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 gla** 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