The Doc Watson Family is the attribution of recordings by American folk mus… Read Full Bio ↴The Doc Watson Family is the attribution of recordings by American folk music artist Doc Watson and wider family members originally released as an album in 1963. The field recordings were done by Ralph Rinzler, Eugene W. Earle, Archie Green, and Peter Siegel from 1960 to 1963. Artists on the recordings include Doc Watson (guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandolin, autoharp, vocals), Merle Watson (guitar, banjo), Gaither Carlton (banjo, fiddle, vocals), Dolly Greer (vocals), Sophronie Miller Greer (vocals), Annie Watson (vocals), Arnold Watson (banjo, harmonica, vocals), Rosa Lee Watson (vocals), Willard Watson (banjo), Ralph Rinzler (guitar).

The album was re-released on Smithsonian Folkways on CD in 1990 with additional tracks from the 1970s.

The Cuckoo Bird
The Doc Watson Family Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Gonna build me a log cabin
On a mountain so high,
So I can see Willy,
As she goes walking by.

Oh, the cuckoo, she's a pretty bird,
Lord, she warbles as she flies;
She'll never say cuckoo

Till the fourth day of July.
Well I played cards in old England
And I've gambled over in Spain,
And I'll bet you ten dollars
That I'll beat you next game.
My horses they ain't hungry
And they won't eat your hay.
I'll drive home just a little further
Wondering why you treat me this way.
Oh, the cuckoo she's a pretty bird.
Lord, she warbles as she flies.
She'll cause never more trouble
And she'll tell you no lies.
There's one thing that's been a puzzle
Since the day that time began:

A man's love for, for his woman
And her sweet love for her man.

Overall Meaning

"The Cuckoo Bird" is a traditional folk song that has been performed by many musicians throughout history, including The Doc Watson Family. The song seems to be about a man who wishes to build himself a log cabin high up in the mountains so he can have a clear view of a woman named Willy whenever she goes out for a walk. "Oh, the cuckoo, she's a pretty bird / Lord, she warbles as she flies / She'll never say cuckoo / Till the fourth day of July." The lyrics seem to be somewhat fragmentary and do not follow any strict narrative structure. The second stanza mentions how the singer has played cards and gambled in different parts of Europe and is confident enough to bet on winning the next game. He also mentions his horses' eating habits and how they won't eat the other person's hay. The song ends with a beautiful philosophical reflection on the mystery behind a man's love for a woman and vice versa. "There's one thing that's been a puzzle / Since the day that time began / A man's love for, for his woman / And her sweet love for her man."

Line by Line Meaning

Gonna build me a log cabin On a mountain so high, So I can see Willy, As she goes walking by.
I will build a cabin on a tall peak, so I can watch Willy passing by.

Oh, the cuckoo, she's a pretty bird, Lord, she warbles as she flies; She'll never say cuckoo Till the fourth day of July.
The song of the cuckoo is beautiful and it only sings in early July.

Well I played cards in old England And I've gambled over in Spain, And I'll bet you ten dollars That I'll beat you next game.
I have played cards in England and gambled in Spain, so I bet I can win next game against you for ten dollars.

My horses they ain't hungry And they won't eat your hay. I'll drive home just a little further Wondering why you treat me this way.
My horses are not hungry so they won't eat your hay. I'll go away and wonder why you're treating me like this.

Oh, the cuckoo she's a pretty bird. Lord, she warbles as she flies. She'll cause never more trouble And she'll tell you no lies.
The cuckoo bird is pretty and harmless. It doesn't cause trouble or lie.

There's one thing that's been a puzzle Since the day that time began: A man's love for, for his woman And her sweet love for her man.
One mystery that has existed since the beginning of time is the love between a man and his woman, and her love for him.

Contributed by Alice V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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