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