Originally this was a lyrical poem, “Choucoune”, written in Haitian Creole by Oswald Durand in praise of a beautiful woman with whom he was fascinated. He says that he is chained by love to her. In 1893, Michel Monton, a Haitian-American, set it to music and it became widely known throughout the Caribbean. In 1957 it was released as “Yellow Bird” with English lyrics and became a hit For the Mills Brothers. It has been covered by many others, including The Kingston Trio, since.