All the Pretty Horses (lullaby)

"All the Pretty Little Horses" (also known as "Hush-a-bye") is a traditional African American lullaby from the southern United States.

Meaning

It was originally sung by an African American slave who could not take care of her baby because she was too busy taking care of her master's child. She would sing this song to her master's child (Lacy 1986, p. 76). Originally, the lyrics were "birds and butterflies, peck at his eyes" but were changed to "birds and butterflies, flutter 'round his eyes" to make the lullaby less violent for younger children. This theory is backed by the reference to "wee little lamby...cried for her mammy" as slaves were often forcibly separated from their own families in order to serve their owners. This verse is in a very different emotional tenor to the rest of the lullaby, suggesting a particular significance.

[[File:==Lyrics== The oldest surviving set of lyrics are as follows:

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you shall have,
All the pretty little ponies.
Blacks and bays, dapples and greys,
Go to sleepy you little baby,
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
Daddys boy mamas joy
go to slumberland my baby
When you wake, you shall have,
All the pretty little ponies.
hush your crys
close your eyes
dream of pretty little poniess
hush a bye dont you cry go to sleep my little baby
darkness falls and man calls
go to sleep my little baby
When you wake, you shall have,
All the pretty little ponies.
up and down round and round
dream of pretty little horses
hush a bye dont you cry go to sleep my little baby
go to sleep my little baby.

Musical and literary adaptations

"All the Pretty Little Horses" has inspired a variety of recordings (both direct performances of the known lyrics and adaptations thereof). Some of the singers who have recorded adaptations of "All the Pretty Little Horses" include (but are not limited to):

It has also inspired several pieces of literature, including Cormac McCarthy's award winning novel in 1992 (All the Pretty Horses), a young adult short story in the 1998 Here There Be Ghosts collection by Jane Yolen and David Wilgus, as well as Lisa Saport's 1999 children's picture book adaptation (All the Pretty Little Horses: A Traditional Lullaby).

Sources