Thanks for asking about ‘Chickadee’. In the winter of 1973-4 I was living on an old hillside farm in West Lebanon, NY. We bought seed for our bird feeders in 50 lb. bags in those days and enjoyed the happy commotion.
One day that winter, I was sitting at the kitchen table and watching the birds while noodling on my banjo and a tune started emerging using the bird call, ‘chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, de’ for inspiration. A few days later, friend and superb musician Ray Andrews visited and we completed the tune. We played it for musical maven, Stan Scott some time later and asked him to write lyrics.
Here are the lyrics Stan wrote for Ray’s and my tune which we called Chickadee.
CHICKADEE (Words by Stan Scott and music by Ray Andrews and Ray Frank)
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee That’s the song you sing to me Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee On a winter’s morning
We’ve got tea and clover honey, Fresh baked bread to start the day A pile of wood and a roaring fire To help keep the cold winds at bay
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee Singing in the sleeping tree Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee Soon she will be waking
When the sun has its day And winter calls you on her way Who will then come to me To sing each day merrily
The Mudlark recording was made by me on lead vocal and guitar, Katie Henry - voice and banjo, and Laura Sandage – voice and bass.