Crow on the Cradle

The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn!
Now is the time for a child to be born.
If he’s a boy he’ll carry a gun,
Sang the crow on the cradle.

If it should be that our baby’s a girl,
Never you mind if her hair doesn’t curl.
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
And a bomber above her wherever she goes
Sang the crow on the cradle.

Rockabye, baby, the dark and the light
Somebody’s baby is born for a fight.
Rockabye baby the white and the black
Somebody’s baby is not coming back.
Sang the crow on the cradle.

Your mammy and pappy they’ll scrape and they’ll save
Build you a coffin, and dig you a grave
Hushabye, little one, why do you weep?
We’ve got a toy that will put you to sleep.
Sang the crow on the cradle.

Oh bring me a gun and I’ll shoot that crow dead
That’s what your mammy and pappy once said
The crow’s on my cradle, oh what shall I do?
That is a thing that I leave to you
Sang the crow on the cradle.