Annotation:Little Birdie

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LITTLE BIRDIE. Old-Time, Bluegrass; Song and Breakdown. Despite the similarity in names, the song "Little Birdie" has nothing to do with the West Virginia fiddler tune called "Birdie," a 'ragtime' influenced piece. The song is widespread through the South, and has been recorded by Ralph Stanley, Roscoe Holcomb, Pete Steele, Wade Mainer, the Coon Creek Girls and many others. The song tends to include "floating verses" common to other songs. One version begins:

Oh, I'd rather be in some dark holler
Where the sun don't ever shine;
Than to see you another man's woman,
When you promised to be mine,

CHO:
Little birdie, little birdie,
Come sing to me your song.
Have a short time to be with you,
And a long time to be gone.

I'm long way from old Dixie,
Near my old Kentucky home;
And my father and mother are both dead,
Got no place to call my home.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources:

Recorded sources: Flying Fish 102, New Lost City Ramblers - "20 Years/Concert Performances" (1978. Learned from Wade Mainer and Zeke Morris's Bluebird B-6840 recording). Folk Legacy C-36, Frank Proffitt - "" (1968). Yazoo 2014, John Hammond - "Music of Kentucky: Early American Rural Classics 1927 - 37: vol 2" (Various artists. Hammond was originally recorded 1925).

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