All the Pretty Little Horses Lyrics
A promise of cake and a field full of ponies, sung slowly enough to close tired eyes. All the Pretty Little Horses is one of the best-known lullabies to come out of the American South.
All the Pretty Little Horses
Hushaby,
And don't you cry,
My sweet, pretty little baby.
When you wake, you shall have cake,
And oh, the pretty little horses.
Four little ponies you shall have,
All the pretty little ponies,
White and gray, black and bay,
Oh, the pretty little horses.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/all-the-pretty-little-horses/
- Type
- Lullabies
- Tune
- Traditional American lullaby
- Best for ages
- 0 to 4 years
What Does All the Pretty Little Horses Mean?
The singer soothes a crying baby with promises: cake when they wake up, and ponies of every color. Bay is a reddish-brown horse with a black mane, and gray, white and black are the other colors in the herd. The list of horses is a soft picture to fall asleep to, much like counting sheep.
History and Origin
The song grew out of the lullabies sung by Black women who cared for children in the American South, and it was passed on by singing long before it was written down. Folk song collector Dorothy Scarborough printed several versions in 1925, including this one from Waco, Texas, which she was given by Dorothy Renick. Later singers and recordings made it known all over the world.
Learning Activities
- Slow it down: sing it a little slower each time through, with your voice getting softer.
- Color the horses: for toddlers, name the horse colors in the song and point to them in a picture book.
- Rocking: rock gently in time with each line; the long notes on "horses" are a natural place to pause.