parent songs. A neat piece of welding.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE CHARLADY'S SON (from Mike Waterson)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 10:08 AM

From https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/rockingthecradle.html
Transcribed by Garry Gillard:

THE CHARLADY'S SON
[Trad. arr. Mike Waterson]

I'm a charlady's son and I'm just 31
And me wife's ten years younger than me
And I don't like to roam cos I likes to stay home
But me wife she goes out on the spree

She leaves me behind the babies to mind
And me house in good order to keep
But with the fire burning bright I could sit half the night
Rocking me babies to sleep

And it's lady, lady, hushaby babe
Mammy'll be coming back by and by
But with the fire burning bright I could sit half the night
Rocking me babies to sleep

Last Saturday night I went out for a stroll
After rocking me babies to sleep
Well at the bottom of our street well who d'you think I met
But me wife with a soldier six feet

Well she sobbed and she sighed and she damn nearly died
She says, "Lad, I've been thinking of thee."
But with the fire burning bright I could sit half the night
Rocking me babies to sleep

And it's lady, lady, hushaby babe
Your mammy'll be coming back by and by
But with the fire burning bright I could sit half the night
Rocking me babies to sleep


Sung by Mike Waterson on his LP and CD Mike Waterson.

A. L. Lloyd said in the Mike Waterson sleeve notes:

Two songs have come together here and married happily enough. ROCKING MY BABIES TO SLEEP was a music-hall piece of the 1860s, beginning: "Oh, show me the lady that never would roam / Away from her fireside at night." The other song was older, seemingly Irish in origin, THE WEE ONE, or ROCKING A BABY THAT'S NONE OF MY OWN*. Both are on the same theme: the young wife is off on the ran-tan, leaving the henpecked husband as baby-sitter. The Irish song is said to have evolved as a parody of a sacred original, THE CHRIST CHILD'S LULLABY.** New light on the role of Joseph? Mike had the song from Mick Taylor.

- - -

* See ROCKING THE CRADLE in the DT.

** See CHRIST CHILD LULLABY in the DT.

Subject: Lyr Req: Rocking My baby to Sleep
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 03:20 PM

This is probably in the DT and there is probably a thread on it but I put this title and 'Charlady's Son' into the search box and neither produced a result.
It's not the well-known traditional song sung by the likes of Tom Gilfellan I'm after, I have plenty of versions of that. Looking through all of my extensive indexes I couldn't find it unless I have mistakenly filed it with the other better-known song.
The one I'm after was sung by Mike Waterson and starts
'I'm a charlady's son and I'm just 21 and my wife is far younger than me. She goes out at night......
Chorus 'And it's lady, lady, hush a by baby, your mammy'll be coming back by and by, with the fire burning bright I could sit half the night, rocking me baby to sleep.
I was playing through the tune on my melodeon today and it goes pretty well with it. Not many song tunes go well with melodeon. I fancy learning it.