Missouri
"The
Missouri Waltz"
The "The Missouri Waltz" was adopted as the official state
song on June 30, 1949.
Hush-a-bye, ma baby, slumbertime
is comin' soon;
Rest yo' head upon my breast
while Mommy hums a tune;
The sandman is callin' where
shadows are fallin',
While the soft breezes sigh
as in days long gone by.
Way down in Missouri where
I heard this melody,
When I was a little child
upon my Mommy's knee;
The old folks were hummin';
their banjos were strummin';
So sweet and low.
Strum, strum, strum, strum,
strum,
Seems I hear those banjos
playin' once again,
Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum,
That same old plaintive strain.
Hear that mournful melody,
It just haunts you the whole
day long,
And you wander in dreams back
to Dixie, it seems,
When you hear that old time
song.
Hush-a-bye ma baby, go to
sleep on Mommy's knee,
Journey back to Dixieland
in dreams again with me;
It seems like your Mommy is
there once again,
And the old folks were strummin'
that same old refrain.
Way down in Missouri where
I learned this lullaby,
When the stars were blinkin'
and the moon was climbin' high,
Seems I hear voices low, as
in days long ago,
Singin' hush-a-bye.