The Cuckoo

The Cuckoo, she's a pretty bird
She sings as she flies
She brings us glad tidings
And tells us no lies

She sucks on the wild bird's eggs
To keep her boys clear
And when she sings "Cuckoo"
The summer grows near

As I was awoken
By the side of a bush
I heard two birds whistling
The blackbird and the thrush

I asked them the reason
So happy they be
And the answer that they gave me
We are single, and we are free

A walkin' and a talkin'
A walkin' was I
To meet my true lover
here would be there by and by

To meet him in the meadow
Is all my delight
A walkin' and a talkin'
From morning 'till night

For meeting it is a pleasure
Oh but a parting, t'is a grief
And an inconstant lover
Is far worse than a thief

A thief he will but rob you
And steal all you have
But an inconstant lover
Will send you to the grave

Oh the grave it will rot you
And turn you in to dust
An inconstant lover
No maiden can trust

He'll court you and kiss you
Ne'er he'll be true
And the very next moment
He'll bid you adieu

So warn you young and tender maids
From take a warning by me
Never set your heart on a sycamore tree
His green leaves they will weather
His roots they will decay
And the fair looks of a pretty young maid
Will soon fade away

The Cuckoo she's, a pretty bird
She sings as she flies
She brings us glad tidings
And tells us no lies

When our time has come
Her voice we don't hear
And where she goes, we do not know
Until another year