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.

Wishing For Contentment
Andrew Bird Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, you know sometimes
I find myself

Wishing for contentment
Hoping for relentment
Venting my resentment
On the happy few, on the happy few, yeah

Awaiting resolution
And dreams of restitution
But finding retribution
Is just another thing to do

'Cause you've got to keep yourself busy
Visit aunt Lizzy
Just see how she's been

But when you're making a late run
Two judgmental matrons retort
See what I mean?

A seeming reprobation
Perhaps, it's my vocation
Oh, nauseous elation
Comes to mind but fades so soon, ah

Wishing for contentment
Hoping for relentment
Venting my resentment
On the happy few

Yes, I'm awaiting resolution
And dreams of restitution, restitution
Finding retribution
Is just another thing

You've got to keep yourself busy
Visit aunt Lizzy
Just see how she's been

But when you're making a late run
Two judgmental matrons retort
See what I mean?

A seeming reprobation
Perhaps, it's my vocation
Oh, nauseous elation
Comes to mind but fades so soon

It fades so soon
It fades so soon

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Andrew Bird's song "Wishing For Contentment" juxtapose a desire for inner peace with feelings of resentment towards those who appear to have achieved it. The song delves into the singer's struggle with finding happiness and discovering his life's purpose. He acknowledges that he finds himself wishing for contentment and hoping for relentment, yet he is unable to find it. Instead, he resents those who seem to have found it and vents this resentment on "the happy few." This resentment turns into feelings of retribution, but he realizes that "finding retribution is just another thing to do."

Line by Line Meaning

Well, you know sometimes
At times, I feel

I find myself
Caught up in

Wishing for contentment
Longing for inner peace

Hoping for relentment
Desiring a break or respite

Venting my resentment
Releasing my bitterness

On the happy few, on the happy few, yeah
Directing my anger at those who seem carefree

Awaiting resolution
Expecting a solution

And dreams of restitution
Imagining making up for my losses

But finding retribution
Discovering punishment instead

Is just another thing to do
Adding to my list of challenges

'Cause you've got to keep yourself busy
Staying occupied is important