My Bird Is Gone Lyrics
Fanny Ray's bird has flown away and she cannot play. She misses its daily song, asks for the cage to be put far away, and sits sighing with tears in her eyes.
My Bird Is Gone
"My bird is gone,"
Said Fanny Ray;
"My bird has flown,
I can not play.
"He sung so sweetly,
Every day;
He sings no more,
I can not play.
"Go, put his cage
Far, far away,
I do not love,
His cage to-day."
She wiped her eyes,
Poor Fanny Ray;
And sat and sighed,
But could not play.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/my-bird-is-gone/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Tune
- Slow and soft, with a sigh at the end of each verse
- Best for ages
- 3 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| She wiped her eyes, | Brush your fingertips across your eyes. |
| And sat and sighed, | Let your shoulders drop and breathe out slowly. |
What Does My Bird Is Gone Mean?
The poem is about missing something. Fanny Ray had a pet bird that sang every day, and now it has flown. She says it herself: I can not play, and she asks that the cage be taken far, far away, because the empty cage is a sad thing to see. That is a real feeling, and the poem lets Fanny have it without being told to cheer up.
Each verse ends on the same idea. The first two verses close with I can not play, and the last verse finishes with but could not play. The poem also keeps the old past tense sung where modern English says sang. It does not say whether the bird comes back.
History and Origin
The poem is in a small New York book of verses for young children, Simple Poems for Infant Minds, from the publishers Kiggins and Kellogg. The book gives no named author for it.
Learning Activities
- Talk about missing: ask the child how Fanny feels and what they do when they miss a pet, a toy or a person.
- Draw the bird: let the child draw the bird flying, and decide where it went.
- Listen for a song: step outside and listen for real birdsong, then try to whistle it back.
- Cheer-up ideas: make a list of three things that would help Fanny feel better, and act one out.