Hush Little Baby — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mockin'bird
If that mockin'bird don't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring
If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
If that looking glass gets broke
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat
If that billy goat don't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and mule
If that cart and mule turn over
Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover
If that dog named Rover won't bark
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart
If that Horse and Cart fall down,
Then you'll be the sweetest little baby in town

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Learning from "Hush Little Baby"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Hush Little Baby" uses 16 lines to create a memorable verse — proof that effective poetry doesn't need to be long. Pay attention to the meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is what makes the rhyme stick in your head.

Songwriters and poets can borrow these patterns. Try writing your own lyrics using the same rhyme scheme and line length as this nursery rhyme. You can also use words from the poem above as starting points — click any word to find rhymes or look up its definition, then build from there.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to Hush Little Baby?
The lyrics to Hush Little Baby are: Hush, little baby, don't say a word / Mama's gonna buy you a mockin'bird / If that mockin'bird don't sing / Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring / If that diamond ring turns brass, / Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass ... Read the full 16-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Hush Little Baby have?
"Hush Little Baby" has 16 lines of verse.

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