Rock a-Bye Baby

Rock a-bye baby,
In the tree tops,
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks,
The cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all
 

This rhyme was first published in 1765

It is thought to refer to have been made up by a young boy who sailed with the Pilgrim Fathers to America and refers to the native American practice of putting their baby papooses into trees while they worked.