Rock-a-bye anchor baby, on the treetops
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
the cradle will fall
and down will come anchor baby
cradle and all.
Depending upon where you look, there are various other verses, explanations of the symbolism of the lullabye, differing dates ranging from the 1500's to the 1800's, all claiming to have written either the verse or the melody. It is even described as a poem. I took liberty with one stanza above, and added how I sang it to my children below. I freely admit to my ignorance as to the term "anchor baby", but I learned something new today and it made me mad. The first point I'd like to make is that most of us living in the United States of America have relatives who came here as immigrants and my guess is a few babies were conceived prior to arrival or just after reaching soil or Ellis Island, depending on how far back you track your ancestry. The second point is that the very term has a negative connotation, and is now considered "A Term Redefined as a Slur".
Rock-a-bye baby, safe in my arms
Far from all danger, far from all harms,
Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow,
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.