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.
Twa Sisters
Andrew Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the pale muddy waters
Two young sisters were walking alone
By the pale muddy waters of Onion town
When one of them pushed the younger in
Into the cold green water
Pushed her sister and watched her drown
Well she floated, and she floated down
For pale she was as the water
Floated down till she washed on shore
Of the pale muddy banks of Onion town
With wolves by night and the sun by day
Nothing was left but bones and hair
Bones and hair which are both more fair
Then the pale muddy banks of the river
Lucha's son was deaf and lame
Carried her home, her tiny frame
Father, father i hear her cry
How can that be he said, bones don't cry he said (besides your deaf)
But he thought there must be something to these bones so he...
Made a fiddle out of her breast bone
Made some pegs out of her finger bones
Made a bow out of her leg bone
And from her yellow hair he strung the strings that would have her story sung
Some time later...
One old woman was walking alone
By the pale muddy water
She heard the strings of the sweet fiddle cry
"Cruel sister why have you drowned me?"
Upon the rock the deaf boy played
All the bows of Onion
And into the water the cruel sister ran
But she sank just like any old stone
The song "Twa Sisters" by Andrew Bird is a haunting tale of jealousy, murder, and betrayal. The lyrics describe two young sisters walking along the pale muddy waters of Onion Town when one of them pushes the younger sister into the water and watches her drown. The lyrics then detail how the dead sister's body washes up on the shore, and her bones are eventually used to make a fiddle. The song ends with an old woman hearing the fiddle's sweet music and the cruel sister meeting her demise in the same waters where she drowned her sister.
The song seems to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of jealousy and envy, and the terrible consequences that can result from these emotions. The cruelty of the older sister towards the younger one is an extreme example of how jealousy can lead people to do terrible things. The use of the dead sister's bones to make a fiddle also adds to the eerie atmosphere of the song and could be interpreted as a metaphor for how the story of the sisters lives on long after they are gone.
The song also touches on themes of sin, redemption, and justice. The cruel sister's actions are ultimately punished as she meets her own demise in the same waters where she drowned her sister. The use of the fiddle made from the dead sister's bones also adds a sense of redemption, as her story is remembered and preserved through music.
Line by Line Meaning
Two young sisters were walking alone
The story begins with two sisters walking alone by the pale muddy waters of Onion town.
By the pale muddy waters
The sisters were walking by the light-colored, murky waters.
Two young sisters were walking alone
The introduction line is repeated.
By the pale muddy waters of Onion town
Once again, the sisters were by the Onion town's pale, muddy waters.
When one of them pushed the younger in
One of the sisters pushed the other, causing her to fall in the cold, green water.
Into the cold green water
The water was frigid and green in color.
Pushed her sister and watched her drown
The sister pushed the other and watched as she drowned in the cold, bubbly river.
In the cold muddy froth of a river
The water was a chilly and frothy mud-like consistency in the river.
Well she floated, and she floated down
The sister who drowned floated down the river's current.
For pale she was as the water
The girl's complexion was as light-colored as the water.
Floated down till she washed on shore
The girl floated downstream and eventually washed ashore.
Of the pale muddy banks of Onion town
She washed up on the Onion town's light-hued, muddy banks.
With wolves by night and the sun by day
Being as she was only bones and hair, she lay unprotected day and night.
Nothing was left but bones and hair
The only remains of the drowned sister were bones and strands of hair.
Bones and hair which are both more fair
The bones and hair were said to be more beautiful than the river banks.
Then the pale muddy banks of the river
The bones and hair were compared to the Onion town's pale, muddy river banks as being more lovely.
Lucha's son was deaf and lame
Lucha's son was handicapped and unable to hear.
Carried her home, her tiny frame
He carried the few bones away in her little frame.
Father, father i hear her cry
The son was the girl's father, and he heard the bones crying out.
How can that be he said, bones don't cry he said (besides your deaf)
He rebuked the idea that bones could cry, stating that besides his deafness, it made no sense.
But he thought there must be something to these bones so he...
Despite his statement earlier about bones, he realized there may be more to the remains.
Made a fiddle out of her breast bone
He made a musical instrument out of the drowned sister's rib bone.
Made some pegs out of her finger bones
He fashioned the string anchors on the instrument from the drowned sister's finger bones.
Made a bow out of her leg bone
The tip of the instrument's bow was made from the drowned sister's leg bone.
And from her yellow hair he strung the strings that would have her story sung
The strings were made of the girl's yellow hair that he'd woven into string, to have her story sung through the instrument he made.
One old woman was walking alone
An old woman walked by herself.
By the pale muddy water
The woman was nearby to the Onion town's light-colored, muddy water.
She heard the strings of the sweet fiddle cry
The woman heard the sound of the lovely-sounding fiddle.
"Cruel sister why have you drowned me?"
The instrument seems to sing about the cruel sister who drowned her younger sibling.
Upon the rock the deaf boy played
The deaf boy who'd made the instrument played it on a rock.
All the bows of Onion
Everyone of Onion came to hear the fiddle that was fashioned from the drowned sister's remains.
And into the water the cruel sister ran
The cruel sister who had drowned her younger sibling couldn't withstand the haunting tune any longer and ran into the river.
But she sank just like any old stone
Like any other object thrown into the water, the cruel sister sank and disappeared.
Contributed by Jayden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.