"Hush-a-bye m'baby, slumber time is comin' soon
rest your head upon my breast while Mammy 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 boy upon my Mammy's knee
the old-folks were hummin' and the banjos were strummin'
so sweet and low!

Strum, strum, strum, strum strum!
Seems I hear those banjos playin' once again
Hmmm, hum, hmmm!
That same old plaintive phrase!

Way down in Missouri, where I heard this melody
when I was a little boy upon my Mammy's knee
the old-folks were hummin' and the banjos were strummin'
so sweet and low!

Music by Frederick Knight Logan
and lyrics by James Royce Shannon 1916