Charms and Lullabies

Cushy Cow Bonny, Let Down Thy Milk

CUSHY cow bonny, let down thy milk,
And I will give thee a gown of silk;
A gown of silk and a silver tee,
If thou wilt let down thy milk to me.
If you love me, pop and fly;
If you hate me, lie and die.
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Said to pips placed in the fire; a species of divination practised by children.

Peter Piper Picked A Peck Of Pickled Pepper

PETER PIPER picked a peck of pickled pepper;
A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked;

If Peter Piper Picked A Peck Of Pickled

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,
Where’s the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?

Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John

MATTHEW, Mark, Luke, and John,
Guard the bed that I lay on!
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch, one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away!

Come, Butter, Come

COME, butter, come,
Come, butter, come!
Peter stands at the gate,
Waiting for a butter’d cake;
Come, butter, come!

Bye, Baby Bunting

BYE, baby bunting,
Daddy’s gone a hunting,
To get a little hare’s skin
To wrap a baby bunting in.

Hushy Baby, My Doll, I Pray You Don’T

HUSHY baby, my doll, I pray you don’t cry,
And I’ll give you some bread and some milk by-and-by;
Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,—
Then to either you’re welcome, with all my whole heart.

Dance To Your Daddy

DANCE to your daddy,
My little babby;
Dance to your daddy,
My little lamb.
You shall have a fishy,
In a little dishy;
You shall have a fishy
When the boat comes in.

Hush-A-Bye, Baby, On The Tree Top

HUSH-A-BYE, baby, on the tree top;
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock;
When the bough bends, the cradle will fall;
Down will come baby, bough, cradle, and all.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit-Pie

RABBIT, rabbit, rabbit-pie!
Come, my ladies, come and buy,
Else your babies they will cry.

Hey, My Kitten, My Kitten

HEY, my kitten, my kitten,
And hey, my kitten, my deary!
Such a sweet pet as this
Was neither far nor neary.
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.

Young Lambs To Sell

YOUNG lambs to sell!
Young lambs to sell!
If I’d as much money as I can tell,
I never would cry, Young lambs to sell!

Rock-A-Bye, Baby, Thy Cradle Is Green

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.

To Market, To Market

To market, to market,
To buy a plum bun;
Home again, come again,
Market is done.

Hickup, Hickup, Go Away

Hickup, hickup, go away!
Come again another day;
Hickup, hickup, when I bake,
I’ll give to you a butter-cake.

Hickup, Snicup

Hickup, snicup,
Rise up, right up,
Three drops in the cup
Are good for the hiccup.

Swan Swam Over The Sea

Swan swam over the sea—
Swim, swan, swim,
Swan swam back again,
Well swam swan.