“Little Bird”

Description

"Where are you going, little bird, little bird, Where are you going, little bird? I am going to the woods, sweet child, sweet child." What is in the woods? A tree. In the tree is a nest, in the nest, eggs, in the eggs, baby birds to sing "Praise the Lord"

Supplemental text

Little Bird
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

From Harvey H. Fuson, Ballads of the Kentucky Highlands, p. 89.
"From singing of Susie Cox."

"Where are you going, little bird, little bird,
Where are you going, little bird?"
"I am going to the woods, sweet child, sweet child,
I am going to the woods, sweet child."

"What's in the woods, little bird, little bird,
What's in the woods, little bird?"
"There's a tree in the woods, sweet child, sweet child,
There's a tree in the woods, sweet child."

(4 additional stanzas)

Notes

Lumped by Scarborough with the Endless Circle/Tree in the Wood/Rattling Bog family. But the versions of this do not complete the circle, and add the religious motif. This may well have started from a fragment of the English song, but they're separate, sez I. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "The Rattling Bog" (theme)

References

1. Fuson, p. 89, "Little Bird" (1 text)
2. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 359-400, "The Tree in the Wood/Pretty Bird" (1 text)
3. ST Fus089 (Partial)
4. Roud #4281
5. BI, Fus089