Dance A Baby

    Danty baby diddy,
    What can a mammy do wid'e,
        But sit in a lap,
        And give 'un a pap?
    Sing danty baby diddy.

Hush-a-by baby on the tree-top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall--
Down comes baby, cradle and all!

1.
Lavender's blue, diddle, diddle!
Lavender's green;
When I am king, diddle, diddle!
You shall be queen.

2.
Call up your men, diddle, diddle!
Set them to work;
Some to the plough, diddle, diddle!
Some to the cart.

3.
Some to make hay, diddle, diddle!
Some to cut corn;
While you and I, diddle, diddle!
Keep ourselves warm.

        [This should be accompanied by a kind of pantomimic dance, in which the motions of the body and arms express the process of weaving; the motion of the shuttle, & c.]

    Weave the diaper tick-a-tick tick,
    Weave the diaper tick -
    Come this way, come that
    As close as a mat,
    Athwart and across, up and down, round about,
    And forwards, and backwards, and inside, and out;
    Weave the diaper thick-a-thick thick,
    Weave the diaper thick!

    Dance, little baby, dance up high,
    Never mind, baby, mother is by;
    Crow and caper, caper and crow,
    There, little baby, there you go;
    Up to the ceiling, down to the ground.
    Backwards and forwards, round and round;
    Dance, little baby, and mother will sing,
    With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding!

Hey diddle diddle! the cat and the fiddle,
The cow skipt over the moon;
The little dog laughed to see the fine sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.