Cuckoo Is A Pretty Bird

Trad
Performed by Bob Dylan on the second Gaslight show (late Oct 1962)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

Dropped D tuning (D-A-d-g-b-e')
Capo 4th fret

The tab only indicates the deviations from the D chord in the beginning. Meanwhile the strumming goes on, more or less as indicated in the first measure. The tab gives the pattern for the verses and for the interlude (last two lines)

   D
   :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|--2---2-2-2-2-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|*-3---3-3-3-3-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|--2---2-2-2-2-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|--0---0-0-0-0-----|-0---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|
|*-0-----------3---|-----------------|-------------3---|-----------------|
|--0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

 _______________________________________________________________________
| 1.                                                                    |
  F                         /c        D
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|(1)--------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-1---------------|---------1-------|-----------------|----------------*||
|-2---------------|---------2-------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-3---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-0---------------||
|-----------------|---------3-------|-------------3---|----------------*||
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||

 _____________________________________________________
|2.
  F                 /c      F         D   
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|(1)--------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-1---------------|-1-------1-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-2---------------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|---------3-------|-0---------------|-0-------3-------|
|-----------------|-3---------------|-------------3---|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

                            
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---0-----------|---------3-------|-3---0-----------|---------0-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------3---|-0---------------|-------------3---|-0---------------|

  F                                   D
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-2---------------|-----------------|
|-1---------------|-1-------1-------|-3---------------|-----------------|
|-2---------------|-2-------2-------|-2---------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|---------3-------|-0---------------|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-3---------------|-0-----------3---|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|

        D     /c D                  /c D
Oh, the cuckoo     is a pretty bird 
        F              D
An' she warbles as she flies 
        D    /c D               /c D
But she never     sings "Cuckoo" 
          F               D
'till the fourth day 'n July 

I've a-gambled in England 
I've gambled in Spain 
'An I betchu' ten dollars 
That I'll beatchu' next game 

I'll build me a cabin 
On a mountain so high 
So I can see Mary 
When she goes ridin' by 

I wish I was a poet 
An' could write a fine hand 
I'd write my love a letter 
Lawd she would understand