Song Video
Lyrics
Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird don't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turn brass,
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat don't pull,
Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark.
Papa's gonna to buy you and horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down,
Well you'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
Information About Hush, Little Baby
The author and origins of "Hush, Little Baby" are unknown, but it is thought to be written somewhere in the United States since this is where mockingbirds originated. It is a popular children's lullaby.
All the verses of the song rhyme together, and can be sung from any point of view such as the mothers, fathers, sisters, or brothers by replacing a word in the song.
There have been numerous recordings of the song by various artists, and it has also been changed a bit by different artists and made to fit into their own songs.
The lyrics of the song promise many different rewards to the baby or child if they calm down, stop crying and are quiet. One instance of this is "Hush, little baby, don't say a word, mama's going to buy you a mockingbird".
This was originally a song sung by mothers to the children whilst the father was off hunting.
Other versions contain Mama and even Granny, yet the original was Papa.
Charlie Foxx arranged and then recorded "Mockingbird" with his sister Inez in 1963; a rhythm and blues version using lyrics based on the traditional song.
This song has also been covered by Carly Simon and James Taylor amongst others; also Bo Diddley used the lyrics in one of his songs.
For further information about the song "Hush, Little Baby", check out Wikipedia.
Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs
This version uses mama instead of papa
Hush little baby
don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you
a mocking bird,.
If that mocking bird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you
a diamond ring,.
If that diamond ring gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you
a billy goat,.
If that billy goat don't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you
a cart 'n bull,.
If that cart 'n bull turn over,
Mama's gonna buy you
a dog named Rover,.
If that dog named Rover
don't bark,
Mama's gonna buy you
a horse 'n cart,.
Hush little baby don't say
a word,
Mama's gonna buy you
a mocking bird,.
If that mocking bird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you
a diamond ring,.
If that diamond ring don't shine,
Hush little baby don't you mind,.
Cuz if that diamond ring
don't shine,
Mama's gonna love you
'til the end of time,.
I'm always gonna love you
'til the end of time.
An interesting verse that doesn't make a lot of sense
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a Billy Goat,
And if that Billy goat runs away Papa's
gonna buy you a stack of hay,
If that stack of hay falls down, papa's gonna run you out of this
town.
This version changes a few of the lyrics like buying an apple pie
Hush little baby don't you cry
Papa's going to buy you an apple pie.
If that apple pie turns sour
Papa's going to buy you a pretty flower.
If that flower starts to fade
Papa's going to buy you some lemonade.
If that lemonade's too cold
Papa's going to buy you a ring of gold.
If that ring of gold rolls away
Papa's going to rock his baby all day.
Here's another version that uses a mixture of the other versions
Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Momma's going to buy you a mocking bird.
If that mocking bird won't sing,
Momma's going buy you a dimond ring.
If that dimond ring turns brass,
Momma's going to buy you a looking glass.
If that looking glass gets broke,
Momma's going to buy you a billy goat.
If that billy goat gets bony.
Momma's going to buy you a shetland pony.
If that shetland pony runs away.
Momma's going to buy you another some day.
Additional verses found in the book "Hush Little Baby", by Sylvia Long
Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Mamas going to show you a hummingbird.
If that hummingbird should fly,
Mama's going to show you the evening sky.
When the nighttime shadows fall,
Mama's going to hear the crickets call.
While their song drifts from afar,
Mama's going to search for a shooting star.
When that star has dropped from view,
Mama's going to read a book with you.
When that story has been read,
Mama's going to bring your warm bedspread.
If that quilt begins to wear,
Mama's going to find your teddy bear.
If that teddy bear won't hug,
Mama's going to catch you a lightning bug.
If that lightning bug won't glow,
Mama's going to play on her old banjo.
If that banjo's out of tune,
Mama's going to show you the harvest moon.
As that moon drifts through the sky,
Mama's going to sing you a lullaby.
A sweet extra line to honour Dad
So hush little baby don't you cry, cause Daddy loves you and so do I.
To change the version only slightly and to give equal time for "papa"
Change "mama" to "papa"