Cuckoo Comes In Later

Cuckoo had a knack for timing, and Cuckoo sang the canon — the very same tune as everyone else, but started a beat or two later, so the melody chased itself around the wood in overlapping waves. You know this magic already: it’s what happens when you sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as a round.

A canon is one tune, sung by voices that begin at different times. The first group starts; then Cuckoo comes in with the exact same melody a little behind; and suddenly the tune is layered over itself, each part landing in the gaps of the others, weaving a richer sound out of one simple line. Same tune, staggered start — that’s the whole trick.

The hard part isn’t the notes — you already know the tune. The hard part is holding your place while the others sing the same words at a different spot. It’s easy to get pulled off and drift into their part. Cuckoo learned to sing steadily, listening around the other voices instead of following them, keeping to its own patient timing.

When it clicked, one little tune became a whole shimmering fabric of sound, chasing itself in happy circles. A canon is one melody, overlapped by coming in later. Know the tune, hold your own timing, and don’t let the other voices pull you off. That’s Cuckoo — the same song, beautifully out of step.