It is based on a demon who often features in Caribbean folklore, called the jumbie. This Trinidadian lullaby has been sung for generations, but it’s exact beginnings are unknown. If you do not sleep, the crab will eat you. As with many other lullabies, the child is warned if they don’t go to sleep, they will come to harm.

The most popular lullaby in Haiti, this song is often partly improvised by parents trying to get their baby to sleep. You’ll still be the sweetest baby in town. In the final lines, they are so desperate to keep the baby asleep, it suggests the mother would see the baby’s death as a blessing as they would become the ‘sweetest little baby in town’. However, there is a darker side to the song. A parent sings to their child, trying to bribe them into going to sleep and is popular because of the repetitive lyrics and soothing rhythm. Originating in the southern states of America, it's unclear just how old this lullaby is. Native American women would place their babies in birch cradles and suspend them in trees to be rocked by a breeze. It is believed they had a baby boy smuggled into the birthing room and claimed him as their own.Īnother theory is that the lullaby was written by an English migrant to America who married a Native American woman. The King and his wife, Mary of Modena, were unable to produce a male heir. Some believe it refers to King James II of England. There are two theories as to the meaning of Rock-A-Bye Baby. In the play, a mother is soothing her child to sleep so that she can drown the child and be free to join her husband who is running away from the authorities. Bium Bium is believed to have been originally written as part of a play called Fjalla-Eyvindur. The Bium Bium is the name of the monster which waits for the children. This lullaby originates in Iceland and tells the story of a monster lurking outside, waiting to lull children away in the night.

I found the track of the swan on the lake These ‘changelings’ are believed to be children we would now recognise as having a learning difficulty, but without this scientific explanation, a myth was invented. The lullaby discusses a common idea used to explain strange childhood behaviours. When she returns, she finds the baby changed. This Scottish lullaby has a beautiful melody but alarming lyrics, telling the tale of a mother who leaves her baby outside. You can learn more about the lullabies on this map (where you can also listen to the songs), or by reading below. With this in mind, we’ve collected some of the strangest and most unsettling lullabies from around the world and created fittingly creepy posters for each one. Yet that doesn’t explain why the lyrics to these lullabies can often be as creepy as any Brothers Grimm tale. We know that lullabies work by decreasing heart rate and pain levels in babies, as found in research by Great Ormond Street.

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