> Eliza Carthy > Songs > Little Birds

Little Birds / Hawk and Crow / Leatherwinged Bat

[ Roud 747 ; Ballad Index K295 ; trad.]

Liam O'Connor of Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone, sang The Hawk and the Crow to Peter Kennedy in 1953. This recording, “enhanced” by Kennedy's banjo playing, was included in 1995 on the Saydisc album Traditional Songs of Ireland. Kennedy noted:

This was a rare find. Previously I'd only come across this Birdie Song in Cecil Sharp's collection from the Southern Appalachians, made during the First World War, from North Carolina and Virginia, so we were delighted to encounter this version in its probable place of origin.

Kevin Mitchell sang Two Strings on a Bow on his 1977 Topic album of Irish traditional songs and ballads, Free and Easy. John Moulders commented in the album's sleeve notes:

American singers call this song The Bird’s Courtship or The Leather Winged Bat—it’s quite common there but only once has it been collected in the British Isles; Peter Kennedy and Sean O’Boyle obtained it from Liam O’Connor of Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone. (Kennedy, Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland, no. 295). Kevin’s version, again given him by Anne Brolly (see The Magherafelt May Fair), shows only slight verbal differences from Liam O’Connor’s and it’s possible that Anne, reared in Coalisland, only 12 miles from Pomeroy, has the song from him. Kevin has changed the tune of the chorus so that the air as a whole is that of the hornpipe The Cuckoo’s Nest—a not inappropriate combination of tune and words.

Lucky Bags sang Leatherwinged Bat in 1998 on their Fellside album Delight in Disorder.

Sean Doyle sang The Hawk and the Crow on his 2004 CD The Light and the Half-Light. He noted:

This is an Ulster song I got from Traditional Songs of the North of Ireland by Derek Bell and Liam Ó Conchubhair. Apparently it is also known as The Birds Courting Song. The oldtimey accompaniment would seem to be appropriate as John Herrmann tells me there is an Appalachian version of this song known in North Carolina.

Megson sang The Leatherwinged Bat in 2012 on their album of children's folk songs, When I Was a Lad…. They noted:

Also known as The Birds' Courting Song or The Hawk and the Crow, this ballad tells the stories of various birds in their courting expeditions and how they have succeeded and failed.

The Outside Track sang The Hawk and the Crow in 2012 on their CD Flash Company. They noted:

Peter Kennedy collected this song from Liam O'Connor in 1953 and published it in Folksongs of Britain and Ireland. Thanks to Brian Hart and Brian Miller for bringing this song to our attention.

Lucy Farrell with Eliza Carthy, Bella Hardy and Kate Young sang Little Birds in 2013 on Carthy Hardy Farrell Young's album Laylam. She noted:

Little Birds was from a Cecil Sharp collection of American Songs [English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, Volume 2, p. 304, collected from Mrs. Jane Gentry at Hot Springs, N.C., 12 September 1916]… from a time that I only sang songs that had birds in…

Emily Smith sang Hawk and Crow in 2014 on her album Echoes.

Maz O'Connor sang Bird Song in 2014 on her album This Willowed Light. She commented:

This song was collected by Cecil Sharp in the Appalachians. My friend Jack [Harris] has given it a beautiful new tune.

Andy Turner learned The Hawk and the Crow from Kevin Mitchell's album and sang it as the 2 September 2016 entry of his project A Folk Song a Week.

Said the Maiden sang The Birds' Courting Song on their 2017 CD Here's a Health. They noted:

This song describes the acquisition of characteristics for a number of species of winged creature. We learned it from the Muppets.

Lyrics

Liam O'Connor sings The Hawk and the Crow	Emily Smith sings Hawk and Crow
Said the hawk unto the crow one day, “Why do you in mourning stay?” “I was once in love and I didn't prove fact And ever since I wear the black.”	Said the hawk unto the crow one day, “Oh how can you in mourning stay?” “I was once in love but I did prove slack And ever since I wear the black.”
Chorus (repeating each verse's second half): Singing: Ri-the-diddle ri-the-diddle ri-the-diddley dum, Singing: Ri-the-diddle ri-the-diddle ri-the-diddley dum, I was once in love and I didn't prove fact And ever since I wear the black.
And next there spoke the Willie Wagtail, “I was once in love and I did prevail, I was once in love and I did prevail And ever since I wag my tail.”	The next to speak was Willie Wagtail, “I was once in love but I did prevail, I was once in love but I did prevail And ever since I wag my tail.”
And next there spoke the little brown thrush Who was sitting in yon holly bush, “The way to court I've heard them say Is to court all night and sleep the next day.”	Then up and spoke the little brown thrush, She was sitting in yon holly bush, “Oh the way to love I heard them say Is to court all night and to sleep all day.”
And last there spoke the Jeannie Wran, “Do you know what I'd do if I was a man? For fear that one whould wriggle and go I would wear two strings upon my bow.”	And the last to speak was Jenny Wren, “Do you know what I'd do if I were a man? In case that one should wriggle and go I'd wear two strings all upon my bow.”

Lucy Farrell sings Little Birds

Says the robin as he flew,
“When I was a young man I chose two.
If one didn't love me the other one would,
Don't you think my notion good?”

Says the blackbird to the crow,
“Why do the white folks hate us so?
For ever since old Adam he was born
It's been our trade to pull up corn.”

“Hoots!” says the owl with his head so white,
“It's a lonesome day and a lonesome night.
I thought I heard some pretty girl say,
She'd court all night and sleep all day.”

“No, no,” says the turtle dove,
“That's no way for to gain his love.
If you want to gain his heart's delight,
You must keep him awake both day and night.”