This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Even if a day feels too long
You feel like you can't wait another one
You're slowly givin' up on everything
Love is gonna find you again
Love is gonna find you, you better be ready then
You been kneelin' in the dark for far too long
You've been waitin' for that spark, but it hasn't come
Well I'm callin' to you, please, get off the floor
A good heart will find you again
A good heart will find you, just be ready then
Tethered to a bird of sorrow
A voice that's buried in the hollow
You've given over to self-deceivin'
Your prostrate bowed would not be leavin'
You've squandered more than you could borrow
You've bet your joys on all tomorrows
For the hope of some returnin'
While everything around just burnin'
Come on, we gotta get out, get out of this mess we made
And still for all our talk, we're both so afraid
Will we leave this up to chance, like we do everything?
Love is gonna find us again
Love is gonna find us, we gotta be ready then
Tethered to a bird of sorrow
A voice that's buried in the hollow
You've given over to self-deceivin'
Your prostrate bowed would not be leavin'
You've squandered more than you could borrow
You've bet your joys on all tomorrows
For the hope of some returnin'
While everything around you's burnin'
But I'm not leavin' you yet
I'm not leavin' you yet
I'm not leavin'
I'm not leavin', yeah, yeah
I'm not leavin'
I'm not leavin', yeah, yeah
I'm hangin' on
Hangin' on
What's gonna come?
I'm hangin' on now
Hangin' on, hangin' on, hangin' on
Hangin' on, hangin' on, hangin' on
With the faithful
With the faithful
I'm hangin' on
What's gonna come?
What's gonna come?
Hangin' on
Hangin' on
You feel like you can't wait another one
You're slowly givin' up on everything
Love is gonna find you again
Love is gonna find you, you better be ready then
You been kneelin' in the dark for far too long
You've been waitin' for that spark, but it hasn't come
Well I'm callin' to you, please, get off the floor
A good heart will find you again
A good heart will find you, just be ready then
Tethered to a bird of sorrow
A voice that's buried in the hollow
You've given over to self-deceivin'
Your prostrate bowed would not be leavin'
You've squandered more than you could borrow
You've bet your joys on all tomorrows
For the hope of some returnin'
While everything around just burnin'
Come on, we gotta get out, get out of this mess we made
And still for all our talk, we're both so afraid
Will we leave this up to chance, like we do everything?
Love is gonna find us again
Love is gonna find us, we gotta be ready then
Tethered to a bird of sorrow
A voice that's buried in the hollow
You've given over to self-deceivin'
Your prostrate bowed would not be leavin'
You've squandered more than you could borrow
You've bet your joys on all tomorrows
For the hope of some returnin'
While everything around you's burnin'
But I'm not leavin' you yet
I'm not leavin' you yet
I'm not leavin'
I'm not leavin', yeah, yeah
I'm not leavin'
I'm not leavin', yeah, yeah
I'm hangin' on
Hangin' on
What's gonna come?
I'm hangin' on now
Hangin' on, hangin' on, hangin' on
Hangin' on, hangin' on, hangin' on
With the faithful
With the faithful
I'm hangin' on
What's gonna come?
What's gonna come?
Hangin' on
Hangin' on
Lyrics submitted by niteflite01, edited by jeenee
Bird of Sorrow Lyrics as written by Glen James Hansard Glen Hansard
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I heard this song for the first time at a concert a few weeks ago. It was just so beautiful that it brought me to tears.
I believe the line is "You're prostrate, bowed, but not believin'"
Sounds to me, or should be anyway, about not giving up on a hard time in a marriage. My parents have always taught me if you walk away from all that you know and all that you’ve built to start over, you’re going to find the same exact thing later on down the road just a different face and that is nothing but superficiality. It’s terribly sad I would never walk away from my marriage no matter what unless there was physical abuse involved.
@Stephaniejones and I would never ever choose to be with somebody who has already walked away from his marriage and family to begin with. I almost did that and it would’ve been the biggest mistake of my entire life. That shows somebody’s character and it is a terribly bad one. It gives me the chills
@Stephaniejones and I would never ever choose to be with somebody who has already walked away from his marriage and family to begin with. I almost did that and it would’ve been the biggest mistake of my entire life. That shows somebody’s character and it is a terribly bad one. It gives me the chills
Sounds to me, or should be anyway, about not giving up on a hard time in a marriage. My parents have always taught me if you walk away from all that you know and all that you’ve built to start over, you’re going to find the same exact thing later on down the road just a different face and that is nothing but superficiality. It’s terribly sad I would never walk away from my marriage no matter what unless there was physical abuse involved.
How come there is only 5 comments here? Is it because of the relative lack of famousness of Glen Hansard? Is it because noone is interested in this type of singer-songwriter stuff? How does this work? People help me out.
Because this could be hands down the best song ever. In terms of intensity, buildup, raw emotion and message. Period. There, I've said it.
@monsieurrouge <br /> I made an account here just to reply to your comment! I wanted to say I completely agree with your opinion! I don't like big words like "best song ever", because I think art is endless and there are countless songs worthy of that title.<br /> <br /> But the song is a true masterpiece. The lyrics hit so deep and it feels like a genuine therapy session. I always liked the song, but recently it gave me a new revelation through the meaning it has, because I realized so much of myself resides in that story.<br /> <br /> I think the big picture is "love yourself before expecting anyone else to love you. Don't give up on hope and don't settle for intermediate solutions. Real love will find you and you have to be ready, otherwise you might spoil it. If you don't take care of yourself now, your chance will be ruined".