How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight, (1-4)
Everything seems perfect. We're talking the spring scene from Bambi meets The Sound of Music. But when everything seems perfect, when the landscape is like that of beautiful painting, it signals the time for men everywhere to get mocked. This idyllic setting makes the men's misery seem even more surprising, profound, and pathetic when it finally gets discussed in the refrain.
Quote #2
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo; (5-7)
It's bad enough that the cuckoo's song sounds like "cuckold" (a term for a guy with an unfaithful wife), but to make matters worse those feathery little guys are everywhere ("on every tree"). This makes their mocking song feel downright inescapable. It can't be pleasant for these fellas to be out and about, trying to enjoy a nice spring day, with all that mocking going on.
Quote #3
Cuckoo, cuckoo: Oh word of fear, (8)
"Cuckoo, cuckoo." The married guys are tired of hearing it. We're tired of writing it. And you're probably getting tired of reading it. Here's the thing—it's just a bird song. Sure, there's the similarity between the song and the unpleasantness of the word "cuckold," but it's still just a birdcall. For tweety to actually instill a sense of "fear" in these grown men is a little pathetic. How about this—be a little tougher guys. How about having a little more confidence in yourselves and little more faith in your wives? Geez.