Lyric discussion by Smackhead Pedo 

Cover art for Little Bird lyrics by White Stripes, The

Yeah, St. Francis of Assisi preached to birds, look it up if you want (it might be spelled "Assissi"). He had nothing to lose because he had already commited himself to poverty before he started talking to animals. It sort of contradicts Shameless' idea though, so the rest of the song doesn't make any sense now.