Story Behind The Song

Good art takes talent as well as determination and hard work.

Song Description

The crow wants to sing, but does not have a singing voice, and no amount of practice or determination can create a beautiful voice for him.

Lyrics

THE CROW

On a mild, sunny day
at the end of May
a crow sat in a tree
above a table set for tea
where women in flowery hats sat,
and talked to each other about what
the children at the table should do,
what careers they ought to pursue.

The crow heard it all
though the tree was tall,
it was said in a very loud voice,
'It is only a matter of choice.
what you set your mind to you can get!
If your will is strong and your heart is set,
there's no limit to what you can do,
it only depends on you.'

The crow thought a while
and began to smile,
he hadn't known that before.
there was nothing he ever had wanted more
than to sing, really sing like a songbird.
The Finches and Wrens and Starlings he heard
could sing, and the Robin too,
While caw was the best he could do

'I gave up too soon,'
I must find a new tune
it's my choice there's no doubt about that.
If I practice maybe I'll not sound so flat,
and some day I will sing Baron Zeta
in Lehar's Merry Widow operetta.
There's no limit to what you can do,
it only depends on you.


The Crow sang caw-caw
and once more caw-caw,
it wasn't at all like Lehar,
the Crow's voice could not go that far.
The strongest mind and a focused heart
are just is not enough to make it art;
a nightingale sings with the beautiful voice
he was born with, not from choice

well I tried thought the Crow,
but I wonder now
if the children who were at the tea
Have discovered what's quite clear to me:
Our hopes can be high
but we cannot deny
there are things only few can do,
you're lucky if one of them's you.