In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
They tell us, "Autumn's a-coming
And soon everything around us will die
Only a fool believes that he is
Different from the birds in the sky
All those birds go chasing
Some better, sunny days
You can't hear them singing
Because they've all gone away"
But this one bird didn't leave you
It stayed through the wintertime
You can't hear it sing
But you can hear it as it flies
So don't you believe them
They'll destroy you with their lies
They only see the obvious
They see the sun go down but they don't see it rise
This one bird didn't leave you
You can hear it as it flies
It's not very loud
But you can hear it if you try
So don't you believe them
Yes, it's true, someday everything dies
We won't let that defeat us
We can't hear him sing but we can hear it as it flies
And soon everything around us will die
Only a fool believes that he is
Different from the birds in the sky
All those birds go chasing
Some better, sunny days
You can't hear them singing
Because they've all gone away"
But this one bird didn't leave you
It stayed through the wintertime
You can't hear it sing
But you can hear it as it flies
So don't you believe them
They'll destroy you with their lies
They only see the obvious
They see the sun go down but they don't see it rise
This one bird didn't leave you
You can hear it as it flies
It's not very loud
But you can hear it if you try
So don't you believe them
Yes, it's true, someday everything dies
We won't let that defeat us
We can't hear him sing but we can hear it as it flies
Lyrics submitted by christsizeshoes
My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life as Blazing Shield of Defiance and Optimism as Celestial Spear of Action) song meanings
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relating man 2 bird. I think what Wayne is trying to say is... When you see things start to get bad, or your in a "cold place" leave! No need to keep yourself unhappy, go search for a sunny day!
@FurryPlanet I believe the opposite. The metaphor of autumn (it being the transition into winter) speaks of the idea that though you might see that things are worsening, you should bear with it, and though it may seem like everyone has gone (the birds) something still stays with you through the tough times. I can relate.
@FurryPlanet I believe the opposite. The metaphor of autumn (it being the transition into winter) speaks of the idea that though you might see that things are worsening, you should bear with it, and though it may seem like everyone has gone (the birds) something still stays with you through the tough times. I can relate.
I believe the key phrase in the song is, "so don't you believe them, they'll destroy you with thier lies, they only see the obvious, the see the sun go down but they don't see it rise" there are always exceptions to the rule and things going on cosmically that are so beautiful and working with us right when we need them to, even though they shouldn't be, or it doesn't make sense scientifically i.e. "this bird didn't leave you, it stayed through the wintertime". never lose hope. such a beautiful song, inspiring to say the least. once again, great electric guitar riff in the middle and at the end, so simple, yet so powerful
I think it's a beautiful thing " this one bird didn't leave you it stayed through the wintertime". So, this is what's popped into my head about this song-You can't just keep running and chasing those sunny days, there are going to be winters in your life and it's awesome when you find the one who will stay through your wintertime. But, that's just what I see.
Oh man, I just heard this song and it is so good!
I would say, offhand, that it's about pessimism. The "they" in the song are the people who always see the worst in things: it's turning to autumn, all the trees are dying, the weathers going... and the birds are leaving us. I think I'll throw out that the birds could mean hope. When things go to pot, "they" in the song thing there is no hope for the thing. But theres still one bird left, even if you can't see it, that means there is still a chance.
The "they see the sun go down but they don't see it rise" is a great lyric! It kinda means... the sun going down means it's gonna turn to night, and everything's gonna go dark. I guess you can see how this links in with the whole pessimism theme?
i just saw the flaming lips perform last night. they played this song and i cried so much. they were displaying the words on a big screen so people could sing along, and i guess i never thought about the words to this before.
this song is being positive despite what everyone else might be doing. the flaming lips are all about doing whatever it is that they want without any regard for what is thought of them for that. they are that bird that stays for the winter, doing something that might be seen as crazy, but they're so positive in everything they do that they can get away with it.
i just saw the flaming lips perform last night. they played this song and i cried so much. they were displaying the words on a big screen so people could sing along, and i guess i never thought about the words to this before.
this song is being positive despite what everyone else might be doing. the flaming lips are all about doing whatever it is that they want without any regard for what is thought of them for that. they are that bird that stays for the winter, doing something that might be seen as crazy, but they're so positive in everything they do that they can get away with it.
A metaphor for fullfillment in life by using the seasons - autumn the beginning of a period of sadness in this case. While most birds fly south to warmer [happier] weather the rebellious bird in this song decides to stay throughout the winter. Deciding not to always chase after the seasons and the sun the rebellious bird sings beautiful melodies in the winter. This bird has hope, knowing that just because it's winter [a dark depressing period] that it has to get better [warmer] and the bird will do what it in it's own way to make the best of the time.
A postive rebellion of a bird to sing throughout the winter even while all the other birds are long gone. The bird did what he wanted and did not let anything beyond his control distract him from what he himself believed is important.
To the first person who replied to this song: This song is about being positive despite it being winter, not chasing sunny days. Everyone else tries to find a way to only be happy, but what the song is saying is that you can accept sadness as a natural part of life, and continue to exist, and flourish.
Adding on to what Hybrination said and ignoring everyone else (because I'm lazy), I also think that it has to do with sticking around and being loyal- toughing out the harsh times. It's about a person who has refused to be a fair-weather friend...or rather, fair-weather bird, as it be.