Baby Dear

Born in the dead of winter
I’ve been cold since my first breath
My mother wasn’t married
They found me naked on her breast
In her left hand she held my finger
In her right a loaded gun
One bullet missing from the chamber
She couldn’t live with what she’d done
(The years rolled by, the years rolled by)

Raised as a rich man’s servant
Sleeping on his attic floor
When I was old enough to marry
He soon desired something more
But he already had a family
His wife tossed me to the street
I had nothing but my freedom
And his baby’s mouth to feed
(But I got by, I got by)

Beneath the weeping willow
Is where my son took his first breath
And I thought of my poor mother
As I brought him to my breast
In my left hand I held his finger
With my right I wiped a tear
And I felt rich beyond all measure
Praise God for sending me my baby dear
(Sweet Lullaby, sweet Lullaby
Hush, little baby, don’t you cry)