List of Songs       ~       Charlie Ipcar Home Page

Jay Bird Song

Composed by: Charlie Ipcar © 10/22/22

Tune traditional after “The Farmer's Curst Wife”

Printable Version ~ PDF ~ MP3 Version ~ Notes

 

photo of a blue jay sitting on a limb, by Charlie Ipcar.
Jay bird sitting on a limb.

Jay bird, jay bird, sittin' on a limb;
He winked at me, I winked at him;
He held a peanut in his beak,
Set it down and began to speak.

Chorus:
Hi, diddle-i, diddle-i, lay!
Diddle-i, diddle-i, day!

“Summer time’s now past and gone;
Them winter winds won’t be long;
It’s time to store some nuts away;
Got no time to sport and play!” (CHO)

“Just lay them peanuts on the rail;
I’ll snatch them up without fail;
Then I’ll fly back to a hollow tree;
I’ll stash my nuts where none can see.” (CHO)

He snatched that nut, flew off in a flash,
I set out more from our private cache;
His mate swooped down and said to me,
“The best things in life are surely free!” (CHO)

“Jay bird, jay bird, tell me true,
Have you always been so blue?”
“I’ve been blue since the world was young
I’ve been blue but I’ve had great fun!” (CHO)

“Jay bird, jay bird, you’re screaming still;
Will you ever get your fill?
You’ve snatched up my entire store,
Now you’re back demanding more!” (CHO)

I heard your call both loud and shrill,
As you flew up to the hill;
The sun lights up the frozen trees;
“Will you no come back to me?” (CHO)

Back to the top

 


Notes:

photo of a blue jay with a peanut sitting on our porch, by Charlie Ipcar.
Blue jay picking up a peanut that was left for them on an old chord organ sitting on our porch.

closeup showing that the jay already has a peanut in its gular pouch, by Charlie Ipcar.
Cropped version of the picture above,
showing that the jay already has a peanut in its gular pouch
(this lets them collect more food in a single trip, saving energy).

photo of a blue jay perched in a tree, appearing to wink, by Charlie Ipcar.
Is this jay winking as it waits for more?

photo of a blue jay picking up a peanut on the porch rail, by Charlie Ipcar.
Back for more.

All photos by Charlie Ipcar, fall 2022.

Back to the top