does anyone know the words to this poem? Thanks

There are different versions on the Internet. The one I recall is

Bye baby bunting,
Daddy's gone a hunting,
Gone to get a rabbit skin
To wrap his baby bunting in.

and there are apparently a few additional verses, though I can't recall anyone singing them.

Note that it's 'bunting', not 'bumkim'. That's for good reason, I believe. One meaning of 'bunting' is a coarse open fabric of worsted or cotton; and 'Bye' is a contraction of 'Bye-bye'. According to my interpretation, the lullabyer is comforting the lullabyee with the hope that when Daddy gets home it will be ta-ta to the rough swaddling cloth and welcome to the soft furry replacement. The wording of the last line isn't quite consistent with that, but hey, how much sense does a nursery rhyme need to make when it's sung to someone too young to talk?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2006 10:22AM by IanB.

The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes says that "bunting" is an old endearment for a plump baby. The rhyme was first recorded in 1784 and there are regional variants.