I have in fact found a German version on youtube with a tune not all that far from mine, & whose lyric starts similarly; except, in verse 2, a "young" hunter, & I can't make out the last word of the verse. In 3rd verse I gather he shoots Cuckoo dead. But my German is a bit rusty: & after that it lost me.

Is there a German speaker out there who could listen to it and post a translation for comparison purposes. It only runs about 1 minute.

The youtube title is "Kinderlied - Auf einen Baum ein Kuckuck sass" — URL is - http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqDP74eS