Hush Little Baby (Mockingbird) —Murfin Home Confinement Music Festival 2020

Mockingbird (Hush Little Baby sung by Peter Paul & Mary

In honor of one week old Matilda Mokoto Holmes coming home from the hospital to the Murfin estate in Crystal Lake we are sharing a traditional American folk lullaby, Hush Little Baby which is sometimes called Mockingbird.

Matilda with Dad John Holmes,  What did he promise her?

Hush, Little Baby probably originated in the South, but similar songs date back to at least the 18th Century in the British Isles.  The lyrics promises all kinds of rewards to the child if they are quiet. The simple structure allows more verses to be added ad lib.

It has been performed and recorded by many artists including Joan Baez, Burl Ives, Regina Spektor, Nina Simone, The Weavers, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and today performers Peter Paul & Mary.

Papa can't afford a diamond ring and is too slow to catch a mokingbird, but will think of something.

It has also been adapted into pop, blues, and even rap such as Maurice King’s Hambone, Inez and Charlie Foxx’s Mockingbird, and Bo Diddley’s eponymous song Bo Diddley, as well as Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma’s Hush Little Baby and Eminem’s Mockingbird.  

Peter Paul & Mary in 1969.

Peter Paul & Mary’s Mockingbird was featured on their first album for children, Peter Paul & Mommy released by Warner Bros. Records in 1969.  The LP reached #12 on Billboard’s Top LPs chart and won the Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1970.