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Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
Put on the skillet, slip on the lid,
Mammy's gonna make a little shortnin' bread,
That ain't all she's gonna do,
Mammy's gonna make a little coffee too.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Three little children lying in bed,
Two were sick and the other almost dead.
Sent for the doctor and the doctor said,
"Give those children some shortnin' bread."
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
When those children sick in bed,
Heard the talk about shortnin' bread,
Popped up well to dance and sing,
Skipped around and cut the pigeon wing.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
He slipped to the kitchen, he slipped up the lead,
Filled his pockets full of shortnin' bread.
He stole the skillet, he stole the lead,
He stole the girl making shortnin' bread.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Caught him with the skillet, caught him with the lead,
Caught him with the girl making shortnin' bread.
Paid six dollars for the skillet, six dollars for the lead,
Spent six months in jail eating shortnin' bread.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin',
Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread.
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
"Shortnin' Bread" is a traditional American folk song of African American origin, its history connected to the Southern plantation tradition and the folk music of the post-Civil War period. It was collected and popularised in the early twentieth century, with recordings by various artists bringing it to wide attention.
Shortnin' bread — a simple, dense bread made with butter or lard (the "shortening" that gives it its name) — was a staple food in the Southern states, and the song uses it as a symbol of home cooking and maternal care. The children who are sick in bed recover instantly at the mention of shortnin' bread, which says everything about the power of comfort food.
The story takes a farcical turn in the later verses, when the bread's theft leads to imprisonment. This kind of comic narrative — a small crime with disproportionate consequences — is a common feature of folk songs of this type, using humour to lighten what might otherwise be a straightforwardly melancholy story. The refrain, "Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread", remains throughout as an anchor of warmth and appetite.
