Questions I ask Google: Lullaby Edition

It's a crazy Friday night so I thought I would ask Google a question. I like to do that from time to time, because Google knows things and I like things and knowledge. I just put L down for the night and had lullabies on my mind and I thought... why is Rock-a-bye Baby SO insanely scary. Hello my child, let me soothe you to sleep with a story about a baby resting in a cradle that was hung on a tree branch. The wind is softly rocking the baby back and forth... so soothing. BUT WAIT, the wind is picking up. It's getting dangerous. All of the sudden the branch breaks causing the baby (and subsequently the cradle) to fall to the ground. Now rest up! 

Watch the f out baby. Bad things are about to happen!

 Key facts:

1. Origins seem to be with Mother Goose (that evil fowl) in 1765

2. The earliest recorded version of the words in print appeared with a footnote, "This may serve as a warning to the Proud and Ambitious, who climb so high that they generally fall at last."

And then there are about 5 other possible answers that may or may not be correct. Wikipedia doesn't pick favorites. Some have to do with a hidden political reference to the Stuart heir in England and the protestant reformation. SO smart right now. The one that I think makes the most sense is that it was more of a nursery rhyme (a la "ring around the rosy") that was used in a game where you would toss a child "about" and then have them pretend fall at the end. I think I like that one best because it's easy and semi friendly. My kind of theory. 

For more useless and random information about Rock-a-bye Baby, click here.  For the record, I started writing this post before I discovered the answer to my question and I am slightly disappointed that it is not more dramatic and juicy.

-RT