His early work, which echoed gypsy jazz and traditional folk, has led into his current sound, which mixes rock with more broad compositions. His years of solo song-craft have now enabled him to produce a sound that is uniquely his own.
Trained by the Suzuki method from a young age and a graduate of Illinois' Northwestern University, Bird released his first solo album, Music of Hair, in 1996. Vastly different from his later releases, this first album showcases his violin skills and pays tribute to his fascination with both American and European folk traditions, as well as jazz and blues.
His initial commercial exposure was in collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers. He was quickly lumped in with the swing craze that swept the United States music industry in the mid '90s; this is an affiliation that he is still working to shed.
Taking on the role of band leader in 1997 with Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, he released the album Thrills. This was followed by Oh! The Grandeur in 1998. Both albums were heavily influenced by traditional folk, pre-war jazz and swing, with Bird relying on the violin as his primary musical instrument.
In 2001, Bird released The Swimming Hour, his third release with the Bowl of Fire and a dramatic departure from previous recordings. The Swimming Hour featured a mixture of styles, from the zydeco-influenced "Core and Rind" to more straightforward rock songs. He has often referred to this record as his "jukebox album".
The Bowl of Fire unofficially disbanded some time in 2003, having featured many skilled Chicago musicians including Kevin O'Donnell, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins (aka Mr. Rudy Day), Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn and Ryan Hembrey.
Bird then released two subsequent solo albums, both distributed through the label operated by Ani DiFranco, Righteous Babe Records. The two records, 2003's Weather Systems and 2005's The Mysterious Production of Eggs, continue a progression towards an eclectic indie folk sound that has proven challenging to classify.
Bird's live solo shows have been notable in that he uses a multi-track system to sample and loop his own performance. For example, he may record a snippet of his performance on violin, then play a "loop" of that sound. This provides a more full-bodied sound and aurally suggests a band performance, rather than the sound of a solo artist.
Bird's next full-length album Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum) was released on March 20th 2007.
November 2007 saw the Soldier On EP originally a European tour-only release. But due to high demand and unanticipated critical acclaim was released digitally and in CD-format on both sides of the Atlantic. Critics and fans alike have hearkened to the EP's first track, "The Trees Were Mistaken", a complex yet austere looping composition that marks a departure from Bird's earlier body of work. It also contains a cover of Bob Dylan's "Oh Sister".
January 2009 saw Noble Beast, also available with instrumental album Useless Creatures, released worldwide to positive reviews.
The Fatal Shore Songfacts reports that Break it Yourself, Bird's sixth solo studio album, was released on March 6, 2012 through Mom+Pop records in the US and Bella Union in the UK. The origins of the LP lie in a couple of jam sessions by a gathering of Bird's friends in the singer's western Illinois barn, near the banks of the Mississippi River.
Of his 2019 album My Finest Work Yet, Talia Schlanger of NPR says "Bird zooms way out on humanity across history's timeline, seeking insight about our current age, in a way he hopes 'stays above the news feed noise.'" Many tracks, including the opener "Sisyphus," include Andrew's trademark whistling.
Action / Adventure
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm wasting your time
When you pick me up in duty free
That's when I thought I'd be the cross in your T
Or must see TV
Tram pam pam pam, but
If you think I'm wasting your time again
When you're playing for a prime-time dream
The CNB scene
Now I'm just a split in your seam the I in your team
Oooh please don't get too excited
Oooh maybe you're not invited
To my action adventure
My action adventure dream
So when you think you're on the fast track
You find it's just a cul-de-sac back
In that adult lifestyle community
Where all your little boys, your action toys are duty free
Oooh please don't get too excited
Ooooh maybe you're not invited
To my action adventure
My action adventure dream
So I wonder what you got your persona for
Cause there's a 2-for-one down at the corner-store
And I wonder could ya pep it up a bit
You know throw a fit
You go ahead and dance
I'll just sit
If you think I'm wasting your time again
I'm wasting your time again
oh, you're wasting mine
When you're playing for a prime-time dream
The CNB scene
Now I'm just a split in your seam the I in your team
So I'm looking at the back of my hand again
Oh, I'm looking at the back of my hand again,
To what end if I can't even find a goddamn pen
The lyrics of Andrew Bird's "Action / Adventure" suggest a relationship in which the two partners are not on the same page. The singer starts out by acknowledging that their partner may feel like their time is being wasted, but turns it around to accuse the partner of wasting the singer's time instead. The reference to duty free and being the "cross in your T" suggests that the relationship is uneven or unbalanced in some way, with one partner perhaps always taking the lead. The reference to "must see TV" suggests that the other partner is more interested in building a persona or projecting a certain image than in being authentic.
The chorus repeats an invitation to an "action adventure dream," but with a note of caution: "maybe you're not invited." This suggests that the singer is going on an adventure of some kind, but the partner is not necessarily welcome to come along. The second verse includes a reference to a "cul-de-sac," which reinforces the sense that the partner is stuck in a dead-end situation while the singer is moving forward. The reference to "all your little boys, your action toys" suggests that the partner is more interested in material possessions and superficial pleasures than in actually experiencing life.
The final verse includes a bit of wordplay, as the singer looks at the back of their hand to suggest that they are looking for something (perhaps a pen) but cannot find it. This may suggest a feeling of frustration or helplessness, as if the singer is trying to express themselves but cannot find the right words or tools.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a relationship in which one person is moving forward and striving for adventure, while the other is more interested in material possessions and projecting a certain image. The chorus suggests that the two may not be compatible, and that the singer is better off pursuing their dreams alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Now if you think I'm wasting your time again
If you are annoyed with me already,
I'm wasting your time
I am wasting your precious time in that case
When you pick me up in duty free
When you get me at duty-free shops,
That's when I thought I'd be the cross in your T
That’s the moment I imagined being important to you like the cross on a T
Or must see TV
Or being something so interesting to watch on TV
If you think I'm wasting your time again
Again, if you think I am exasperating,
No, oh, you're wasting mine
Pondering, no, you are truly wasting minutes of my life
When you're playing for a prime-time dream
When you are chasing a television fantasy that everyone can watch,
The CNB scene
Since you are stuck in a life determined by the civic networth,
Now I'm just a split in your seam the I in your team
I've become a commonplace now in your life, rather than an important swatch or a key member
Oooh please don't get too excited
Please don't be too thrilled,
Ooooh maybe you're not invited
Ooooh possibly you're not welcome
To my action adventure
To my adventurous escapades,
My action adventure dream
My dream narrative that grows wilder and wilder every day
So when you think you're on the fast track
Therefore, when you feel in a rush
You find it's just a cul-de-sac back
What seems like an instant boost ultimately ends up being a dead end,
In that adult lifestyle community
In that grown-up society you're living in,
Where all your little boys, your action toys are duty free
Where all your small boys and toys, that gratify your adventures, are found without much effort,
So I wonder what you got your persona for
Therefore, I'm questioning what you've got your front for
Cause there's a 2-for-one down at the corner-store
Because there is a bog-standard deal downtown that people are already enjoying,
And I wonder could ya pep it up a bit
And I'm wondering if you could make it more exciting,
You know throw a fit
I mean making a big fuss,
You go ahead and dance
So, feel free to dance,
I'll just sit
And I'll watch from the sidelines
If you think I'm wasting your time again
In case you think I'm frustrating you again,
I'm wasting your time again
I'm disappointing you again is what's happening
oh, you're wasting mine
Oh, you're making me waste mine
When you're playing for a prime-time dream
When you're chasing a popular dream that's supported by the masses,
The CNB scene
A life determined by civic networth
Now I'm just a split in your seam the I in your team
Now, I've become a regular part of your life, where I was once essential or unique.
So I'm looking at the back of my hand again
So I find myself staring at the palms of my hands again,
Oh, I'm looking at the back of my hand again
Ah, at the back of my hands once again
To what end if I can't even find a goddamn pen
What's the point if I can't even find a damn pen,
Contributed by Gabriel M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.