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Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
Baby bye, here's a fly
We will watch him you and I…
Baby bye, here's a fly,
We will watch him, you and I,
How he crawls up the walls,
Yet he never falls.
I believe with those six legs;
You and I could walk on eggs,
There he goes, on his toes,
Tickling baby's nose.
Baby bye, (Baby bye), here's a fly, (here's a fly),
We will watch him, you and I, (you and I),
How he crawls (How he crawls) up the walls, (up the walls),
Yet he never falls, (he never falls, he never falls, he never falls).
I believe with those six legs;
You and I could walk on eggs, (walk on eggs, walk on eggs),
There he goes, (There he goes), on his toes, (on his toes),
Tickling baby's nose (Tickling baby's nose).
I believe with those six legs;
You and I could walk on eggs,
There he goes, (There he goes), on his toes, (on his toes),
Tickling baby's nose (Tickling baby's nose).
Tickling baby's nose.
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
Baby, Bye, Here's a Fly is a traditional American nursery song that occupies a charming position between lullaby and nonsense rhyme. The song introduces a series of creatures — a fly, a spider, and others — each appearing in turn to the sleepy baby, creating a gentle, dreamlike procession.
The song belongs to the tradition of American parlour and nursery songs that flourished in the 19th century, when songs for children began to be collected, published, and treated as a distinct and valuable category of literature. Its particular blend of whimsy and tenderness — creatures arriving to bid the baby goodnight, or simply to observe — is characteristic of the period's best children's writing.
The nonsense elements of the song serve a careful purpose: they are unusual enough to catch a child's attention, but gentle enough not to disturb. A spider appearing in a lullaby is amusing rather than alarming, seen through the soft lens the song provides. It is the kind of song that rewards a parent's imagination — sung slowly, with a voice full of mock solemnity, it becomes a tiny bedtime theatre.
