All The Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-bye)

All the Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-bye)

Children’s song, lullaby, U.S.A.

“All The Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-bye)” is a traditional lullaby from the United States. The origin of this song is not fully known, although is commonly thought to be of African American origin. The lyrics talk about a mother or caretaker singing a baby to sleep and promising that when he or she awakes the child “shall have all the pretty little horses.”

Many singers, like Joan Baez, Charlotte Church, Nick Cave, and others, recorded their version of the song. Aaron Copland composed an arrangement of “The Little Horses” for voice and piano as the second set of Old American Songs (1952).

The song also inspired the title of the book All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, and consequently that of the 2000 film by Billy Bob Thornton, starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz.

Contents

Sing-Along Video

Lyrics

Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry,
go to sleep, my little baby
When you wake, you shall have
all the pretty little horses.
Dapples and grays, pintos and bays,
all the pretty little horses.
Hush you bye, don’t you cry,
go to sleep my little baby
When you wake, you shall have
all the pretty little horses.

Way down yonder, in the meadow,
poor little baby, crying mama.
Birds and the butterflies, flutter ’round his eyes,
little baby crying mama.
Dapples and grays, pintos and bays,
all the pretty little horses.
Hush you bye, don’t you cry,
go to sleep, my little baby
When you wake, you shall have
all the pretty little horses.

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