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The Cuckoo sat in the old pear‑tree

Language: English

 The Cuckoo sat in the old pear-tree,
   Cuckoo!
 Raining or snowing, nought cared he.
   Cuckoo!
 Cuckoo, cuckoo, nought cared he.

 The Cuckoo flew over a housetop high.
   Cuckoo!
 "Dear, are you at home, for here am I?
   Cuckoo!
 Cuckoo, cuckoo, here am I."

 "I dare not open the door to you.
   Cuckoo!
 Perhaps you are not the right cuckoo?
   Cuckoo!
 Cuckoo, cukoo, the right Cuckoo!"

 "I am the right Cuckoo, the proper one.
   Cuckoo!
 For I am my father's only son,
   Cuckoo!
 Cuckoo, cuckoo, his only son."

 "If you are your father's only son -
   Cuckoo!
 The bobbin pull tightly,
 Come through the door lightly -
   Cuckoo!

 "If you are your father's only son -
   Cuckoo!
 It must be you, the only one -
 Cuckoo, cuckoo, my own Cuckoo!
   Cuckoo!"


Authorship

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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