Nursery Rhymes›Rock-a-bye Baby
Rock a Bye Baby lyricsRock a Bye Baby lyrics
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Rock-a-bye Baby

Key: C68 BPMGuitar & Piano chords
⬇ Download the chord sheet (PDF)

Rock-a-bye Baby Lyrics. One of the oldest English lullabies, in print since the eighteenth century, known for its rocking rhythm that mimics the motion of a cradle. Despite the dramatic image of the falling cradle, the melody is designed to gently lull children to sleep. Its earliest known appearance in print is in a collection called Mother Goose’s Melody, published in London around 1765, and while several origin stories have been proposed for its unusual falling-cradle imagery over the years, none has ever been firmly confirmed, leaving its true inspiration a genuine historical mystery. Here you will find the lyrics, meaning, and chords.

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 C                          G7
Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top.
                             C
When the wind blows the cradle will rock.
                             G7
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
             C    G7      C
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
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Chords — guitar & piano

C
×
Guitar
CEG
Piano
G7
Guitar
DFGB
Piano
Good to know

What “Rock-a-bye Baby” Means

One of the oldest English lullabies (in print since the eighteenth century). The swaying words mirror the gentle motion of a cradle being rocked. Although the image of a falling cradle sounds dramatic, the soft melody and rocking rhythm are meant to do the opposite: to lull a baby safely and sweetly to sleep in a parent’s arms.
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This lullaby is also available as a full handplayed recording — “Rock A Bye Baby | Under Amber Stars” — on Spotify.

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Sources & rights

  • Words and melody: see the credits in the text of this page. Older songs are traditional or in the public domain; songs by known authors keep their authors' credit.
  • Recording and arrangement: real instruments played by hand, no AI music, by Relax In No Time.
  • Chords: written by us for guitar and piano.
  • Translation: our own meaning-for-meaning translation, written for understanding. The sung words stay in the original language.

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