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.
Skin Is My
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
White as parchment
Drier than a downtown office building
Where the air is tight
There's time spent
Resting on her bones
Waiting for the telephone to ring
Ba-ring ba-ring ba-ring
Ba-ring ba-ring ba-ring
Ba-ring ba-ring ba-ring
My skin is
Cold as her toes on the bathroom floor
Run back to bed and slam the door
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh how it shakes the ground
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh what a lovely
Skin is my
It's the only thing
That doesn't really fly in my land
And love, oh love
Is my love is
It's the only thing that
Butterfly in Thailand
Let it be printed on every t-shirt in this land
On the finest of cottons and the hippest of brands
In bolder letters than the capital I
It's the only thing, it's the only thing
It's the only lonely, whoa
My skin is
White as parchment
Drier than a downtown office building
Where the air is tight
There's time spent
Waiting for that
Macrame bird of prey
To come down and sing
La-ling la-ling la-ling
La-ling la-ling la-ling
La-ling la-ling la-ling
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh how it shakes the ground
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh how it shakes the ground
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh how it shakes the ground
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh how it shakes the ground
Oh what a lovely sound
Oh, oh what a lovely sound
The lyrics of Andrew Bird's "Skin Is My" deals with themes of identity, love, and loneliness. The song starts with a description of the singer's skin, which is portrayed as dry and white as parchment. The opening lines of the song might suggest a sense of detachment from the world, as if the singer is an observer rather than a participant. However, the next verse shows a more emotional side to the singer's character as they describe the sense of coldness they experience while running back to bed.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more cryptic and ambiguous. The line "Skin is my" is repeated several times, and the only clear meaning behind the phrase is that the singer identifies with their skin. The following lines "It's the only thing that doesn't fly in my land" and "Love oh love is my love is" suggest that the singer feels a sense of alienation from the world around them.
The line "Butterfly in Thailand" is particularly mysterious, but could be interpreted as a reference to the singer's desire to escape their current situation and find a new sense of identity or purpose. The song ends with a repeated refrain of "Oh what a lovely sound, oh how it shakes the ground," which could be interpreted in different ways, but might suggest a sense of explosive emotional release or catharsis.
Line by Line Meaning
My skin is
The singer introduces the theme of skin and its important role in their identity.
White as parchment
The singer's skin is a very pale shade, similar to the color of ancient paper made from animal skin.
Drier than a downtown office building
Compared to the arid climate of a metropolis, the singer's skin is dehydrated and rough.
Where the air is tight
The atmosphere around the downtown office building is stuffy and stagnant, which contributes to the dryness of the artist's skin.
There's time spent
The artist has had ample opportunity to observe and analyze their skin, leading to the next line.
Resting on her bones
The structure of the singer's body plays a crucial role in how their skin appears and behaves.
Waiting for the telephone to ring
While the singer is idle, their skin remains static and unchanging, waiting for some kind of action or disruption.
Ba-ring ba-ring ba-ring
The playful repetition of a phone's ringtone highlights the monotony and stagnancy of a mundane daily routine.
Cold as her toes on the bathroom floor
The artist's skin is experiencing a sensation similar to that of icy bathroom tile against their partner's toes.
Run back to bed and slam the door
The artist is escaping from an uncomfortable or unpleasant situation, using their skin as a marker of their emotional state.
Oh what a lovely sound
The repetition of this phrase signals a transition to a new focus: sound and its emotional impact.
Oh how it shakes the ground
Sound has a visceral, physically felt effect on the body and surroundings, which the artist finds beautiful.
Skin is my
The singer acknowledges once again the centrality of skin to their identity, but in a broader sense.
It's the only thing
In contrast to the many ways in which the singer's identity and experiences are fluid and mutable, their skin is a constant and reliable feature.
That doesn't really fly in my land
The singer's skin color and type is atypical or out of place in their environment.
And love, oh love
A non sequitur leading to the next line.
Is my love is
The artist emphasizes the importance of love to their life and sense of self.
It's the only thing that
Once again, in contrast to other aspects of their life, love is a constant and reliable feature.
Butterfly in Thailand
This simile suggests that love is a fleeting, butterfly-like experience that the singer connects with a specific location.
Let it be printed on every t-shirt in this land
The artist advocates for love to be recognized and celebrated in a public, visible way.
On the finest of cottons and the hippest of brands
The artist suggests that love should be valued and displayed with material goods, elevating it to the status of a luxury product.
In bolder letters than the capital I
The artist wants the message of love to be clear and emphasized above all else.
It's the only thing, it's the only thing
Repetition reinforces the importance of both love and skin to the singer.
It's the only lonely, whoa
The artist acknowledges that valuing love and skin above all else can be a lonely experience, but they still find them to be the most important aspects of their life.
Waiting for that
The singer returns to the subject of skin and its relationship with their environment.
Macrame bird of prey
This metaphorical phrase suggests the singer is waiting for a moment of action or movement, which is being personified as a predatory bird composed of macrame fibers.
To come down and sing
When the macrame bird of prey does arrive, it will be accompanied by a beautiful, impactful sound, similar to the sounds highlighted earlier in the song.
La-ling la-ling la-ling
This repetition of a nonsense phrase evokes a similar sense of playfulness and repetition to the earlier phone ringtone, but suggests a more active and positive environment.
Oh what a lovely sound
The final repetition of this line reinforces the beauty and impact of sound on the artist, providing a strong conclusion to the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Andrew Wegman Bird
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind