e skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
As if it _could not_ be,
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed,
Of sailing that beautiful sea;
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies,
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things,
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

O hush thee, my babie, thy sire was a knight,
Thy mother a lady both gentle and bright;
The woods and the glens from the tow'rs which we see,
They are all belonging, dear babie, to thee.

O fear not the bugle, though loudly it blows;
It calls but the warders that guard thy repose;
Their bows would be bended, their blades would be red,
E'er the step of a foeman draws near to thy bed.

O hush thee, my babie, the time will soon come,
When thy sleep shall be broken by trumpet and drum,
Then hush thee, my darling, take rest while you may,
For strife comes with manhood, and waking with day.

When little birdie bye-bye goes,
Quiet as mice in churches,
He puts his head where nobody knows,
And on one leg he perches.

When little baby bye-bye goes,
On mother's arm reposing,
Soon he lies beneath the clothes,
Safe in cradle dozing.

When little pussy goes to sleep,
Tail and nose together,
Then little mice around her creep,
Lightly as a feather.

When little baby goes to sleep,
And he is very near us,
Then on tiptoe softly creep,
That baby may not hear us.

Dance a baby, diddy;
What can a mammy do wid 'e?
Sit in a lap, give it some pap,
And dance a baby, diddy.

Smile, my baby, bonny;
What will time bring on 'e?
Sorrow and care, frowns and grey hair,
So smile my baby, bonny.

Laugh, my baby, beauty;
What will time do to 'e?
Furrow your cheek, wrinkle your neck,
So laugh, my baby, beauty.

Dance, my baby, deary;
Mother will never be