There was a house halfway 'round the world
And I was invited in for a small taste of gin

There was a hallway a thousand birds long
But the biggest one of all was in a cage too small

I asked the caretaker 'cuz he was their maker
He looked at me and laughed took another sip from his glass

He said 'open up your ears and hearts
You put a big bird in a small cage
And he'll sing you a song'

That we all love to sing along
To the sound of the bird that mourns

Well we rolled into town and the sweet New Orleans
To the Apple Barrel bar it was a hole in the wall
The ceiling weren't tall and the floors filled with grime
But the sound that you would make
Would just warm their hearts

Well it was quarter to 12 and the boys walked in
They got their black suits on and the songs would begin
You open up your ears and hearts
You put a big bird in a small cage and it'll sing you a song

That we all love to sing along
To the sound of the bird that mourns
You put a big bird in a small cage
And it will sing you a song