LITTLE JAZZ BIRD

from "Lady, Be Good" 
1924 musical 
New York
George Gershwin (m) Ira Gershwin (l)  
1924

as recorded by Blossom Dearie (vocal & piano) 
with Kenny Burrell (guitar) Ray Brown (bass) & Ed Thigpen (drums)  
May 1959 
New York


Into a cabaret,
One fatal day,
Our little songbird flew.
Found it so very gay,
He thought he'd stay,
Just to get a bird's eye view.

When he heard the jazz band playing,
He was happy as a lark!
To each measure he kept swaying,
And he stayed till after dark.

Then back to the land he knew,
Thrilled through and through!
He sailed on in the air.
Called all the other birds
And, in these words,
Started gurgling then and there.

I'm a little jazz bird,
And I'm tellin' you to be one too,
For a little jazz bird
Is in heaven when it's singin' blue!

I say it with regret,
But you're out of date!
You ain't heard nothin' yet,
Till you syncopate!

When the goin' is rough,
You will find your troubles all have flown
If you warble your stuff,
Like the moanin' of a saxophone!

Just try my recipe,
And I'm sure you'll agree
That a little jazz bird
Is the only kind o' bird to be!

I say it with regret,
But you're out of date!
You ain't heard nothin' yet,
Till you syncopate!

When the goin' is rough,
You will find your troubles all have flown
If you warble your stuff,
Like the moanin' of a saxophone!

Just try my recipe,
And I'm sure you'll agree
That a little jazz bird
Is the only kind o' bird to be!



(Transcribed by Peter Akers - November 2012)