Lullaby

:This page is for "lullaby", the song. See Lullaby (novel) for the Chuck Palahniuk novel.

Rock-a-bye baby

One of the most famous lullabies, "Rock a bye baby", is hardly lulling. Although it starts mildly enough, it quickly turns to disaster:

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:Rock a bye baby on the tree top,

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:When the wind blows the cradle will rock,

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:When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,

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:And down will come baby, cradle and all.

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The author of this lullaby isn't certainly known. The Great American Baby Almanac reports that it was written by a pilgrim on the Mayflower and was inspired by a custom of the Wampanoag native people, who suspened their cradleboards in trees during fine weather. (History of Nursery Rhymes)

Related Topics:
Mayflower - Wampanoag - Cradleboard

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