Lyrics

Little Red Bird Of the Lonely Moor
The north wind doth blow
And we shall have snow
And what will poor robin do then?
He’ll tuck his head under his wing
Poor thing
 
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Lonely moor, lonely moor
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Where did you sleep last night?
 
I slept last night on top of the bush
On top of the bush, on top of the bush
With snow falling down, cold and deep
And oh, wretched was my sleep
 
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Lonely moor, lonely moor
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Where did you sleep last night?
 
I slept last night on top of the briar
On top of the briar, on top of the briar
While the cruel wind was blowing on every side
And oh, wretched was my night
 
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Lonely moor, lonely moor
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Where did you sleep last night?
 
I slept last night between two leaves
Between two leaves, between two leaves
As on the breast of a mother, a baby sleeps
And oh, my sleep was deep
 
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Lonely moor, lonely moor
Little red bird of the lonely moor
Where did you sleep last night?
 
 
Words - traditional - arranged, altered and adapted by Beck Siàn.
The North Wind Doth Blow is a traditional British children’s nursery rhyme, thought to date from the 16th century.
Little Red Bird Of the Lonely Moor is a translation (slightly altered) of the traditional Manx song ‘Ushag veg Ruy’, first brought to my attention by a gorgeous singer and musician from the Isle of Man named Emma Christian. Her beautiful album ‘Beneath the Twilight’ made a huge impact on me when I first heard it, quite some years ago, and remains one of my favourite albums. I had the very great pleasure of meeting Emma on the Isle of Man when I performed at the Centenary Centre in Peel a few years ago.
 
Guitar and vocals by Beck Siàn
Recorded by Jonathan Kershaw