appalachia

“The Cuckoo” is a traditional English folk song, also sung in the United States, Canada, Scotland and Ireland. The song is known by many names, including “The Coo-Coo”, “The Coo-Coo Bird”, “The Cuckoo Bird”, “The Cuckoo Is a Pretty Bird”, “The Evening Meeting”, “The Unconstant Lover”, “Bunclody” and “Going to Georgia”. In the United States, the song is sometimes syncretized with the other traditional folk song “Jack of Diamonds”. Lyrics usually include the line (or a slight variation): “The cuckoo is a pretty bird, she sings as she flies; she brings us glad tidings, and she tells us no lies.”

This track is from singer/guitarist John Renbourn’s brilliant “Faro Annie” album, which often takes a folk-rock approach on American folk songs.