A cluster of four short rhymes: a nonsense riddle about an old woman who lives on nothing but victuals and drink, the well-known lullaby 'Sleep, Baby, Sleep', a cheeky 'Cry, Baby, Cry', and 'Baa, Baa, Black Sheep'. Together they range from lively to soothing, so pick the section that suits the moment.
From Mother Goose / Nursery Rhymes (traditional). See the whole collection.
There was an old woman, and what do you think?
She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink;
Victuals and drink were the chief of her diet,
And yet this old woman could never be quiet.
SLEEP, BABY, SLEEP
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Our cottage vale is deep:
The little lamb is on the green,
With woolly fleece so soft and clean—
Sleep, baby, sleep.
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Down where the woodbines creep;
Be always like the lamb so mild,
A kind, and sweet, and gentle child.
Sleep, baby, sleep.
CRY, BABY
Cry, baby, cry,
Put your finger in your eye,
And tell your mother it wasn't I.
BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
One for my dame,
But none for the little boy
Who cries in the lane.
Public domain. Text from The Real Mother Goose (Blanche Fisher Wright, 1916), via Project Gutenberg. View the source edition