Blackbird, Bye Bye

I always go out early to 'smell' the weather, check the sunrise, feel the temperature, just generally see what the day is like. This morning the sky was full of blackbirds. I missed the first big wave going through, it was a huge cloud, but caught some stragglers.

Naturally I thought of that old song, Bye Bye Blackbird. It is a tune recorded by many artists from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra, Josephine Baker, Paul McCartney, Mitch Miller, The Bee Gees, Carly Simon and many, many more.

Pack up all my care and woe
Here I go, singing low
Bye, bye blackbird.
Where somebody waits for me
Sugar's sweet, so is (s)he 
Bye bye blackbird

I always thought that was the way the song began. But it was preceded by these two verses:
Blackbird, blackbird singing the blues all day
Right outside of my door
Blackbird, blackbird who do you sit and say
There's no sunshine in store

All through the winter you hung around
Now I begin to feel homeward bound
Blackbird, blackbird gotta be on my way
Where there's sunshine galore

Ah-h, another large merle came through. Did you know Bye Bye Blackbird also has verses about bluebirds? I didn't.

Bluebird, bluebird calling me far away 
I've been longing for you
Bluebird, bluebird what do I hear you say
Skies are turning blue

I'm like a flower that's fading here
Where ev'ry hour is one long tear
Bluebird, bluebird this is my lucky day
Now my dreams will come true

I don't know where they were headed this morning, but I except to see them or just as many others in the yard down toward the pond some day soon as they were in this picture from five years ago. It happens every year.

No one here can love and understand me
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Make my bed and light the light
I'll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye bye

(Bye Bye Blackbird was written and composed
 in 1926 by Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon)