Jean Gould, public relations director of the hospital at the time, recalled years later that Clarke was “… always interested in music and writing. I would say she was a real artiste. And she was very fond of the children.”

The Rhythm Pals, a country music trio from New Westminster, B.C., who made their debut on CKNW, recorded a version of Clarke’s song in 1948, thus putting it on regular radio rotation locally. They were the new, hot group at the time; three decades later, they included the song on their 30th anniversary album in 1977.

The song was published in 1948 by Empire Music in New Westminster. Aragon records in Vancouver made a record of Don Murphy’s version that same year. Clarke used $600 of her own money to finance the production of the single – a humble beginning for a song that would become an enormous country music hit one year later.

(There’s a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill spread throughout Canada and into the United States as numerous artists began to record the song. The father of Canadian country music, Wilf Carter, released his version in 1949. American Western musician Tex Williams recorded and released the song as a single in 1949. His version became an instant hit south of the border, making it to #11 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Doris Day also recorded it as a single that same year with the George Siravo orchestra, and her jazzy version made it to #19 on Billboard. Bing Crosby followed suit and recorded (There’s a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill around the same time.

The song’s benevolent origins were never lost on its fans, even after it became a mainstream hit. The March of Dimes chose (There’s a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill as the theme song for their national fundraising campaign in 1950. The young Clarke, who was merely 38 years old when her little poem turned into an enormous sensation, made the incredibly generous decision to turn over all royalties from (There’s a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill to children’s hospitals across Canada, where they continue to go today.

Elizabeth Clarke continued her work as a dedicated nurse and even wrote a few other songs after (There’s a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill. She passed away in July 1960, in Vancouver, at age 49.

The song was revived in Sandy Wilson’s 1985 seven-time Genie award-winning Canadian feature film, “My American Cousin,” starring Margaret Langrick. The all-female Canadian jazz ensemble, Mother of Pearl, perform (There’s a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill regularly on tour. The band paid tribute to Clarke by including a rendition of her song on their 2002 jazz compilation album entitled “sheBOP! A Century of Jazz Compositions by Canadian Women,” keeping the lovely tune, and the moving story behind it, alive.