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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Family
- Published: 06/07/2024
The Origins of Rock a Bye Baby
Born 1960, F, from San Antonio Texas, United States.jpeg)
The lyrics for “Rock-a-Bye Baby” were first published in Mother Goose's Melody in London around 1765, but the song wasn't composed until the late 19th century.The song became popular in American cities by the end of the 19th century.
The song may be about infant mortality, based on the custom in some parts of rural England of placing a dead newborn in a basket hung from a tree branch.
I have also heard of another dark meaning to this rhyme. In ancient times the peoples would place the newborn babe in a basket and hang it high in the branches as a sacrifice for a God. But I have not been able to find this online so this theory is only conjecture.
A Mayflower pilgrim may have observed Native American women rocking babies in birch-bark cradles.
Davy Crockett's older sister, Effie Crockett was invited to help some mothers in the Muskogee Tribe. The Muskogee Tribe had a custom of cradling their papooses among the swaying branches of birch trees. This protected their babies from ground insects, the sun, and wild animals.
Effie watched the swaying and soothing motion of the topmost branches of the trees. She loved how each baby enjoyed nature, how they listened to the songbirds, each babe seemed perfectly content.
One of the Tribal mothers began to sing a song to the children in her native tongue.
Lulu se pepe i le pito i luga o le laau,
A agi le matagi e luluina le moega pepe,
A gau le lala e paʻu ai le moega pepe,
Ma o le a sau i lalo pepe, moega pepe ma mea uma.
Effie translated the words and kept the tune.
The English translation:
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.
A “bough” is simply a tree branch, and its breaking was used by the Muskogee mothers as an analogy of their little baby growing up.
Their little baby would soon outgrow his cradle. With each gently rocking wind, time One day, the “branch” would break because her little baby had become too heavy. The “cradle” would fall to the earth – the child, no longer a baby, would dust himself off and grow into a man.
The rhyme is believed to have first appeared in print in Mother Goose’s Melody (London c. 1765), The original may be extant, but a 1791 edition has the following words:
Hush-a-by baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
Down tumbles baby, cradle and all.
The song may have originated with the Ancient Egyptians, with the baby representing the god Horus.
The scholars Iona and Peter Opie note that the age of the words is uncertain, and They list a variety of claims that have been made, without endorsing any of them:
Over time, some have thought the lullaby is about the Egyptian deity Horus, god of kingship and the sky.
Then again some have thought it’s a reference to British colonists noticing Native American women comforting their children by rocking them in birch-bark cradles.
The song is believed to originate when women working in fields used to take their babies along to work and tie their cradles to the branches of the trees so that the wind could rock them to sleep, this may have been the origin of the Native American Women caring for their babes or it may have also occurred in Europe.
It is also thought that the first line is a corruption of the French Promenons-nous dans les bois,
French Song
(Chorus:)
Promenons-nous dans les bois,
Pendant que le loup n'y est pas.
Si le loup y était
Il nous mangerait,
Mais comme il y est pas,
Il nous mangera pas.
Loup, y es-tu ? Que fais-tu ? M'entends-tu ?
Le loup : " Je mets ma chemise "
(repeat chorus)FrLe loup : " Je mets ma culotte "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets mes chaussettes "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets ma veste "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets mes bottes "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets mon chapeau "
(repeat chorus)
Ajouter les vêtements souhaités par l'enfant
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je prends mon fusil ! J'arrive ! Me voilà ! "
English Translation
(Chorus:)
Let's wander in the forest,
While the wolf is not there.
If the wolf were there
He would eat us,
But since it's not there,
He won't eat us.
Wolf are you there ? What are you doing ? Can you hear me ?
The wolf: "I'm putting on my shirt"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my pants"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my socks"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my jacket"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my boots"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: “I put on my hat”
(repeat chorus)
Add the clothes the child wants
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: “I’m taking my gun! I’m coming! Here I am!”
Wherever this song originated has been a favorite for centuries.
I myself changed the lyrics when my grown children were babes.
My version
Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
But Mommy will catch the Baby and that’s all
The Origins of Rock a Bye Baby(Shirley Smothers)
The lyrics for “Rock-a-Bye Baby” were first published in Mother Goose's Melody in London around 1765, but the song wasn't composed until the late 19th century.The song became popular in American cities by the end of the 19th century.
The song may be about infant mortality, based on the custom in some parts of rural England of placing a dead newborn in a basket hung from a tree branch.
I have also heard of another dark meaning to this rhyme. In ancient times the peoples would place the newborn babe in a basket and hang it high in the branches as a sacrifice for a God. But I have not been able to find this online so this theory is only conjecture.
A Mayflower pilgrim may have observed Native American women rocking babies in birch-bark cradles.
Davy Crockett's older sister, Effie Crockett was invited to help some mothers in the Muskogee Tribe. The Muskogee Tribe had a custom of cradling their papooses among the swaying branches of birch trees. This protected their babies from ground insects, the sun, and wild animals.
Effie watched the swaying and soothing motion of the topmost branches of the trees. She loved how each baby enjoyed nature, how they listened to the songbirds, each babe seemed perfectly content.
One of the Tribal mothers began to sing a song to the children in her native tongue.
Lulu se pepe i le pito i luga o le laau,
A agi le matagi e luluina le moega pepe,
A gau le lala e paʻu ai le moega pepe,
Ma o le a sau i lalo pepe, moega pepe ma mea uma.
Effie translated the words and kept the tune.
The English translation:
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.
A “bough” is simply a tree branch, and its breaking was used by the Muskogee mothers as an analogy of their little baby growing up.
Their little baby would soon outgrow his cradle. With each gently rocking wind, time One day, the “branch” would break because her little baby had become too heavy. The “cradle” would fall to the earth – the child, no longer a baby, would dust himself off and grow into a man.
The rhyme is believed to have first appeared in print in Mother Goose’s Melody (London c. 1765), The original may be extant, but a 1791 edition has the following words:
Hush-a-by baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
Down tumbles baby, cradle and all.
The song may have originated with the Ancient Egyptians, with the baby representing the god Horus.
The scholars Iona and Peter Opie note that the age of the words is uncertain, and They list a variety of claims that have been made, without endorsing any of them:
Over time, some have thought the lullaby is about the Egyptian deity Horus, god of kingship and the sky.
Then again some have thought it’s a reference to British colonists noticing Native American women comforting their children by rocking them in birch-bark cradles.
The song is believed to originate when women working in fields used to take their babies along to work and tie their cradles to the branches of the trees so that the wind could rock them to sleep, this may have been the origin of the Native American Women caring for their babes or it may have also occurred in Europe.
It is also thought that the first line is a corruption of the French Promenons-nous dans les bois,
French Song
(Chorus:)
Promenons-nous dans les bois,
Pendant que le loup n'y est pas.
Si le loup y était
Il nous mangerait,
Mais comme il y est pas,
Il nous mangera pas.
Loup, y es-tu ? Que fais-tu ? M'entends-tu ?
Le loup : " Je mets ma chemise "
(repeat chorus)FrLe loup : " Je mets ma culotte "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets mes chaussettes "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets ma veste "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets mes bottes "
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je mets mon chapeau "
(repeat chorus)
Ajouter les vêtements souhaités par l'enfant
(repeat chorus)
Le loup : " Je prends mon fusil ! J'arrive ! Me voilà ! "
English Translation
(Chorus:)
Let's wander in the forest,
While the wolf is not there.
If the wolf were there
He would eat us,
But since it's not there,
He won't eat us.
Wolf are you there ? What are you doing ? Can you hear me ?
The wolf: "I'm putting on my shirt"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my pants"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my socks"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my jacket"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: "I'm putting on my boots"
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: “I put on my hat”
(repeat chorus)
Add the clothes the child wants
(repeat chorus)
The wolf: “I’m taking my gun! I’m coming! Here I am!”
Wherever this song originated has been a favorite for centuries.
I myself changed the lyrics when my grown children were babes.
My version
Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
But Mommy will catch the Baby and that’s all
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Marla
06/22/2024Very interesting! I've always thought it was weird that such a gentle tune would end with tragic words! I like the idea of the branch breaking because the child had grown up.
Your version (mommy catching) is considerably more comforting than what I heard / read growing up! :)
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Shirley Smothers
06/22/2024Thank you Marla. I like the Native American version the best. Yes I too was a bit disturbed thinking of the trauma a Baby suffered falling from a tree. My version made me more comforted. Thank you again.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Shirley Smothers
06/07/2024Thank you Joel. I think I like the Native American version the best. Thank you again.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Shirley Smothers
06/07/2024Thank you Gerald. I had been told the song had dark origins. I like the Native American version the best. Thank you again.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Shirley Smothers
06/07/2024Thank you Donald. I have heard several versions if how this song came about. So I researched this myself.
COMMENTS (4)