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The Gold Finch And The Red Oak Tree Lyrics
as i walk through cities one saturday,
a golden finch came winging my way,
sang to me a song of my country,
words of life from city and sea.
golden finch, your song is your love,
you will sing forever above.
golden finch alight in your loft,
where i have learned and, oh, you have taught.
while she did wing through aerial places,
a red oak tree grew under her feet,
and when the world had started its taking,
she lit amongst its loftier leaves.
golden finch, alight in your loft,
you have learned and, oh, you have taught.
the red oak tree will carry your loss,
when you alone can't carry that cross.
a golden finch came winging my way,
sang to me a song of my country,
words of life from city and sea.
you will sing forever above.
golden finch alight in your loft,
where i have learned and, oh, you have taught.
a red oak tree grew under her feet,
and when the world had started its taking,
she lit amongst its loftier leaves.
you have learned and, oh, you have taught.
the red oak tree will carry your loss,
when you alone can't carry that cross.
Song Info
Submitted by
negatyve On Oct 30, 2004
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the softness of this song is beautiful.
Ted Leo has some of the most poetic lyrics ever.
It's like the new Beatles' "Blackbird".
Not unlike many other Ted Leo songs, this one seems to preach to the simple pleasures in life. The fact that beauty is everywhere and the concept of love, so misunderstood and complicated sometimes, can be simple and beautiful. We can all be taught something by a golden finch sitting in a tree.
The last two lines in this song make my cry openly and I can't figure out why. Does anyone have any insight into the last two lines?
I thought "the red oak tree will carry your loss/when you alone can't carry that cross" meant that the golden finch was using the red oak tree as a kind of sanctuary or safe haven from the world and the things it cannot--at times--carry alone. The finch is spending its time learning/teaching about the world, and often, that can be unbearable.
amen, prilla. it's a beautiful song.
insight to last two lines:
Jesus Christ
insight to last two lines:
Jesus Christ
to me the gold finch signifies a universal teacher (jesus?) who walks the earth spreading her influence about the beauty and goodness of the earth. the red oak trees grow wherever she goes as her wisdom spreads over the earth and when she is tired from teaching or being persecuted she knows she can go back to the places where her trees have grown and not be harmed. the trees act a santuary when she can't "carry her cross" or the burdens of the world.
i love this song. it reminds me of my dog who died today. that is why i can't listen to it in public
while the jesus/salvation thing could also work, i think it's more on a simpler theme.
ted leo grew up in bloomfield, new jersey (same city as i did!) and the gold finch and the red oak are the state bird and tree of NJ. i remember reading somewhere in an article, it mentioned how he lived in new england for a while, but came back to jersey because it feels more like home. i think the song is just about how he feels for the state, how your home and family will always be there for you.