Title: A Bushel and a Peck

General Information about Item:
Verbal Folklore
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informant: Rosie McCarthy
Date Collected: 10-17-21

Informant Data:

Rosie McCarthy was born on November 16th, 2001. Her mom grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and her father grew up in Portland, Oregon. She currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her parents. Rosie is a sophomore on the lacrosse team at Dartmouth. She has three older sisters whom she is very close with. She shared with me that the lullaby “A Bushel and a Peck” we collected was a key part of her childhood, as well as in her mother’s life because her grandmother would sing it to her mom.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

This lullaby was sung to her and her sisters every night before falling asleep when they were little. Her mom wanted to continue the tradition of singing this lullaby to her daughters because it was sung to her. Rosie’s mother would pat her back to the tune of the lullaby, just as her own mother would do for her. When her mom couldn’t sing it to her, her older sisters would sing it to her instead.

Cultural Context:

Rosie’s family’s tradition of “A Bushel and a Peck” being sung on her mother’s side is remarkable. Rosie’s mother and grandmother both sang this lullaby to their daughters growing up and each generation was impacted by it. Rosie and her three sisters all feel a special connection to the lullaby and plan on continuing the family tradition with their children, daughters and sons alike. This lullaby originated from the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls in 1950. Rosie was not sure if that was how her grandmother first heard it.

Item:
I love you, a bushel and a peck,
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I’m talkin’ in my sleep,
About you

Associated file:

Informant Comments:
This lullaby is super special to me and one of my earliest childhood memories. My mom would pat my back to the tune of the lullaby the same way my grandma would do to my mom. My sisters and I have talked to my mom about her childhood a lot so feeling connected to her upbringing through A Bushel and a Peck has been a great experience.

Collector Comments:
Rosie is one of my teammates and I know her family pretty well. It was awesome to hear such a special family tradition surrounding a lullaby. It was super interesting to see how Rosie’s female family members were brought together in this way.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, female, tradition, family, student