Bye Bye Blackbird – English Lyrics

• By: Gene Austin

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the timeless jazz standard “Bye Bye Blackbird” and discover how its simple yet profound lyrics about overcoming sadness and finding solace in love have made it a favorite for generations. This song offers a glimpse into early 20th-century American music and the universal theme of hope and homecoming.

[English]

Blackbird, blackbird singing the blues all day

right outside of my door.

Blackbird, blackbird--got to be on your way

where there's sunshine in store.

All through the winter you just hang around.

Now you should be going homeward bound.

Blackbird, blackbird, gotta be on your way

where there's sunshine galore.

Gonna pack up all my care and woe.

Here I go, singing low.

Bye, bye, blackbird.

Where somebody waits for me,

sugar's sweet, so is he.

Bye, bye, blackbird.

No one here to love and understand me,

Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me.

Gonna pack it up and and light the light,

I'll arrive late tonight.

Blackbird, bye, bye.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sing /sɪŋ/ A2	verb - to produce musical sounds with the voice
dance /dæns/ B1	verb - to move the body in rhythm to music
shine /ʃaɪn/ B2	verb - to emit light
winter /ˈwɪn.tər/ A2	noun - the coldest season of the year
homeward /ˈhoʊm.wərd/ C1	adverb - toward one's home
care /kɛər/ A2	noun - interest in or concern for someone or something verb - to have regard for; to feel concern or interest
light /laɪt/ A2	noun - electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye verb - to illuminate
story /ˈstɔː.ri/ A2	noun - a narrative of real or imaginary events
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection
understand /ʌndərˈstænd/ B1	verb - to grasp the meaning of
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - difficult to do or understand
story /ˈstɔː.ri/ A2	noun - a narrative of real or imaginary events

Key Grammar Structures

• singing the blues all day

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ Used to describe an action that is happening at the moment of speaking or around the current time.

• got to be on your way

  ➔ Modal verb + infinitive

  ➔ Expresses necessity or obligation to do something in the near future.

• Gonna pack up all my care and woe

  ➔ Informal contraction of 'going to' + base verb

  ➔ Indicates a future intention or plan to do something.

• Here I go, singing low

  ➔ Simple present tense with a verb of movement + present participle

  ➔ Expresses a habitual action or a moment of action happening at the moment of speaking.

• Where somebody waits for me

  ➔ Relative clause with present simple tense

  ➔ Provides additional information about a noun, indicating the location or situation related to the subject.

• No one here to love and understand me

  ➔ Negative indefinite pronoun + verb + to-infinitive

  ➔ Expresses the absence of any person who can perform the action of loving and understanding.

• I'll arrive late tonight

  ➔ Future simple tense with 'will' + base verb

  ➔ Expresses a decision or expectation that something will happen in the future.