And if that Mockingbird don't sing...

...Daddy will be a very happy man.

Seriously though! There is a mockingbird that makes its dwelling 100 yards south of our house and has the loudest pipes this side of the Morten Meyerson Symphony Center. (I got to play there two times in high school. Awesome acoustics!) Anyway, it must be mentally handicapped, because it usually sings each night from 1-6 in the morning, at which time the other birds take their cue from the rising sun. I mean, it just goes through its repertoire non-stop. It will usually do anywhere from 3 to 12 repititions before moving on to the next one. All I know is that it can't sing without permission from its Creator. He's obliged me a few times by closing its mouth long enough for us to get back to deep sleep. I don't want it dead...just silent.