Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a worm on a hook
Like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee

If I, if I have been unkind
I hope that you can just let it go by
If I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you

Oh, like a baby, stillborn
Like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me
But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee

I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch
He said to me, "You must not ask for so much"
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door
She cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"

Oh, like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free


Lyrics submitted by rgirl, edited by clearsky, kalluk

Bird on the Wire Lyrics as written by Leonard Cohen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Bird on the Wire song meanings
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  • +3
    General Comment

    I believe this song is about the artist's bane: society. The artist tries, through his art, to escape society, the reality surrounding it, and its boundaries, but society is ever present: the artist has to make money in order to live ( eating, having a home, traveling in order to show his art, etc ). As the artist discovers this through the years, he will try to go through boundaries - boundaries created by society. In this way, the artist defies what is considered normal behavior and often upsets the people around him. In this song, the artist apologizes to those who are dear to him. Of course, the bird is the symbolism of freedom, the freedom of creation is as infinite as it is limited - by the wire ( society ). The true birds are those whom you never hear or see - they do not travel, they do not own houses and they barely have enough to eat. It is about a sacrifice that each and every artist has to make.

    Ex Abruptoon September 30, 2008   Link

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