Awa', Birds, Awa' Lyrics
A song for shooing birds off a newly sown field: take a little, leave the rest, and do not come back today.
Awa', Birds, Awa'
Awa', birds, awa',
Take a peck
And leave a seck,
And come no more to day!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/awa-birds-awa/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted field song
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Awa', birds, awa' | Wave both arms above your head. |
| Take a peck | Peck at your palm with two fingers like a beak. |
| And come no more to day! | Shoo the birds away with big sweeping arms. |
What Does Awa', Birds, Awa' Mean?
Awa' means away. A peck is a bird's quick bite, and it was also an old measure for grain, so the singer is bargaining with the birds: take a peck and leave a seck, which probably means a sack. In other words, eat a little, but leave the rest of the farmer's seed alone.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell calls this the universal bird-shooer's song of the Midland counties in Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (1849). In the past, children were paid to stand in the fields after sowing and scare the birds away by shouting, singing and waving their arms.
Learning Activities
- Scarecrow game: one child is the scarecrow, the others are birds who must fly off at the song.
- Make a scarecrow: stuff old clothes with paper and give it a hat.
- Bird count: watch a lawn or field and count how many birds come to feed.