All the Pretty Horses Lyrics

All the Pretty Horses is a lullaby rooted in the African American tradition of the American South, dating to around 1800, and carries a bittersweet history as a song reportedly sung by enslaved caregivers to soothe the children in their care. It's intended for infants and young toddlers, roughly newborn to age 3, with a slow, swaying melody built for rocking a baby toward sleep. Early-childhood educators and sleep specialists often note that slow, minor-key lullabies like this one can be especially effective at calming an unsettled baby, since a consistent, low-energy melody helps signal that it's time to wind down. Its imagery of horses and gentle promises to a sleeping child reflects a long American folk lullaby tradition passed down primarily through oral performance rather than sheet music. Understanding a song's origin, as with this one, can add meaning for parents choosing what to sing at bedtime. To learn more about how lullabies from different traditions support infant sleep, see [Lullabies in Different Cultures Around the World](/blog/lullabies-different-cultures-world).

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep, my little baby.
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little horses.

Blacks and bays, dapples and greys,
Coach and six-a-little horses,
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep, my little baby.

Way down yonder in the meadow,
Lies a poor little lambie,
The bees and the butterflies
Pecking out its eyes.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep, my little baby.
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little horses.