Rock the Cradle, John!

AKA(Old) Humphrey Hodge
Rock the baby John
LyricsJB GeogheganMusic JB GeogheganRoud32576
Music Hall performersGeorge Leybourne
First published1869
Version from broadside credited to JB Geoghegan

Old Humphrey Hodge a farmer was, 
His age was fifty-seven; 
A bachelor, too, and well to do, 
For he in the world had thriven; 
And Humphrey Hodge from dawn till dark, 
Was happy as the day was long, 
For he rose with the sun, and he sang with the lark. 

Rock the cradle, John, 
Rock the cradle, John, 
For there's many a man rocks another man's birth
And thinks he is rocking his own.

Now Humphrey Hodge had a servant girl, 
As blooming as the day, 
And she was fair as the lily or pearl, 
And fresh as the flowers in May; 
And her eyes shot forth such lustrous beams, 
That somehow, ere 'twas long. 
Her image was ever in Humphrey's dreams. 
In spite of his favourite song... 

Now Humphrey Hodge, a-las, and a-las. 
Grew tired of single life, 
And ere the harvest moon could pass, 
He made his maid his wife; 
And the sun shone bright on his marriage morn,
And the bells rang out ding, dong, 
And Humphrey felt like a man new born, 
And fairly forgot the song....

Now Humphrey Hodge and his dear young wife 
Were happy as any pair, 
Until the time that he was blessed 
With a buxom son and heir; 
And he sits and sighs as the baby cries, 
With its lungs so loud And strong, 
Yet he sings, forsooth, and reflects on the truth 
Contained in his favourite song ...

Now Humphrey Hodge walks round the farm. 
And his hair is silver grey, 
With his wife before, and the child on his arm 
The fruits of December and May 
And people smile at the silly old man, 
Being wed to a wife so young. 
And Humphrey thinks as he Winks and blinks, 
When his neighbours sing him the song ..

Alternative chorus on many Broadsides
Oh! Rock the cradle John,
Oh! Rock the cradle John
An old man married had better be buried 
Than rocking the cradle alone

The theme of an older man marrying a younger woman, and taking care of another man’s baby is one that pops up quite often in folksong. I guess it’s not surprising then that there are a number of songs with a similar title and a similar theme, which all seem to have got mixed up!

We can say quite confidently that JB Geoghegan claimed to have written and composed a song with the words as given above, though the second version of the chorus occurs more regularly than the first in printed versions. This appears to be the song which was in the repertoire of George Leybourne, a performer who also sang at least one other song credited to Geoghegan, The Hallelujah Band. The music for the Rock the Cradle John available via the link below, and is quite different from the tunes for the traditional songs with similar names.

Date: Thursday,  Dec. 16, 1869
Publication: The Daily Telegraph (London, England)Issue: 4525

Steve Gardham has analysed nine songs on this theme, originating between the 17th and the 19th century. He points out that the chorus of our Music Hall song is quite similar to that of a 17th-century ballad written by Lawrence Price: Rocke the cradle, rocke the cradle, rocke the cradle, John; There’s many a man rockes cradle when the childe is none of his owne. Steve suggests that Geoghegan may have directly based his song on this earlier ballad.

Sources:

Last Updated on November 25, 2023 by John Baxter | Published: February 20, 2020

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