Birth of the Blues

They heard the breeze in the trees
Singing weird melodies,
And they made that
The start of the blues.

And from a jail 
came the wail
Of a downhearted frail,
And they played that
As part of the blues.

From a whipporwill 
out on a hill,
They took a new note;
Pushed it through a horn
‘Til it was worn
Into a blue note!

And then they nursed it,
rehearsed it,
And gave out the news
That the Southland
gave birth to the blues!