Rock-a-bye baby
on the tree top.
When the wind blows
the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks,
the cradle will fall.
And down will come Baby,
Cradle and all.
“Hush-a-bye baby” in The Baby’s Opera A book of old Rhymes and The Music by the Earliest Masters, ca. 1877
The version from Mother Goose’s Melody or Sonnets for the Cradle (London, 1791) contains the wording:[1]
Hush-a-bye baby
on the tree top…
The version from Songs for the Nursery (London, 1805), contains the wording:
Rock-a-bye baby, thy cradle is green,
Father’s a nobleman, mother’s a queen
And Betty’s a lady, and wears a gold ring;
And Johnny’s a drummer, and drums for the king
Alternate Lyrics as shown in The Real Mother Goose (Rand McNally & Co., Chicago) published in 1916[2]:
Rock-a-bye baby, thy cradle is green;
Father’s a nobleman, mother’s a queen;
And Aggy’s a lady, and wears a gold ring;
And Johnny’s a drummer, and drums for the king.
The most common version used today is[citation needed]:
Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree tops,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
The ‘full’ version’s lyrics are[citation needed]:
Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top
When the wind blows the cradle will rock
If the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
Mother will catch you, cradle and all
Baby is drowsing, cosy and fair
Mother sits near in her rocking chair
Forward and back, the cradle she swings
Though baby sleeps, he hears what she sings
“Rock-a-bye baby, do not you fear
Never mind, baby, mother is near
Wee little fingers, eyes are shut tight
Now sound asleep until morning light”
