Little birdie, little birdie Come sing to me a song A short time to stay here And a long time to be gone I'd rather be in some dark holler Where the sun don't never shine Than to see you (?) And to know you'll never be mine Little birdie, little birdie What makes you fly so high It's because my own true lover Is waiting in the sky Little birdie, little birdie Come sing to me a song A short time to stay here (note 1) And a long time to be gone