All the Pretty Little Horses

This is a very sweet lullaby. The author was said to be an African slave who didn't have time to care for her own children because she was caring for her master's children.




Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep, my little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Dapples, and Greys, Pintos and Bays
All the pretty little horses.


Way down yonder, in the meadow,
Poor little baby crying Mama.
Birds and butterflies, flutter round his eyes,
Poor little baby crying Mama.

Douglas Mountain

This is a Raffi song that he sings on his CDs. It makes a wonderful lullaby.The words are very simple. I used to sing it to my son.


Snows are a-falling on Douglas Mountain,
Snows are a-falling so deep.
Snows are a-falling on Douglas Mountain
Putting the bears to sleep,
Putting the bears to sleep.

Trimming the wicks on Douglas Mountain,
Shining my chimney so  bright.
Trimming the wicks on Douglas Mountain,
So God can bring the night,
So God can bring the night.

Golden Slumbers

Golden slumbers, kiss your eyes
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep pretty baby, do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.

Care you know not when you sleep
While over you my watch will keep.
Sleep pretty baby, do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.

Hush Little Baby

A beloved English lullabye. I used to sing it to my son.

Hush little baby don't say a word,
Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird.

If the mockingbird don't sing,
Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's going to buy you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's going to buy you a billy goat.

If that billy goat don't pull,
Papa's going to buy you a cart and bull.

If that cart and bull turn over,
Papa's going to buy you a dog named Rover.

If that dog named Rover don't bark,
Papa's going to buy you a horse and cart.

If that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest baby in town.

Babies don't keep

This is not a sung lullaby, but rather a well loved poem that coud be read to a child at bedtime.

                Babies Don't Keep
Mother, O Mother, come shake out the cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peek-a-boo
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullaby, rockaby lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
                                        --Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Good books for Mother Goose rhymes

Here are some of my favorite books for Mother Goose rhymes:

dePaola, Tomie; Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose, NY:G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1985
     Beautifully illustrated with Tomie dePaola's signature style, this collection has over 200 Mother Goose nursery rhymes, including some not so well known. A great first book for Mother Goose. The pictures are very appealing to young children.


Engelbreit, Mary; Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose:One Hundred Best-Loved Verses, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 2005.
     A nice collection of over100 rhymes with bright, kid appealling, illustrations. Classic as well as not so well known rhymes are included. An index of First Lines is included in the back.



Opie, Iona and Peter; New edition, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997.
     The classic book that is the definitive work on nursery rhymes. Contains over 500 rhymes, songs and riddles. Researched, footnoted and annotated. Illustrations are sparse. A scholarly work, not meant to be read to children. You can find any rhyme in this book!

  

Mother Goose Rhymes that are stories

Some rhymes are longer and tell a complete story. This beloved rhyme does well with your child on your lap. You can also read the rhyme from a nicely illustrated book so your child can look at the pictures. 

Three little kittens
They lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, Mother dear,
We sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost.
What! Lost your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
No, you shall have no pie.

The three little kittens
They found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, Mother dear,
See here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.
Put on your mittens,
You silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie.
Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,
Oh, let us have some pie.

The three little
Put on their mittens
And soon ate up the pie;
Oh, Mother dear,
We greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled.
What! Soiled your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,
Then they began to sigh.

The three little kittens
They washed their mittens,
And hung them up to dry;
Oh, Mother dear,
Do you not hear,
Our mittens we have washed.
What! Washed your mittens,
Then you're good little kittens,
But I smell a rat close by.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,
We smell a rat close by.

I used to really play up the words "What! lost your mittens, you naughty kittens" by saying it very dramatically. Young children find the expression funny.

This next one is very funny showing that humor is part of Mother Goose rhymes. Again, try reading it to your child from a book so he or she can follow along with the pictures and see more of the humor.

Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To get her old dog a bone;
But when she got there
The cupboard was bare
And so the old dog had none.

She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread;
But when she got back
The poor dog was dead.

She went to the undertaker's
To buy him a coffin;
But when she got back
The poor dog was laughing.

She took a clean dish
To get him some tripe;
But when she got back
He was smoking  a pipe.

She went to the fishmonger's
To buy him some fish;
But when she got back
He was licking the dish.

She went to the tavern
For white wine and red;
But when she got back
The dog stood on his head.

She went to the fruiter's
To buy him some fruit;
But when she came back
He was playing the flute.

She went to the tailor's
To buy him a coat;
But when she came back
He was riding a goat.

She went to the hatter's
To buy him a hat;
But when she came back
He was feeding the cat.

She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig;
But when she came back
He was dancing a jig.

She went to the cobbler's
To buy him some shoes;
But when she came back
He was reading the news.

She went to the seamstress
To buy him some linen;
But when she came back
The dog was a-spinning.

She went to the hosier's
To buy him some hose;
But when she came back
He was dressed in his clothes.

The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, Your servant,
The dog said, Bow-wow.