Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: Cool Beans
Date: 05 Mar 20 - 11:41 AM

Found it on Youtube. The first half of it is the "Going Home" tune featured in Dvorak's "New World" Symphony.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 05 Mar 20 - 08:56 AM

Here it is from The Rangers Trio as mentioned by Micah:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH7DRF3MjmA

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: GUEST,Micah
Date: 05 Mar 20 - 08:43 AM

The Rangers Trio also recorded this song sometime in the 60's.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: leeneia
Date: 25 Jan 19 - 11:09 AM

I remember this record from childhood. I remember that is started slow, then got so fast I couldn't understand it.

Now I have it on YouTube and can follow the words on Mudcat. It's remarkable how together the Four Lads are. For example, when it's time to put the final d on mockingbird, they all do it EXACTLY at the same time. I really enjoyed it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: GUEST,blaine grant
Date: 24 Jan 19 - 11:28 PM

hello...just stumbled onto your web page...what great memories...i grew up in the 50's....remember the four lads well...the mocking bird stuff you all nailed it...i saw them in mpls.in early 60's....one of my all time favorites...such good times...i had great fun reading your posts....many thanks....b....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 09:18 AM

Thanks. I think the Okeh version is still worth a listen, despite the technical problem at the beginning.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 12:25 PM

I think you'll find this one to be much better, leeneia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgoVycCo8dw

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 10:25 AM

I remember the 1950's Mockingbird. You can hear it on YouTube:

Okeh Mockingbird

Be warned that either the record is warped or the equipment isn't steady, because the slow first part sounds funny. But that problem is soon over and the rest is very good.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mocking Bird (from The Four Lads)
From: GUEST,Irene
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 09:21 AM

I remember The Four Lads from Toronto who recorded The Mockingbird back in the 50's and was trying to relate it to Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird. The lyrics did not give me the answer I was looking for. I did some reading about mockingbirds and then came up with my own conclusion.

Subject: RE: The Mockingbird
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 04:09 PM

Thanks, Joe. I never could quite figure out "this warning rang out."

Going tto ry this one on for size with the Messengers..

Jerry

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MOCKING BIRD (from The Four Lads)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 03:33 PM

Ah, I knew if I held out, that Jerry would type the lyrics and save me the effort. I had to do home-schooling this morning, so I wasn't able to do a transcription earlier. Thanks for doing it, Jerry.

For the record, the song title is "The Mocking Bird," and the songwriter is listed as D. Jordan. Jerry transcribed it from the Columbia CD, The Four Lads: 16 Most Requested Songs. The opening couplet sounds like the tune of "Going Home," used in Dvorak's "New World" Symphony.

Working from Jerry's transcription, here's what I hear.

The Mocking Bird
(D. Jordan)

The mockingbird sang his song, by the break of morn
The mockingbird sang his song, then a song was born

Well, the mockingbird, mockingbird, mockingbird, mocking-bird

The Lord looked down to see what he heard
The Lord put the voice in the mockingbird
A song was born, he liked what he heard
The song was sung by the mockingbird
Singing, Lord, hear me

Well the Lord looked down and he blessed the bird
He gave it the power to sing his word
To sing about the joy of his heavenly land
Where none but the good and righteous stand
His voice did rumble, his voice did rock
The earth was shaken by the mighty shock

Singing waaaaah, waaaooooh, oh sing little mockingbird sing your song

Well, he sang and he sang, his voice was heard
His tune was carried by every bird
To the ends of the earth this warning rang out
Sinner, when the fire burns, you'll want to shout
That's how a song was born

Subject: ADDPOP: The Mockingbird
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 02:56 PM

These are the lyrics:

The mockingbird sang his song, by the break of morn
The mockingbird sang his song, then a song was born

Well, the mockingbird, mockingbird, mockingbird, mocking-bird

The Lord looked down to see what he heard
The Lord put the voice in the mockingbird
A song was born, he liked what he heard
The song was sung by the mockingbird
Singing, Lord, hear me

Well the Lord looked down and he blessed the bird
He gave it the power to sing his word
To sing about the joy of his heavenly land
Well, under the good and righteous stand
His voice did rumble, his voice did rock
The earth was shaken by the mighty shock

Singing waaaaah, waaaooooh, oh sing little mockingbird sing your song
He sang and he sang, his voice was heard
It soon was carried by every bird
To the ends of the earth his song he rang out
When the fire burns, well you'll want to shout
That's how a song was born

As I said before, the Okeh recording is much more primitive sounding. I just listened to the Columbia re-recording to get these words..

Jerry

Subject: RE: The Mockingbird
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 12:53 PM

Lyrics would be appreciated, Jerry. Sounds like an interesting version.

Subject: RE: The Mockingbird
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 12:39 PM

Hey, Jerry, can you give us some of the lyrics, so we can remember which "Mockingbird" song it is? I have several songs buzzing in my head, and need to sort them out.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: The Mockingbird
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 10:11 AM

Thanks, Flash: I have the 16 most requested songs CD. The version of Mockingbird is similar to the Okeh recording, but they smoothed it out and made it more commerically appealing. The Okeh recording (which I still have on 45 rpm) is almost a capella... a slapped bass sets the rhythm and is basically the only instrumental accompaniment. I'd have to go back to listen to it to see if I can hear any other isntruments. If there any, they're mixed way back.

The song is interesting to me because it says that God created the mockingbird first and it was the mockingbird who taught the songs to all the other birds at the beginning of creation. Yes, I realize this is not a literal explanation of the difference in bird's songs. But, it's a great song, and a humorous imagery. We have mockingbirds who nest right outside our window every year. They are a delight... sing their hearts out, doing lousy imitations of other bird calls. Mockingbirds are the lounge singers of the bird kingdom.

Snappy looking, too with a soft grey tux with fashionable white trim in their long tails.

Jerry

Subject: RE: The Mockingbird
From: Flash Company
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 09:41 AM

The Mockingbird is on a Sony CD called '16 Most Requested Songs',
thinking about it, was this 'Listen to the Mockingbird' which someone (Brenda Lee?) later made into 'Listen to the Rocking Bird'?

FC

Subject: RE: The Mockingbird
From: Flash Company
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 09:32 AM

Can't find the lyric, but apparently released in 1952 by Columbia on their Okeh label.
List of their recordings includes 'Istanbul', was this 'Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul not Constantinople, so if you've a date in Constantinople she'll be waiting in Istanbul' ?
Just thought I'd ask!

FC

Subject: Mockingbird
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 09:36 PM

Been talking with TCrier about an old Four Lads song that apparently we are the only people still living who remember it. No, It wasn't Mockingbird. And, I'm not talking about the James Taylor/Carly Simon or earlier versions of Mockingbird. The Mockingbird I am talking about was recorded by the Four Lads back when they were on the "Race Record label, OKeh.. a subsidiary of Columbia.) That the label Johnny Ray first recorded on until they realized white folkses would listen to him and he moved up to Columbia. The label.

I have an origianl 45 rpm of the Okeh version of Mockingbird Which was later re-recorded and made a lot smoother.) I also remember a movie with Danny Kaye (and from dim memory, Louis Armstrong) where Kaye was a music professor who was studying jazz. There was a sing with a black quartet that sang the song very much in the style of the original recording by the Four Lads (who most likely had heard an earlier black version.) The song is a gospel song about the Lord creating the Mockingbird.

Anyway,

I'm wondering.. does anyone besides TCrier and me remember the song, and is anyone aware of an earlier recording of it? If Masato sees this, he'll probably come up with at least 8 earlier recordings and lyrics.

I hope he does... it would be fun to finally get around to learning it.

Jerry

Oh yes, I checked the digitrad and the only mention of this song was by someone named Jerry Rasmusse