Talk:Hush, Little Baby

Joy of Cooking
Joy of Cooking a Berkly Ca based band.... Brownsville Mockingbird on 1971 LP Joy of Cooking uses HUsh Little Baby as its fade to a creschendo ending. 23 October 2009 173.81.0.111 

Diamond ring or golden ring?
It never made sense to me to have "diamond ring" turn brass---the diamond is the precious part, not the metal. On the other hand, a golden ring turning brass seems more sense. Has anyone heard a variant with "golden ring" instead of "diamond ring?"

WiJO-- I remember the rhyme as being "if that diamond ring don't shine" instead of "turns brass." I can't quite remember the rest of that variant, though. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Special:Contributions/ (talk)

I heard "If that looking glass don't shine" and "If that diamond ring turns/is glass". Also, in the last line, I always heard "baby" as "babe" to preserve cadence 71.210.4.194 19:34, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

In the pop. culture section, I think something is missing; I definitely recall this song being used for a sort of taunt in a Horror movie once... the song in the movie went something like "hush little sister, don't say a word..." I'll look it up, but I definitely remember it. 74.233.222.189 (talk) 07:25, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

There is this version which is steeply rooted in ozarks folklore:

Mamma, mamma, have you heard? Papa’s going’ to buy me a mockin’-bird!

If the mockin’-bird won’t sing Papa’s goin to buy me a golden ring.

If that golden ring is brass Papa’s goin to buy me a lookin’-glass.

If the lookin’-glass don’t shine Papa’s goin to shoot that beau of mine!

Basically, the mirror would only shine for a virgin or virtuous wives. Courtesy of Vance Randolph - Ozarks Magic and Folklore —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.161.28.162 (talk) 20:49, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

=if that diamond ring doesn't do a thing= its how most people remember it later in life because diamond ring don't usually turn brass or is brass.

John Green
I don't think that John Green version belongs here. Anyone can make up a song and post it on YouTube. It's hardly culturally significant. --72.34.180.28 (talk) 05:06, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Absolutely agree, I thought that was very strange! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.132.3.10 (talk) 23:11, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

Additional citations
Why and where does this article need additional citations for verification? What references does it need and how should they be added? Hyacinth (talk) 02:21, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Citations are needed for verification, throughout the article. Reliable sources discussing the song should be cited. - Sum mer PhD  (talk) 03:12, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

I don't know how nursery rhymes can be citated rightly or wrongly, they are traditionally verbal compositions which vary from region to region. Okay, that's not Wikipedia's way, but I don't know what can be done about it. 92.20.128.72 (talk) 21:26, 22 May 2012 (UTC)
 * While there are certainly numerous variations, folklore researchers record and publish versions they encounter. By citing these sources, we report verifiable information, rather than versions reported only here (at Wikipedia) from unknown sources which may accurately reflect variants found "in the wild" or might be versions cooked up by editors seeking to include their own work and/or inside jokes. If there aren't any reliable sources for the "information" in question, it doesn't belong here. - Sum mer PhD  (talk) 03:11, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

song info here
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=70082 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.76.54.110 (talk) 17:04, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

Rewards for being quiet?
I think that is a very odd interpretation of the song. To me, the "rewards" are instead promises that are meant to be soothing or to show the mother's devotion to the child. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.8.230.136 (talk) 21:36, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

Agreed. 82.42.110.230 (talk) 18:38, 27 February 2016 (UTC)


 * If that diamond ring doesn't shine 82.12.134.116 (talk) 05:09, 20 January 2022 (UTC)