Andrew Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician. He was born in La… Read Full Bio ↴Andrew Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician. He was born in Lake Bluff, Illinois but currently resides in the Los Angeles area. Bird is a singer, a violinist and, since 2004, a guitarist. He is also an accomplished whistler.

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.

Wait
Andrew Bird Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wait, don't go too early
You're tired but everyone's tired
But no one is tired enough
Only wait a little and listen

Music of hair, music of pain
Music of looms waving all our loves again
Be there to hear it

It's your only chance

Hair will become interesting
Pain will become interesting
Second hand gloves
Will become lovely again

Wait, wait for now
Distrust everything if you have to
But trust the hours

Haven't they carried you every?
Where up to now?

Overall Meaning

The song "Wait" by Andrew Bird is a poignant piece of music that is open to interpretation. The opening lines "Wait, don't go too early, you're tired but everyone's tired, but no one is tired enough" suggest that there is a sense of urgency and a need to pause and take stock of one's life. The singer is asking the listener to wait and listen to the music of their lives, which can be like the "music of hair, music of pain, music of looms waving all our loves again." The use of the metaphor of music is powerful as it suggests that all of the different aspects of one's life, including the good and the bad, are part of a larger orchestration.

The singer suggests that it is important to be present and to listen closely because "it's your only chance." They advise that even the mundane and painful parts of life like "secondhand gloves" can become lovely again if we take the time to listen and appreciate them. The final lines of the song tie these ideas together as the singer urges the listener to "wait, wait for now" and to trust the hours that have carried them "everywhere up to now."

Overall, the song is a call to mindfulness and an invitation to appreciate the nuances of everyday life. It suggests that even the parts of life that we may try to avoid or overlook are worth paying attention to because they are part of a larger, beautiful composition.

Line by Line Meaning

Wait, don't go too early
Slow down and take your time before leaving

You're tired but everyone's tired
Feeling fatigued is a common experience

But no one is tired enough
No one is too tired that they need to leave immediately

Only wait a little and listen
Patience will have its rewards if you listen closely

Music of hair, music of pain
Even unpleasant things can be turned into music

Music of looms waving all our loves again
Memories of love can be captured in music

Be there to hear it
Be present in the moment to fully experience it

It's your only chance
This opportunity may only come once

Hair will become interesting
Things that didn't seem interesting before can become fascinating in a new context

Pain will become interesting
Pain can be transformed into something meaningful through art

Second hand gloves
Things that seem worn out or useless can have value