Hi Everyone, Griff shared information with me about this popular song and I wanted to share it with you.
"The Cuckoo" is an Old English Ballad which laments the trouble women have trusting their lovers. I suspect that it was sung mostly by women at Fairs and house-gatherings, or even on the back porch. The Cuckoo bird was a herald of spring. Spring is the season of love etc. Besides acapella, the song might have been played on the piano or the lute or the harp, or combinations thereof.
Clarence, in his version, told the story from the cheater's perspective. The Cuckoo steals it's nest from other birds. This is a symbol of adultery. In his second verse, Clarence seems to be wanting to visit Willy's woman. The gambling verses are a testament to his rake and ramblin' ways. The story is not linear. Why does he mention the 4th of July? He may have been simply trying to Americanize it. Just a guess. Actually, I have no idea.
Also, notice his change of the verb from 'sings' to 'warbles". Besides being the specific sound that Cuckoo's make, 'Warbles' floods the mind with both sound and scenery, which provides the listener with a pleasant and colorful mental picture. In short the word is very warm, or so it seems to me. It also provides an extra syllable which enhances the rhythm of the line. Clarence Ashley had an ear.