Song for a Fourth Child (Babies Don't Keep)

By | 6:58 AM 7 comments

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.


Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.



Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.



The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.














































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7 comments:

I love this Jennifer. You are beautiful and so is your sweet Zoe. When I was a busy mom of five, I always had to remind myself that twenty years down the road my children would not remember my clean floors or vacuumed carpet, but they would remember the times we played board games together or outside together playing ball.

DebHambrick said...

Beautiful picture Jenn! I remember only the last two lines of that song and have repeated it to myself many times over the years.
I can't wait to do some of that rocking for you!

Unknown said...

such a sweet picture!

Wow, this really blessed my heart today. Thank you for the beautiful reminder!

Bobbie Grant said...

So very true!

Becky Swann said...

Love this...off to rock Jude!

Unknown said...

So, so, so precious. What a gorgeous picture of you two!