Lyrics
(Folk song)
Ah poor bird,
Take your flight,
Up above the sorrow
Of this dark night.
Ah poor bird,
As you fly,
Can you see the dawn
Of tomorrow’s sky?
See also
- Subject: birds
- Harmony: rounds / partner song with Hey Ho Nobody Home & Joshua Fit the Battle & When Johnny Comes Marching Home & Rose Rose / Orff arrangements
- Meter: 4
- Rhythm:
- Scale: melodic minor
YouTube
or purchase here (printables only)
- Song with chords, Orff Arrangement, Partner Songs with Hey Ho Nobody Home (PDF)
- MIDI file
- Listen to the song
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3 thoughts on “Ah Poor Bird”
When we do this in girl scouts, we do Hey ho as an unresolved 3-line song, (Hey ho, nobody home is only said once per time). so, in order to make it match up with Rose and Ah Poor Bird, you have to sing Hey Ho 4 times if you sing Rose 3 times. Get it? So when you sing Rose the second time through, the “hey ho” people are singing “meat, nor drink nor money have I none”, and when the Rose and Ah Poor Bird people start the 3rd time through, the hey ho people are singing “Still I will be merry”. It’s hard, but it sounds really cool because the changing counter melody provides increased tension and drama as the song is sung.
There are quite many versions of this song in terms of lyrics and notes. If you indicate your source, that would be helpful to verify its origin and who’s version it is. Thanks.
I got this from an Orff class.