Clay Pigeons

This is a song about personal redemption, emotional housekeeping, picking yourself up from a fall and starting over again. The singer's life has hit a rough patch- just what is not explained- maybe a good relationship gone bad and ending in heartbreak. Maybe some alcohol abuse as self medication. Maybe losing a job or getting beaten up and knowing he deserved it for something he did. Probably the first, with some other collateral damage attached.

Sitting next to a mom with kids is going to be an act of service and surrender. Most people wouldn't want to sit next to them, but the single mom could definitely use the kindness of a friendly well intentioned stranger to make it through a long bus ride with her kids. And he's feeding his humanity by choosing to do that. He's not planning to hit on her- he's planning to sing songs and help them pass the time on a long ride.

He describes a whole series of basic, functional, attainable short term goals that will help him process his hurt, pull himself together, fake it 'til he makes it, and begin another chapter of his life. It's a wistful but fundamentally healthy and positive song. And it's a humanist approach- he's not praying, or asking for help from angels, or invoking fate or destiny, or channeling new agey energy, or talking about any supernatural influence- he's cultivating the good in people, beginning with himself, looking to familiar comfortable things like southern hospitality, and building himself a new foundation one brick at a time.

The reference to feeding pigeons some clay seems deliberately obscure. I thought immediately of target practice with clay pigeons- discs meant to be shot at once, broken into bits, and discarded. Maybe how he feels right now. Maybe more hopeful than that because he's really talking about living birds that can fly away from trouble. Changing night into day sounds more hopeful- like emotional healing from a dark night of the soul. Also connects to the idea of staying up through nights and days on a long bus ride. All in all a beautiful song.

I think you’d have to be a bird lover as well as someone who has a few skeletons of addiction and substance abuse in your closet to truly appreciate the depth of meaning found in Blaze Foley’s lyrics to “Clay Pigeons.” If you’re familiar enough with birds you may know that they ingest quite a bit of toxic substances while foraging for food and drinking. To combat the ill effects of these toxins pigeons and other birds have evolved a way to naturally diminish these effects by eating clay. \nClay pigeons is about healing and redemption, it’s about removing the literal and figurative “toxins” from one’s life….and getting back on the saddle….and self actualizing! For those of you who have dealt with addiction….you’ve felt the desperation of wanting to “get back” to being you again. You desperately want to be resilient…but can’t always find your way. This is a song about desperation and hope…and a wanting, though not yet realized or fulfilled.\n\nThank you Blaze! I will keep these poignant words with me forever….and your memory will live on in all of our healing hearts!

I was exposed to this song by John Prine when he was on Austin City Limits. He sings it beautifully and respectfully of Blaze because he loved the lyrics. Alas, John is gone now too up in heaven smoking his 9-mile cigarette. I was able to watch the movie "Blaze" recently and learn about Foley's short life and hear him sing this song of self-redemption and hope. Thanks to them both for leaving a legacy to listen to and teach our children and grandchildren.

Yes, a beautifully honest self revelatory song about a "new" beginning, living in the moment. a surrender to one's own nature. Myself. as a pretty much life time "new ager" {see comment] am especially grateful for the the line "I'm tired of running around looking for answers to questions that I already know." Hopefully all of us reach this place, where the answers are about love and connection beyond the mind's life time attempts with words. Thank you Blaze Foley and John Prine.

I knew this as a John Prine song and just today found out it was written by Blaze Foley. To me, the song is a fairly straightforward but beautifully written song about settling down and starting over after what we can assume was a tumultuous past.\n\nI see the line "feed some pigeons some clay" as a play on words suggesting turning things around, slowing down, and rebuilding. He literally reverses the words "clay" and "pigeons" which matches "night into day" in the same line. And normally you think about shooting and breaking clay pigeons, which is maybe what he did in the past (break things), but he\'s going to rebuild, feeding pigeons some clay instead. It also works as a metaphor for slowing down -- feeding the pigeons -- and is parallel with turning presumably wild night into slow days.

Dictionary.com says a Clay Pigeon is American slang for "a person who is easily taken advantage of, especially due to being in a position of vulnerability." idioms.thefreedictionary.com/clay+pigeon

So when taking into account the other lyrics, he is helping desperate and vulnerable people, but not really changing them or their circumstances. There is an understanding that he can't change the world, or be a saviour. But he can give the clay pigeons a bit more clay, bulk them up a bit, play them song, and maybe just help them get by a little longer.

So just stopped myself from answering this with the attitude that I was a scholar on the subject just because someone (possibly knowledgeable, possibly just a jackass) claims that pigeons are in fact fed clay, by clay just simply referring to clay type soil, and rolling little balls of it to feed to pigeons, because pigeons are in fact (this is found from legit source, tho vague) known to travel to creek banks and dried washes and feed on soil (if rich in clay) because it’s linked to their assisting their digestive process. So though I’m no scholar after reading unscholarly google resources, given the simplicity of Blaze’s lyrics it’s the one I truly think is correct (whether ppl want to argue his lyrics being “simple” or not, fact is his simplicity, like many great songwriters, lyes in the fact everyday ppl from any walk of life are able to fit a personal meaning that relates to their individual life and circumstance)