Billing Road

Sharon had no chocolate,
no alcohol
and she was completely hormonal.
Still, if she could find a man to nag,
then maybe the day could be salvaged.

Hush Little Baby, Mockingbird, Uncle Tom's Cabine and Others...

Portrait shows Florence Thompson with several of her children in a photograph known as "Migrant Mother". The Library of Congress caption reads: "Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California." In the 1930s, the FSA employed several photographers to document the effects of the Great Depression on the population of America.

Hush Little Baby

“Hush, Little Baby” is a traditional lullaby. It is thought to be American (mockingbirds are from the American continent), but the author and date of origin are unknown. The lyrics promise all kinds of rewards to the child if he or she is quiet.


Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
If that diamond ring turns brass
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
If that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat.
If that billy goat won't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull.
If that cart and bull turn over,
Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
If that dog named Rover won't bark.
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart.
If that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
So hush little baby don't you cry,
Cuz Mama loves you and so do I.


Fullpage illustration by Hammatt Billings for Uncle Tom's Cabin (First Edition: Boston: John P. Jewett and Company, 1852). The engraving shows Eliza telling Uncle Tom that she has been sold and is running away to save her child.


…158 later

Eminem’s Mockingbird


Yeah
I know sometimes things may not always make sense to you right now
But hey, what'd daddy always tell you?
Straighten up little soldier
Stiffen up that upper lip
Whatchu crying about?
You got me.

[Verse 1]
Hailie, I know u miss your mom
And I know u miss your dad when I'm gone
But I'm tryin' to give you the life that I never had
I can see your sad
Even when you smile
Even when you laugh
I can see it in your eyes
Deep inside you wanna cry
Cuz you're scared
I ain't there,
Daddy's with you in your prayers
No more cryin'
Wipe them tears
Daddy's here
No more nightmares
We gonna pull together through it
We gon' do it
Lainie's uncle's crazy ain't he, yeah
But he loves you girl and you better know it
We're all we got in this world
When it spins
When it swirls
When it whirls
When it twirls
Two little beautiful girls
Lookin' puzzled, in a daze
I know it's confusing you
Daddy's always on the move
Mama's always on the news
I try to keep you sheltered from it
But somehow it seems, the harder that I try to do that
The more it backfires on me
All the things, growin' up
As daddy, daddy had to see
Daddy don't want you to see
But you see just as much as he did
We did not plan it to be this way,
Your mother and me
But things have got so bad between us
I don't see us ever being
Together ever again
Like we used to be like when we was teenagers
But then of course
Everything always happen for a reason
I guess it was never meant to be
But it's just something
We have no control over
And that's what destiny is
But no more worries
Rest your head and go to sleep
Maybe one day we'll wake up
And this will all just be a dream

[Chorus]
Now hush little baby don't you cry
Every thing's gonna be all right
Stiffin' that upper lip up little lady I told ya
Daddy's here to hold ya through the night
I know mommy's not here right now and we don't know why
We fear how we feel inside, it may seem a little crazy
Pretty baby but I promise, Mama's gon' be alright

[Verse two]
It's funny,
I remember back one year when daddy had no money
Mommy wrapped the Christmas presents up
And stuck 'em under the tree
And said some of 'em were from me,
Cuz daddy couldn't buy 'em
I'll never forget that Christmas
I sat up the whole night crying
Cuz daddy felt like a bum,
See daddy had a job, but his job
Was to keep the food on the table for you and mom
And at the time every house that we lived in
Either kept getting broken into and robbed or shot up on the block
And your mom, was saving money for you in a jar
Tryna to start a piggy bank for you
So you could go to college
Almost had a thousand dollars
'Till someone broke in and stole it
And I know it hurt so bad it broke your mamma's heart
And it seemed like everything was just starting to fall apart
Mom and dad was arguing a lot
So mama moved back on to Chalmers in a flat
One bedroom apartment
And dad moved back to the other side of 8 mile on Novara
And that's when daddy went to California with his CD
And met Dr. Dre and flew you and Mama out to see me,
But daddy had to work, you and mama had to leave me,
Then you started seeing daddy on the TV
And mama didn't like it
And you and Lainnie were too young to understand it
Papa was a rollin' stone, mama developed a habit
And it all happened too fast for either one of us to grab it
I'm just sorry you were there and had to witness it firsthand
Cuz all I ever wanted to do was just make you proud
Now I'm sittin' in this empty house,
Just reminiscing. Looking at your baby pictures it just trips me out
To see how much you both have grown it's almost like you're sisters now
Wow, guess you pretty much are and daddy's still here
Lainnie I'm talking to you too daddy's still here
I like the sound of that, yeah
It's got a ring to it don't it
Shhh, mama's only gone for the moment

[Chorus]
Now hush little baby don't you cry
Every thing's gonna be all right
Stiffin' that upper lip up little lady I told ya
Daddy's here to hold ya through the night
I know mommy's not here right now and we don't know why
We fear how we feel inside, it may seem a little crazy
Pretty baby but I promise, mama's gon' be alright

[End chorus]
And if you ask me to, daddy's gonna buy you a mocking bird
I'ma give you the world, I'ma buy a diamond ring for you,
I'ma sing for you, I'll do anything for you to see you smile
And if that mockingbird don't sing and that ring don't shine
I'ma break that birdie's neck, I'll go back to the jeweler
Who sold it to ya
And make him eat every carat
Don't fuck with Dad (ha ha).




Illustration of Tom and Eva by Hammatt Billings for the 1853 deluxe edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin.