Little Bird

This song is so catchy! And it's more upbeat than some of Ed Sheeran's more popular songs but I like it just the same. Okay so as far as meaning goes let's assume he's talking about a girl (seems pretty obvious) and it seems like they've sort of had a relationship before and maybe it didn't work out and now he's contemplating giving it another go. I think the 'little bird' is a metaphor for their relationship. It has a "broken leg", so their relationship is 'injured' or 'damaged' and just isn't going to get better. So she suggests that they try to fix it. But at the end of the song he said he "left that little bird with it's broken leg to die" so I guess he chose not to continue the relationship, and yet because he plays the chorus again straight after I think he's still not sure whether he made the right choice because he still wants her but thinks it would be a mistake to jump straight back in.

This is the first time I've tried to figure out the meaning of the song and write it down so it could be that none of that makes sense or is completely wrong but that's just what I get from the song.

lol u wanna know what it means? its about a chicken named eric

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5rGdL82PRM

It's about a chicken. Funny story actually.

Hmm, well I came here to clarify what I thought it meant and I didn't find anything I agreed with, so here's what I think, because of the way it relates to me and I my life. So he's interested in a girl (my little bird) that is going through some tough times, possible with family, and ex, is dying (what I think), or what have you. First of all he's talking about taking a "little bird" in and nursing it, and then telling (presumably the girl) to come in and lie down. In the chorus he talks about how he's really scared to jump into anything with her "And it's not complete yet, mustn't get our feet wet, 'Cause that leads to regret, diving in too soon," and he really wants to, but he doesn't want to ruin any chance they might have by rushing what he thinks he wants right now. The first verse is why I think it's about a girl he's in love with that's dying. Now, he's obviously not talking about taking care of a bird, but her at this point "If we take a walk out, in the morning dew, We can lie down, so I'm next to you, Come inside for a little home made tea," now here's what leads me to think she's dying "And if you fall asleep, at least you're next to me, And if I wake up, say it's late love, go back to sleep, I'm covered by nature, and I'm safe now, Underneath this oak tree, with you beside me." he's talking about laying with her, for eternity, being with her until she's dead, which to me is the purest form of love, but it eats him up inside, so he cant help but sing about it.

The ending I'm little unsure of, because it seems up to this point he either is going to be with her until she dies, or was with her until she dies, until the final verse where he says "And of all these things I'm sure of, I'm not quite certain of your love,You make me scream, then I made you cry,When I left that little bird with its broken leg to die" Now, all this says to me, is he was with her, trying to help fix her, doing everything in his power to help her get better (no matter what it was, I personally think dying, but there's a million other things it could be) and they didn't work out, and so he feels guilty leaving her in the mess he found her, and his presence just making it worse, but he wants her to know that in the moment though, when they were together, he did love her deeply, and wanted to fix everything and make the world shine for her.

True it's about an ACTUAL bird, kinda sounds like its about more than that to me. At least I like to tell myself that. :)

he actually explains it himself! look for ustream gig (part 1) on youtube, minute 11:50 ;) and yes, there was actually a chicken :D (or rather ;( for the chicken...)

Yeah, It's about a chicken...... .___.

As one of my best friends pointed out yesterday, she thinks this song portrays the little bird as a metaphor of the relationship, a relationship that two people are trying to save together. It's almost as if Ed didn't try hard enough to keep the relationship alive and real, which could be interpreted from the 'when I left that little bird, with it's broken leg to die'. This shows that their love was already injured and could've been healed, but wasn't treated properly.

This song is so catchy!!:) I love it!! And most people think "little bird " is a metaphor and it can be (if it were the "little bird "would be the relationship ) but its not meant to be a metaphor.... So he liked this girl and she was going to college to be a veterinarian, anyway they were together when they found this little bird "with its broken leg." She decided that, for practice she would nurse it back to health, but when they went home "he" kept her from tending to the bird by distracting her because he was to caught up in his love for her. Anyway, the bird soon died and the girl was so upset and so, I think this song is sort of an apology by admitting that he was the reason that the bird died

I think little bird his his like pet name for a girl, so he turns it into a metaphor for their relationship. And in the song he is talking to the girl and telling the story of how they had been in a relationship and it hasn't worked out. In the bridge it sounds like they had gotten into a fight (and you made me scream) he left her (and I made you cry when I left that little bird with it's broken leg to die). Some time has passed and they are both friends and they both kind of want to get back together possibly as shown when she is inviting him in to nurse this bird (fix the relationship) and when he talks to her in the chorus about her trusting that he wants to get back together. But also that they have to be careful because diving in (starting the relationship) too soon can lead to regret (a break up)