Cuckoo by Lauren Overholt

Lauren Overholt (1986), Wichita, Kansas. Flat, lots of grasses, beautiful clouds, windy, extremes in temperature. Rolling thunder, crickets chirping at night, cicadas. Sleep comes in a deep blue color, in a geometrical patterns like a quilt, like a blanket gently falling onto me. Loves the earth after the rain, loves strawberries covered with chocolate.

The cuckoo is a pretty bird,

She sings as she flies,

She brings us good tidings,

She tells us no lies.

She sips all sweet flowers

To keep her voice clean,

She never sings, cuckoo,

Til summer draws near.

Lauren said that never heard from anyone this verse. I found more couplets at: http://www.whitegum.com/introjs.htm?/songfile/CUCKOO.HTM

The Cuckoo (Jack Of Diamonds)

Lyrics: Traditional/(Robert Hunter?)
Music: Traditional/(Robert Hunter?)

Played by Jerry Garcia and David Nelson at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo on 10 November 1962. Garcia introduced it as a Clarence Ashley song. Thanks to Matt Schofield for the lyrics.

Bob Weir also sang the first verse at a Ratdog concert on 2 September 2001 (thanks to Jonathan Rabhan for confirming this).

Oh the cuckoo she'a pretty bird
She wobbles as she flies
She don't never holler cuckoo
'Til the fourth day of July

Gonna build me log cabin
On the mountain so high
So that I can see Willie
As he goes on by

Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds
I know you of old
You done robbed my poor pockets
Of my silver and gold

I've played cards in England
I've played cards in Spain
I bet you ten dollars
I'll beat you again

Oh the cuckoo she'a pretty bird
She wobbles as she flies
She don't never holler cuckoo
'Til the fourth day of July

Robert Hunter sang a version both solo and with the Dinosaurs, which normally appears in setlists as "Jack of Diamonds". I'm not sure where the additional lyrics come from.

Oh the cuckoo, pretty bird
She wobbles as she flies
She don't never holler cuckoo
'Til the fourth day of July

Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds
I know you, know you of old
You have robbed, you have cheated
You have taken the gold

Seven sisters, nine bright shiners
All the stars hang down and cry
On my way to greener pastures
If you go, why not I

Now the leaves are falling
Bend down, I can't see the sun
Come and sit beside me
And look at what you've done

Hold the line back, hold the leader
Don't ever let your whip hang down
Where's a pine box when you need it
Jack of Diamonds, take your place in town

That's all, now my leaves are falling
Got to bend down, I can't see the sun
Come over here and sit beside me
We're gonna talk about what we've done

Gonna build me a log cabin
In the mountains so high
So that I can see the Jack of Diamonds
As she goes riding by

Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds
I know you, I know you of old
You have robbed, you have cheated
You've divided, conquered the floor

Hold the line back, hold the leader
Don't ever let your whip hang down
Where's a pine box when you need it
Jack of Diamonds, gonna take your place in town

A more traditional version of the song is:

The cuckoo she's a pretty bird
She sings as she flies
She brings us glad tidings
And tells us no lies

She sucks all sweet flowers
To make her voice clear
She never sings cuckoo
Till summer is near

She flies the hills over
She flies the world about
She flies back to the mountain
She mourns for her love

The cuckoo she's a pretty bird
She sings as she flies
She brings us glad tidings
And tells us no lies

0306, 0309

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