Sparrow Song
Adam Baldwin Lyrics


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Her tears fell and I watched them all like a
Cloud trail from a plane I got on
I watched them dance down her bottom lip and I
Picked them up with my fingertips

In the days after the cut
Oh you said that you'd found someone
With my crying call in your hand
You just turned to some other man but

Oh babe where we could have gone
Across the sky like a sparrow song well I
Fell down you said you had enough
Oh babe where we could have gone

Now I wait for the time between your
Lying down and a quiet dream
Just to read what you could not say
‘Cause you think that you're better that way
But honey

Oh babe where we could have gone
Across the sky like a sparrow song well I
Fell down you said you had enough
Oh babe where we could have gone

Does he know that you feel that way
It ain't gone you just turned your back away
Does he know that he can't be enough
To make you fall even half into love

What I woulda done
Is what I shoulda done
And what I shoulda done
Is what I coulda done
What I coulda done
Is what I woulda done
And what I woulda done
Is what I shoulda done

Oh babe where we could have gone
Across the sky like a sparrow song well I
Fell down you said you had enough
Oh babe where we could have gone
Oh babe where we could have gone
Across the sky like a sparrow song well I
Fell down you said you should have jumped
Oh babe where we could have gone

What I woulda done
Is what I shoulda done
And what I shoulda done
Is what I coulda done
What I coulda done
Is what I woulda done




And what I woulda done
Shoulda done coulda done

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Adam Baldwin's Sparrow Song depict a relationship that has fallen apart due to the singer's partner choosing someone else over him. The first stanza describes the singer watching his partner cry, attempting to comfort her by picking up her tears with his fingertips. The following stanza reveals that his partner has found someone else, leaving the singer feeling abandoned and questioning what could have been. He contemplates the potential for their relationship to have been like the flight of a sparrow, soaring through the sky in harmony. However, he ultimately fell down as his partner chose another man.


The third stanza further highlights the singer's struggle to move on from the relationship, as he waits for her to fall asleep just to attempt to decipher her unspoken words. He accuses her of pretending to be better than him while hiding her true feelings. The fourth and final stanza questions the loyalty of his former partner's new lover and whether he can truly make her happy. The repeated refrain, "What I would have done, should have done, could have done," emphasizes the regret the singer feels about how the relationship ended and the missed opportunity for what they could have had.


Line by Line Meaning

Her tears fell and I watched them all like a Cloud trail from a plane I got on I watched them dance down her bottom lip and I Picked them up with my fingertips
The singer was observing the tears of a woman falling like raindrops and he cautiously collected them with his fingers.


In the days after the cut Oh you said that you'd found someone With my crying call in your hand You just turned to some other man but
After their break up, the singer's ex-partner claimed to have found love, although she had given him false promises earlier and moved on to someone else.


Oh babe where we could have gone Across the sky like a sparrow song well I Fell down you said you had enough Oh babe where we could have gone
The singer reminisces on the missed opportunities with his ex-lover, picturing a world of endless possibilities if they could have stayed together and soared through the sky like a sparrow's melody.


Now I wait for the time between your Lying down and a quiet dream Just to read what you could not say ‘Cause you think that you're better that way But honey
The artist patiently awaits the moment when his ex-partner is asleep to decipher the words that she could not bring herself to say while awake, as she believes it is better to keep them hidden.


Does he know that you feel that way It ain't gone you just turned your back away Does he know that he can't be enough To make you fall even half into love
The artist questions whether the new lover knows that his ex-partner is still harboring feelings for him, emphasizing that she hasn't moved on as she has claimed, and no amount of love from the new partner can satisfy her.


What I woulda done Is what I shoulda done And what I shoulda done Is what I coulda done What I coulda done Is what I woulda done And what I woulda done Is what I shoulda done
The singer reflects on the choices he could have made in the past and acknowledges that he should have acted differently but it is too late now.


Oh babe where we could have gone Across the sky like a sparrow song well I Fell down you said you had enough Oh babe where we could have gone Oh babe where we could have gone Across the sky like a sparrow song well I Fell down you said you should have jumped Oh babe where we could have gone
The singer yearns for the opportunities he lost with his ex-partner and envisions an alternate reality where they could have flown together like sparrows but ultimately, she gave up on him.




Writer(s): Adam Baldwin

Contributed by John S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Alexis Starling

Love this one.

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