Yardbird

Anyone who was raised on a farm in the late 1950s early 60s in Appalachia likely saw someone in their family ring a chicken’s neck and prepare it for Sunday dinner. It was a common practice in the hills of East Kentucky and I’m quite sure in other locales.
I had told my best friend and most frequent co-writer Larry Shell the title of this song several years ago, but we could never seem to get a start on it.
While traveling to the IBMA show in Raleigh, NC, I believe in 2015, I started humming this little melody that became the chorus. Suddenly...the words, that eventually became the chorus, popped right in my head! I picked up my cell phone and recorded it quickly, before I gave myself a chance to forget it. I pulled off the road and sent my little rough phone recording via text message to Shell. He sent me back a smiley face, so I knew he liked it.
The very next time we got together that autumn, we finished ‘Yard Bird’ while laughing our rear ends off. I hope you enjoy this little piece, which tells the story of a chicken’s demise, my grandmother Polly’s way, all the way through dinner on Sunday during my childhood.
I sang it all last season at festivals and folks began to ask if I had it recorded. Well…. here you go.