Harry's Ladder to Learning

by Anonymous

Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree-top!
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
Down will come baby, cradle, and all.

Bye, oh, my baby!
When I was a lady,
Oh then my poor babe didn’t cry!
But my baby is weeping
For want of good keeping.
Oh, I fear my poor baby will die.

Hush-a-bye, babby, lie still with thy daddy;
Thy mammy is gone to the mill
To get some wheat, to make some meat,
So pray, my dear babby, lie still.

How many days has my baby to play?
Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

Hush-a-bye, baby,
Daddy is near,
Mammy’s a lady,
And that’s very clear.

Dance to your daddy My bonny laddy, Dance to your ninny, My sweet lamb; You shall have a fishy In a little dishy, And a whirligiggy, And some nice jam.

Dance to your daddy
My bonny laddy,
Dance to your ninny,
My sweet lamb;
You shall have a fishy
In a little dishy,
And a whirligiggy,
And some nice jam.

Dance, little baby, dance up high,
Never mind, baby, mother is nigh;
Crow and caper, caper and crow;
There, little baby, there you go,
Up to the ceiling, down to the ground,
Backwards and forwards, round and round;
Dance, little baby, and mother will sing,
With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding!

Here we go up, up, up,
And here we go down, down, downy,
And here we go backwards and forwards,
And here we go round, round, roundy.