Cuckoo Is A Pretty Bird
Trad
Performed by Bob Dylan on the second Gaslight show (late Oct 1962)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem
Dropped D tuning (D-A-d-g-b-e’)
Capo 4th fret
The tab only indicates the deviations from the D chord in the beginning. Meanwhile the strumming goes on, more or less as indicated in the first measure. The tab gives the pattern for the verses and for the interlude (last two lines)
D
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|--2---2-2-2-2-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|*-3---3-3-3-3-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|--2---2-2-2-2-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|--0---0-0-0-0-----|-0---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|
|*-0-----------3---|-----------------|-------------3---|-----------------|
|--0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
_______________________________________________________________________
| 1. |
F /c D
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|(1)--------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-1---------------|---------1-------|-----------------|----------------*||
|-2---------------|---------2-------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-3---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-0---------------||
|-----------------|---------3-------|-------------3---|----------------*||
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||
_____________________________________________________
|2.
F /c F D
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|(1)--------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-1---------------|-1-------1-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-2---------------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|---------3-------|-0---------------|-0-------3-------|
|-----------------|-3---------------|-------------3---|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---0-----------|---------3-------|-3---0-----------|---------0-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------3---|-0---------------|-------------3---|-0---------------|
F D
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-----------------|-2---------------|-----------------|
|-1---------------|-1-------1-------|-3---------------|-----------------|
|-2---------------|-2-------2-------|-2---------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|---------3-------|-0---------------|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-3---------------|-0-----------3---|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|
D /c D /c D
Oh, the cuckoo is a pretty bird
F D
An' she warbles as she flies
D /c D /c D
But she never sings "Cuckoo"
F D
'till the fourth day 'n July
I've a-gambled in England
I've gambled in Spain
'An I betchu' ten dollars
That I'll beatchu' next game
I'll build me a cabin
On a mountain so high
So I can see Mary
When she goes ridin' by
I wish I was a poet
An' could write a fine hand
I'd write my love a letter
Lawd she would understand