Singing is big in our house. All of a sudden I’m getting requests from my daughter to sing, sing out loud. Luckily it’s in the privacy in my own house because – let’s face it – I’m not a professional singer for a very good reason.

However, in the interest of singing parents everywhere – and really, your child doesn’t care if you can or cannot carry a tune, they love to listen to you sing anyway – I thought I’d share one of our favorite songs. You may have heard of it, but I bet this will not be the version you’re used to.

You know the song, Hush Little Baby Don’t Say A Word…Papa’s gonna buy you a mocking bird? Well, I love the tune and I love the way it starts but I just can’t handle the materialism it advocates. Yes, I know I’m over analyzing a children’s song, but I don’t want my daughter thinking that she’s entitled to a ring if her bird doesn’t sing. It’s just not my style.

So, I haven’t been singing that song…not that I’d remember the actual words anyway. But, I was given the book “Hush Little Baby” by Sylvia Long that has all new rhymes that go with the tune. It starts out like this:

Hush little baby don’t say a word, Mama’s gonna show you a humming bird.
If that humming bird should fly, Mama’s gonna show you the evening sky.

It goes on to show the mother exploring the immediate world around her and her baby. It’s such a fun book to read/sing. Give it a try. Here’s the Google Books online version and here it is at Amazon: