“What'll I Do with the Baby-O”

Description

Song describes various things to do with baby: wrap him up in calico, put him in his cradle, wrap him in the table cloth, throw him in the hayloft, hang him in the tree top, etc. Also, "How in the world do the old folks know I like sugar in my coffee-O?"

Cross references

• cf. "Rock-A-Bye Baby" (words)
• cf. "Sugar In My Coffee" (floating lyrics)

Recordings

• Coon Creek Girls, "What Do I Do With the Baby-O" (Songs from Renfro Valley - Bell, mx. 2002, n.d., postwar)
• Crockett's Kentucky Mountaineers, "Sugar in my Coffee" (Crown 3075, c. 1930)
• [G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "What You Gonna Do with the Baby?" (Victor V-40268, 1930; rec. 1929)
• Happy-Go-Lucky Boys, "Whatcha Gonna Do With the Baby?" (Bluebird B-8391, 1940)
• J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, "What You Gonna Do With the Baby-O?" (King 538, 1946)
• Frank Proffitt, "Baby-O" (Proffitt03)
• Jean Ritchie & Roger Sprung, "What'll I Do With the Baby-O?" (on RitchieWatson1, RitchieWatsonCD1)

References

1. SharpAp 228, "What'll we do with the Baby?" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Ritchie-Southern, pp. 26-27, "What'll I Do with the Baby-O" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 162, "What'll I Do with the Baby-O" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 234, "Charlie, Won't You Rock the Cradle" (1 text)
5. Silber-FSWB, p. 407, "Prettiest Little Baby In The County-O"; 408, "What'll We Do With The Baby-O?" (2 texts)
6. DT, DOBABYO
7. Roud #826
8. BI, R565