The above is what I hear on the Brothers Four recording the line "Pick a town and soon, take from night to noon" doesn't make sens to me, but it's what I hear. This version makes more snese to me:

Yellow Bird
(Luboff/Keith/Bergman)

Yellow bird, up high in banana tree.
Yellow bird, you sit all alone like me.
Did your lady friend leave the nest again?
That is very sad, make me feel so bad.
You can fly away, in the sky away.
You more lucky than me!

I also have a pretty gal,
She not with me today.
They all the same, the pretty gal,
Make them the nest, then they fly away.

Yellow bird, up high in banana tree.
Yellow bird, you sit all alone like me.
Better fly away in the sky away.
Picker coming soon, pick from night to noon.
Black and yellow you, like banana too.
They might pick you some day!

Wish that I was a yellow bird,
I fly away with you.
But I am not a yellow bird,
So here I sit, nothing else to do.
Yellow bird, yellow bird, yellow bird.


Source: http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti-archive/msg01015.html
(Posted by Gage Averill, Department of Music, New York University)

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The above source also has Haitian lyrics to the original song (which has nothing to do tith the "Yellow Bird" lyrics:

  "Choukoun"
  Durand/Monton
  
  [Note that some performers omit verses 3 and 4 in the interest of time.  If
  you are singing this, after each chorus, repeat lines 2, 3, and 5 of the
  same chorus.  For the first verse, this would be: "kon mwen sonje sa, mwen
  genyen lapenn, de pye-mwen nan chenn").  Again, the accents graves follow
  the fowels for universal e-mail translation]
  
  1. De`ye` yon gwo touf pengwen [pinguin bush]
  Lo`t jou mwen kontre Choukoun
  Li souri le` li we` mwen
  Mwen di: "Sye`l, ala be`l moun!" (x2)
  Li di: "Ou trouve sa che`?"
          Chorus: Ti zwezo nan bwa ki t' ape koute (x2)
          Kon mwen sonje sa
          Mwen genyen lapenn
          Ka depi jou-sa
          De pye mwen nan chenn
  
  2. Choukoun se yon marabou
  Je` li klere kou chande`l
  Li genyen tete debou
  A si Choukoun te fide`l (x2)
  Nou rete koze lontan
          Jis zwezo nan bwa te pare`t kontan (x2)
          Pito bliye sa
          Se two` gran lapenn
          Ka depi jou-sa
          De pye mwen nan chenn
  
  3. Ti-dan Choukoun blan kou le`t
  Bouch-li koule` kayamit
  Li pa gwo fanm, li gwose`t
  Fanm konsa ple` mwen touswit (x2)
  Tan pase pa tan jodi!
          Zwezo te tande tout sa li te di (x2)
          Si ou sonje sa
          Yo dwe nan lapenn
          Ka depi jou-sa
          De pye mwen na chenn
  
  4. N' ale lakay manman-li
  Yon granmoun ki byen one`t
  Sito li we` mwen li di:
  "A mwen kontan sila-a ne`t" (x2)
  Nou bwe` chokola nwa
          Eske tout sa fini, ti-zwezo nan bwa (x2)
          Pito bliye sa
          Se two gran lapenn
          Ka depi jou-sa
          De pye-mwen nan chenn
  
  5. Yon ti blan vini rive
  Ti bab wouj, be`l figi wo`z
  Mont sou kote, be`l chive
  Male`-mwen, li ki lakÚz (x2)
  Li trouve Choukoun joli
          Li pale Fwanse, Choukoun renmen li (x2)
          Pito bliye sa
          Se two gran lapenn
          Choukoun kite mwen
          De pye-mwen nan chen

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http://web.bryant.edu/~library/zoiseaux.html gives a "direct translation of the original Haitian version, the words of which were penned by Haiti's most famous poet, Oswald Duran."
^^
I first saw my sweet Choucoune,
Within a thick grove of trees;
I said, "You're as fair as noon!"
She smiled and she seemed quite pleased.
I said, "You're as fair as noon!"
"I thank you, sir," said Choucoune,

Little birds heard all that we had to say.
Little birds were listening all day!
Ah, my tender one,
Dainty, slender one,
By the stars above,
I declare my love!
Ah, my tender one,
Dainty, slender one,
Smiling, gay Choucoune.