Bye Bye Blackbird

Album: Bye Bye Blackbird (1926)
Play Video
  • Pack up all your cares and woes
    Here I go singing low,
    bye bye blackbird.

    Where someone waits for me
    Sugars sweet and so is he,
    bye bye blackbird.

    No one here can love and understand me,
    Oh what hard luck stories thay all hand me.

    Make my bed and light the light
    I'll arrive late tonight,
    blackbird bye bye
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 4

  • Mavis from Upper Great LakesThis song seemed to be everywhere on television in the 50s. Today in early 2025, it was in my head for some reason. I love that a variety of interpretations have been offered.
  • Bill from West GeorgiaPeter Falk in the back of an ambulance with 3 prostitutes sang this one in the film Anzio in 1968. I always thought it was "singin' low", but "winging" makes more sense.
  • Geoff from Adelaide, AustraliaThe Bluebird of Happiness was written in 1934 when the Great Depression was fading.
    This song, written in 1924 during the seemingly carefree Roaring Twenties, seems to be about the blackbird of unhappiness.
    It was played at every trad jazz performance I ever heard, along with When the Saints Go Marching In.
    It seems to be about someone leaving a bad situation to return to a familiar, happy place and a woman. Maybe the blackbird is mental dissatisfaction, similar to the "black dog" of depression. Maybe the blackbird is a woman, perhaps with dark hair or skin.
  • .jennifer GrozelleI heard this song on tv two days ago on a 1970 episode of THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Glen Ballard

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."