In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I'm afraid of the way that I live my life
I'm afraid of the way I don't
I'm afraid of the things I wanna do but I won't
I'm afraid of God
I'm afraid to believe
And I'm afraid of all the loved ones that I've made leave
I'm afraid that my dog doesn't love me anymore
I'm afraid of the social laziness that let Kitty Genovese die
And I'm afraid of the mob mentality that makes otherwise normal people go blind
I'm afraid of the way the world works
And I'm afraid of the words in my notebooks
I'm afraid that you all know that I am a pervert
But the bid red bird that lives under the city
Doesn't give a damn about me
And it dies every night
By burning alive
I'm afraid of my Grandfather's cancer
And I'm afraid of my Mom's dying arm
I'm afraid that I've somehow caused my family harm
I'm afraid that the ones I love won't have enough
I'm afraid that the ones I love won't have enough
It's harder to be yourself
Than it is to be anybody else
I wish I were a little less of a coward
But the big red bird that lives under the city
Doesn't give a damn about me
And it dies every night
So I bought a knife
I am a knife
I'm afraid of the way I don't
I'm afraid of the things I wanna do but I won't
I'm afraid of God
I'm afraid to believe
And I'm afraid of all the loved ones that I've made leave
I'm afraid that my dog doesn't love me anymore
I'm afraid of the social laziness that let Kitty Genovese die
And I'm afraid of the mob mentality that makes otherwise normal people go blind
I'm afraid of the way the world works
And I'm afraid of the words in my notebooks
I'm afraid that you all know that I am a pervert
But the bid red bird that lives under the city
Doesn't give a damn about me
And it dies every night
By burning alive
I'm afraid of my Grandfather's cancer
And I'm afraid of my Mom's dying arm
I'm afraid that I've somehow caused my family harm
I'm afraid that the ones I love won't have enough
I'm afraid that the ones I love won't have enough
It's harder to be yourself
Than it is to be anybody else
I wish I were a little less of a coward
But the big red bird that lives under the city
Doesn't give a damn about me
And it dies every night
So I bought a knife
I am a knife
Lyrics submitted by WorldStrike
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"But the big red bird that lives under the city Doesn't give a damn about me And it dies every night By burning alive"
The big red bird is a Phoenix. Phoenix is also the city he lives in.
Yes, but the bigger question is what this bird represents. To me, it is symbolic of his fears. Big Bird, the name of the song, could be referring to him being a big chicken (a pejorative term for coward). The allusions to a phoenix likewise represent how these fears keep returning, perhaps in spite of a desire to be free of them. Finally, him becoming the knife in the end represents his decision to take control of his life, by continually killing the fear phoenix every day.<br /> <br /> The band is from Phoenix, AZ of course, but I think in the context of the song it means more than just alluding to a hometown that is indifferent to his worries (not that that isn't an aspect as well).
"So I bought a knife I am a knife"
I believe this is a reference to the last line from the first track of this album, The Michael Jordan of Drunk Driving:
"His laziness built the pyramids, and his solitude was a knife"
A knife is solitude. Being alone.
So the last verse can be interpreted as saying, "I'm too afraid to show who I am to anyone. I'm a coward. So, I choose to be alone. I am alone!" I don't think this is too far of a stretch of the imagination since the album discusses loneliness (example: No One).
I really like this interpretation, but the I've been thinking about this line a lot lately and I believe that the knife may be meant as something that causes harm. Maybe buying a knife was a means of protecting himself by causing harm to others, and by saying he is a knife, he is stressing that all he is capable of doing is hurting people.<br /> <br /> This works with Micheal Jordan to say "were he not alone, he wouldn't have driven/ gotten in an accident"<br /> <br /> But I really can't say what the writer wanted to convey for sure.<br /> <br />
@oddsoup i love how you interpreted this <br />
Took me a while to realize that, good observation! This song is so amazing, that drumbeat is so brutal...
Is that drum beat that starts at 4:10 supposed to be Last Nite by The Strokes or is it just that generic of a beat? That's more likely the joke, but I'm not sure...
I wish I were a little less of a coward but the big red bird that lives under the city doesn't give a damn about me and it dies every night. So I bought a knife. I am a knife.
The phoenix thing makes a ton of sense but why would he be the knife (or need one, for that matter)
@Whitey666 "I am a Knife" refers to him feeling he is nothing but malicious and evil, causing nothing but pain to his family and loved ones.
@Whitey666 Imo, he buys the knife because he wants to hurt himself. He is a knife because he believes he hurts everyone else around him.
fuck, thank you husk. that line was bothering the hell out of me.
Chills.
I listened to this whole album straight through. When the last line came up, my jaw dropped.
"So I bought a knife I am a knife." I feel that he has finally accepted that he is the "cause" of every problem that's happening to his loved ones so he says he's the one causing all the pain just like a knife would.
So I've compiled everyone's comments to make a conclusion that he's alone in the city, and no one cares about him in his city. What's interesting is that cities are an often "go to place" to escape and drift away.
Also the beginning sentence and ending sentence are important. As one said in the comments that the knife represents loneliness, and beginning statement suggest he is afraid of the way he lives his life. So he's afraid of being alone