Baby, Baby, Lay Your Head Lyrics
The first verse puts a baby down to sleep. The second admits that the wind is bitter and the snow and rain tap at the window. The third tucks the cradle in with warm curtains and a little nightcap, and wishes the baby good night.
Baby, Baby, Lay Your Head
Baby, baby, lay your head
On your pretty cradle-bed;
Shut your eye-peeps, now the day
And the light are gone away;
All the clothes are tuck'd in tight;
Little baby dear, good night.
Yes, my darling, well I know
How the bitter wind doth blow;
And the winter's snow and rain,
Patter on the window-pane;
But they cannot come in here,
To my little baby dear.
For the curtains warm are spread
Round about her cradle-bed;
And her little nightcap hides
Ev'ry breath of air besides:
So, till morning shineth bright,
Little baby dear, good night.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/baby-baby-lay-your-head/
- Type
- Lullabies, Rhymes for Babies, Poems for Children
- Tune
- Slow and low, with a long breath on each 'good night'
- Best for ages
- 0 to 3 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Shut your eye-peeps | Close your eyes slowly and show a sleepy face. |
| All the clothes are tuck'd in tight | Pat the blanket down firmly around a doll or the child's legs. |
What Does Baby, Baby, Lay Your Head Mean?
The lullaby sets two things against each other: the cold outside and the warmth inside. The speaker does not hide the weather, saying well I know how the bitter wind doth blow and that snow and rain patter on the window-pane, and then says they cannot come in here. The comfort comes from naming the weather and showing that the baby is safe from it.
Eye-peeps is a playful word for eyes. Doth is an old form of does. A nightcap is a soft cap worn in bed to keep the head warm, and in the third verse it shuts out every breath of air. The poem ends the way it began, with a good night.
History and Origin
This lullaby is from Rhymes for the Nursery, whose title page credits the Authors of Original Poems. The twenty-third edition, printed in London in 1831 by Harvey and Darton, calls it Good Night. The book is a collection of short verses for small children.
Learning Activities
- Listen to the weather: on a rainy evening, listen for rain on the window while someone reads the second verse.
- Tuck-in song: sing the lullaby while tucking a blanket in around a doll or teddy.
- Warm and cold: compare a cold hand on the glass with a warm hand in a blanket and say the line that matches.
- Last word: leave out the final good night and let the child whisper it.