[VERSE]
G C7
Every spring it happens, like so many good things do
G D Dsus
My big brother climbs the birch trees collecting moth cocoons
G C7
He puts them in a shoebox and he waits for them to hatch
G D
Giant Polyphemus moths, 21 or 2 in a batch
G C7
And when they hatch it’s showtime, the family watches with delight
G D Dsus
As he puts them on the kitchen curtains so they can hang their wet wings against the light
G C7
And slowly they uncrumple, and hours may go by
G D Dsus
But you know patience is a virtue when you see them start to fly
[CHORUS]
C G D C
And every spring it happens like so many good things do
G D G
My big brother climbs the birch trees collecting moth cocoons.
[VERSE]
G C7
Now they’re twice the size of swallowtails, morning cloaks and monarchs are no match
G D Dsus
Wings tan and brown, thick as velvet, with painted decoy eyes of blue and black
G C7
And when their furry wings get dry enough they fly from room to room
G D Dsus
Their legs are like tarantulas and they sometimes land on you
C G D C
But they have no bites or stingers, they are born without a mouth
G D Dsus
They have one day to live and die, so it’s time for John to let them out
[CHORUS]
C G D C
And every spring it happens like so many good things do
G D G
My big brother climbs the birch trees collecting moth cocoons.
[Bridge]
D C G D
He has a microscope and a clarinet and he’s happy on his limb
C D
He loves me as I am and I want to be like him
D C G D
He’s good at drawing dinosaurs, prehistoric murals fill his room
C G D
He lets me in when I am bored, when I need a cocoon
[VERSE]
G C7
And one by one the leave us for the branches of our yard
G D Dsus
And I’m sure no one would believe us if we told them it was hard
G C7
To see them fly beyond our fences, the wind lifts their bodies’ weight
G D Dsus
To find the nearest birch trees, to find their mates and lay their eggs
[CHORUS]
C G D C
So that every spring it happens like so many good things do
G D G
My big brother climbs the birch trees collecting moth cocoons
C G D
Yes my brother John emerges to climb the birches
G
for moth cocoons.