![]() By the way, according to the “Shining Tribe” interpretation, in the original song, the bough did not break a much kinder version for us dreamers. A different interpretation has it that the song is American and is based on Native American women rocking their babies to sleep in birch bark cradles.īut I prefer the notion that the song refers to little baby shamans being nestled into the branches of a protecting tree. In this version the song is an allegory of sorts, with the wind representing the Protestant forces blowing in and the cradle representing the royal house of Stuart, etc. Another theory is that it is a song about how James the VII came by his son … apparently the baby was spirited into the birthing chamber because James couldn’t produce a Roman Catholic heir the traditional way. I liked this interpretation, though I can find no confirmation of it as a viable theory.Īccording to Wikipedia there is no clearly agreed upon origin for that particular lullaby, only that it first appeared in print in about 1765, in “Mother Goose’s Melodies.” Some say the song refers to a family of 10 who lived in a yew tree in Derbyshire England. Sometimes this tree exists in dreams of the spirit world.” The text also suggests that this may be the origin of the lullaby lyrics, “Rock-a-bye baby in the treetop, when the wind blows, the cradle will rock.” ![]() The accompanying text explains that this represents “a great tree where future shamans rest in cradles. The card depicts a cityscape at night, with a cozy cradle nestled in a tall tree. Until, that is, on solstice night this year I pulled the “Five of Trees” card from the “ Shining Tribe” tarot deck. Then, just in time, my daughter began to sleep through the night, and I ceased thinking about lullabies and their sinister undertones. Ouch!īut as the nights went on, and I became increasingly sleep deprived, and the late night awakenings showed no sign of letting up, I found myself theorizing that those cruel lyrics were composed by some frustrated mother at her wits end, imagining various scenarios that might stop her baby from crying, since clearly soothing lullabies were not doing the trick. In particular, I was disturbed by “Rock-a-bye baby,” in which an infant is being rocked in a cradle in a tree, and then when the branch breaks, down goes the poor helpless baby. When daddy screeches we will give him a hand to dig poor old daddy out of the sand.When my daughter was a baby, and I began singing her lullabies, I was startled at the cruelty of some of the lyrics. When the tide comes in then daddy will screech Up and down the hill your cradle will rockīut don't worry baby because mamma is nay You're cradle is green your momma is queenīrother a drummer that plays for the king. "And momma will catch you cradle and all". Forward and back, The cradle she swings And though baby sleeps, He hears what she sings. When the bough breaks, The cradle will fall And down will come baby, Cradle and all. When the wind blows, The cradle will rock. Take a look at Wikipedia.Īn alternate (and less disturbing!) ending to the song is: Rock-a-bye Baby Rock-a-bye baby, On the treetop. The child was never identified and was later adopted by a local family.įor further information about the origin of the song "Rock a Bye Baby". This is believed to be the origin of the children's lullaby "Rock A Bye Baby". According to Ripley's Believe It or Not!, a baby girl was found sleeping peacefully in the branches of a tall elm. The tornado killed 99 people and injured 100, and it is said that 10% of Marshfield's residents were killed and all but 15 of its buildings were destroyed. Its damage path was 800 yards (730 m) wide and 64 miles (103 km) long. On April 18, 1880, an intense tornado measuring F4 on the Fujita scale struck Marshfield. The wind is the wind of change the revolution, and the breaking bough refers to the goal of the revolution: to remove the reign. The tree symbolizing the state, the tree top the king. Some believe it to be the first ever nursery rhyme to be written on American soil.Īnother theory suggests it was written during the time of Oliver Cromwell a critique of the king and his family "in disguise". There are a number of theories regarding the origin of the words to the song. The first record of the words, bearing a strong resemblance to those used today, was in 'Mother Goose's Melody' possibly published by John Newbery around 1765. "Rock a Bye Baby" is an old English lullaby and sometimes referred to as "Hushabye Baby" the melody for which, is a variant on the English satirical ballad 'Lilliburlerois' by Henry Purcell.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |