THAT'S WHAT THE BIRD SANG TO ME
(Thomas "Fats" Waller)

Thomas "Fats" Waller
recorded September 16th 1943 (V-disc)


Early one morn, alone on a fence,
A little birdie sat, his head bowed in suspense.
He was dreaming of days
When it was a myth,
And horses was all the rage!

Now big trolley cars and automobiles
Have taken the place of the horse,
And every day,
As the boy sings on the fence this way,
You hear him sing in a voice so hoarse;

"Mmm, nobody loves me, I know!
Nobody cares for me, so
Since they moved all the racecourses,
The birdies have no place to go!
What will the poor sparrow do
When there's nothing left for him to chew?
You can't get a meal
From an automobile!",
That's what the bird sang to me!

"Mmm, nobody loves me, I know!
Nobody cares for me, so
Since they moved all the racecourses,
The birdies have no place to go!
What will the poor sparrow do
When there's nothing left for him to chew?
You can't get a meal
From an automobile!",
That's what the bird sang to me, twa-twa-twa!




(Transcribed by Peter Akers - February 2018)