| Bill Callahan – Too Many Birds Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| This is a poetic piece that uses an economy of words. It is plaintive and beautiful. “Too many birds in one tree” paints a picture of seeking to belong, but of always being on the margins. It speaks of being the outsider, one for whom no one is willing to be hospitable. The birds seem to share an alikeness, yet the one black bird cannot find home, security or acceptance with the others. And thus, the unwelcome one goes through great lengths to attempt to return to some place of peace, the last place they knew rest. Alas, the search is futile (“you fly all night to sleep on stone”). This lost creature can neither find peace it once knew nor enjoy a peace where they are. The song ends in a deliberate plea, a cry of appeal to the human condition. If we could only cease to be selfish and strive to be a human collective, seeing ourselves in others, unified, sharing in suffering, and responsible to one another. A collective heartbeat (“if you could not stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat”). Having a sense of the common good would result in no bird ever being turned away from the tree where it has come to for peace and community. | |
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