A Chicken Ain't Nothin' But a Bird

Transcribed from vocals by Cab Calloway, recorded October 14, 1940,
From Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, 1940-1941; Chronological Classics 629.

Chicken!
Nice fried chicken!
Barbecued chicken!
Won't you send it down the line.

Say!
Everyone's talking 'bout chicken;
Chicken's a popular bird;
Anywhere you go, you're bound to find,
A chicken ain't nothin' but a bird.

Some folks call it a fowl,
That's the story I heard,
But let 'em call it this and let 'em call it that,
A chicken ain't nothin' but a bird.

You can boil it, roast it, broil it,
Cook it in a pan or a pot,
Eat it with potatoes, rice or tomatoes,
But chicken's still what you got, boy!

It was a dish for old Caesar,
Also King Henry the Third,
But Columbus was smart, said "You can't fool me,
A chicken ain't nothin' but a bird."

You can boil it, roast it, broil it,
Cook it in a pan or a pot,
Eat it with potatoes, rice or tomatoes,
A chicken's still what you got, boy!

It was a dish for old Caesar,
Also King Henry the Third,
But Columbus was smart, said "You can't fool me,
A chicken ain't nothin' but a bird."

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Published 3/1/01.

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