Little Birdie [core]

Little birdie, little birdie
Come and sing me your song
Got a short time to stay here
And a long time to be gone

Rather be in some dark hollow
Where the sun don't ever shine
Than for you to be another man's darling
And to know that you'd never be mine

Little birdie, little birdie
What makes you fly so high
When you know that my true lover
Is a-waiting in the sky

I'm a long way from old Dixie
And my old Kentucky home
Got no father or mother
No place to call my home

Little birdie, little birdie
What makes your head so red
Well, after all that I been through
It's a wonder I ain't dead

Married woman, married woman
Why don't you settle down
Your heart's like the little birdie's
You're flying all around

Little birdie, little birdie
Won't you sing to me your song
You've caused me lots of trouble
You've caused me to do wrong

Listen to this song

This Song Clip was recorded in the key of A. (Click below to play.)

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Get Started Plus: Core Songs Edition
100 Core Songs (including Little Birdie) plus our acclaimed playing-by-ear learning method.
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Big Print Songs
222 traditional songs, including Little Birdie, in large print. Chords, historical info, jamming hints, and more.
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Core Songs CD Series

Five CDs, 100 songs, including Little Birdie. Recordings from the Abbott family and their friends.
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A song from the Mountain Music for Everyone Song Collection from the ToneWay Project. Our website has lyrics to nearly 400 traditional songs common in bluegrass and old-time circles. Most songs also include a free MP3 recording that you can listen to. The ToneWay Project also offers songbooks, CDs, and resources for learning to play music by ear. http://ToneWay.com