Come to the Land Where the Babies Grow Lyrics
Two invitations make up this poem. The first goes to a land where babies grow like flowers in the grass, swinging and crowing in the warm wind. The second goes to a sea where babies sail in ships of pearl, and a baby brother may sail to the listener.
Come to the Land Where the Babies Grow
Come to the land where the babies grow,
Like flowers in the green, green grass.
Tiny babes that swing and crow
Whenever the warm winds pass,
And laugh at their own bright eyes aglow
In a fairy looking-glass.
Come to the sea where the babies sail
In ships of shining pearl,
Borne to the west by a golden gale
Of sun-beams all awhirl;
And perhaps a baby brother will sail
To you, my little girl.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/come-to-the-land-where-the-babies-grow/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- Dreamy and slow, like telling a bedtime story
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Tiny babes that swing and crow | Sway your arms from side to side and let out a happy crow. |
| In ships of shining pearl | Rock gently as if you were on a little boat. |
What Does Come to the Land Where the Babies Grow Mean?
The poem is a made-up story of where babies come from, told in pictures a small child can see: babies that grow "like flowers in the green, green grass", and babies that sail in "ships of shining pearl". A gale is a strong wind, but this one is "golden" and made of "sun-beams all awhirl", which is a way of saying the wind is gentle and bright. The first verse ends with babies looking into "a fairy looking-glass", an imaginary mirror where they laugh at their own bright eyes.
The last two lines make it personal: "perhaps a baby brother will sail / To you, my little girl." That makes it a poem to share when a new baby is on the way. It is a poetic fancy, not a true explanation, and a parent can add their own words to it. The rhymes are grass, pass and glass, and pearl, awhirl and girl.
History and Origin
Leroy F. Jackson wrote this for The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918). The book is a collection of his own rhymes for small children.
Learning Activities
- New baby story: if a baby is coming into the family, say the last two lines and let the child talk about what they will do with the baby.
- Make a pearl ship: fold a paper boat and decorate it with pearly stickers or white paper circles.
- Grass garden: lie on the lawn and look for flowers, then say the first verse while pointing to them.
- Sunbeam wind: blow gently on a feather to see what a soft golden gale could do.