I saw a Phoenix in the hedgerow
Unfortunately, it did make me head grow
I thought well, I must be an amazing twitcher
To have spotted such a glazing witcher
Well unfortunately as well as this
This Phoenix he burst into flame
And set alight the whole bloody lane
Oh the hedges they were burning true
And the farmers they came out swearing blue
What on earth have you done there me lad?
I asked you to cut them hedges, not turn em bad
You turn em all so black and blue,
burning embers through and through
Oh what am I to do?
I said but father, all I did,
was I went along with me shears and snid
And snipped and snead
And then I lost me head
I saw a phoenix in the hedge
I thought he was but a pheasant (overfed)
Ah but that is me own fault
I was mere peasant
I thought: "What a kingly bird
Could come amongst us ere?
I doubt he is anything so queer
He probably is but merely a pigeon
And that proved wrong
For more than a smidgen
He flamed and fired right up from the ashes
And the hedges clattered down in their stashes
Oh the oaks were in smoke
And the willows did billow
And the alders they smauldered, and smildered
Smoldered and pillowed
But the Phoenix he was bright as a button
He flew up high above em like cotton
And floated in the air, oh those cotton bud clouds
If only they weren't the smoke of all them hedges so proud
Oh me father he was sad from that day
He said son you disturbed the phoenix of the hedge lay
You should always give thanks to the hedge laying birds
And never cut them hedges down after April has turned
For the fact is that birds, they do like to nest in em
You can't blame em for being blessed in em
That is just how it works and you cannot say neither
There's nothing else to say about it, you must say dither
So you never should disturb the phoenix of the hedgerow
And you should always give warning to the pheasants so they know
And don't go snipping beyond the verge
Unless you've found out about that phoenix bird
