UNDER THE KISSING TREE

By Debbie Bulloch



On Sunday I attended a performance of Man of La Mancha. The performance was staged by the Camarillo Community Theater, a small (but very good) local theater company.

Man of La Mancha is a musical production loosely based on the 17th century Spanish novel Don Quijote de La Mancha by famed Spanish novelist Miguel Cervantes de Saavedra.

The novel (and the musical) tell the story of a middle-aged Spanish nobleman who dreams of the old days when knights in shining armor went about the countryside, fighting unbeatable foes, willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause and loving pure and chaste from afar.

Most people are familiar with the play’s more famous musical numbers, The Impossible Dream, I, Don Quijote and Dulcinea. There is one song, however, that just takes my hear away every I listen to it.

So here, for all of you lovers who have loved and lost, is my favorite song from Man of La Mancha, “Little Bird, Little Bird.”

Hold on to your love and kiss him (or her) and never let go, or you may find yourself alone, under a cinnamon tree wondering where your love went.

(NOTE: The video clip below is not from the production of Man of La Mancha, but this duet is so sweet that I thought it captured the true spirit of the song. Enjoy!)

LITTLE BIRD, LITTLE BIRD - Video



LITTLE BIRD LITTLE BIRD - Lyrics

Little bird, little bird,
In the cinnamon tree,
Little bird, little bird,
Do you sing for me?
Do you bring me word
Of one I know?
Little bird, little bird,
I love her so,
Little bird, little bird,
I have to know
Little bird, little bird.
Beneath this tree,
This cinnamon tree,
We learned to love,
We learned to cry;
For here we met
And here we kissed,
And here one cold and moonless night
We said goodbye

Little bird, little bird,
Oh have pity on me
Bring her back to me now
'Neath the cinnamon tree,
I have waited too long
Without a song.
Little bird, little bird,
Please fly, please go
little bird, little bird,
And tell her so.
Little bird, little bird.