When Daisies Pied Lyrics
When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight
The cuckoo, then on ev'ry tree
Mocks married men, for thus sings he
Cuckoo
Cuckoo, cuckoo: o word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear
When shepherds pipe on oaten straws
And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks
And turtles tread, and rooks, and daws
And maidens bleach their summer frocks
The cuckoo, then on ev'ry tree
Mocks married men, for thus sings he
Cuckoo
Cuckoo, cuckoo: o word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear
And lady-smocks all silver white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight
The cuckoo, then on ev'ry tree
Mocks married men, for thus sings he
Cuckoo
Cuckoo, cuckoo: o word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear
When shepherds pipe on oaten straws
And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks
And turtles tread, and rooks, and daws
And maidens bleach their summer frocks
The cuckoo, then on ev'ry tree
Mocks married men, for thus sings he
Cuckoo
Cuckoo, cuckoo: o word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear
About
Genius Annotation
Playing on the similarities between the words “cuckoo” and “cuckold,” this song celebrating the arrival of spring also warns married men that single men in this season are coming for their wives.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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