14. The Sparrow, The Thrush & The Nightingale Part II.
All the bile left over from Part I is poured out in jolly fashion by Jim Causley. This also satisfies a long-standing ambition to write an album with ‘bookends’ (ever since hearing the album ‘Bookends’, strangely).
Another year later we return to the wood
The buds are in blossom, the blooms are in bud
The sparrow, we find, is now living alone
His lady is gone, and the chicks are all flown
Says he, ‘I’m not accustomed yet, to being so poor
It’s time to re-consider that re-union tour’
But old man thrush, he has a penny or two
For after the fight, he decided to sue
‘Your honour’, said he, ‘I have been traumatised
Plus, these hooligan birds took me by surprise
So won’t you please agree to my generous terms
Or you and the kids will soon be living on worms’
The nightingale forsook the forest for good
And took himself off to a leafier wood
Saying ‘there is nothing anymore for me here
And I need to give time to my solo career
So if I come along I need some serious bread
You’ll need to throw me a loaf, to get me out of my bed’
The turtle dove teaches children to sing
He sings out his heart and never asks for a thing
But stand him a drink, and he will tell you the tale
Of the sparrow, the thrush, and the nightingale
And should you find the charity to toss him a crumb
You’ll wake up every morning to the sound of a song’