Birthday
Bjork Lyrics
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Has her world outside it
Scrabbles in the earth with her fingers and her mouth
She's five years old
Threads worms on a string
Keeps spiders in her pocket
Collects fly wings in a jar
And pinches them on a line
Ohhh...
She has one friend, he lives next door
They're listening to the weather
He knows how many freckles she's got
She scratches his beard
She's painting huge books
And glues them together
They saw a big raven
It glided down the sky
She touched it
Ohhh...
Today is a birthday
They're smoking cigars
He's got a chain of flowers
And sews a bird in her knickers
Ohhh...
They're smoking cigars
They lie in the bathtub
A chain of... flowers
Tam, tam, tam-a-tam-a-tam...
The song "Birthday" by Björk is a whimsical and surreal tale of a five-year-old girl who lives in a house and is deeply connected to nature. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery that paints a picture of a world that is both magical and grounded in reality. The girl is described as having a close relationship with her neighbor, with whom she listens to the weather and scratches his beard. She collects worms, spiders, and fly wings, and touches a raven that they see gliding down the sky. The song takes a surreal turn when the two friends celebrate her birthday by smoking cigars and sewing a bird in her knickers.
The song's lyrics are a celebration of childhood innocence, imagination, and curiosity. The girl's connection with nature is portrayed as pure and unadulterated, and her relationship with her friend is depicted as innocent and platonic. The surreal aspects of the song add to its dreamlike quality and create a sense of wonder and magic.
Line by Line Meaning
She lives in this house over there
She resides in the house that's located far away from where other children live
Has her world outside it
Her world is beyond the four walls of the house
Scrabbles in the earth with her fingers and her mouth
She enjoys digging the earth with her fingers and mouth, and it fascinates her
She's five years old
She is a very young child, almost in the early years of her life
Threads worms on a string
She threads worms in a sequence on a string like beads, possibly for fun or play
Keeps spiders in her pocket
She has a habit of collecting spiders and keeping them in her pockets
Collects fly wings in a jar
She collects wings of flies in a jar, probably as part of her collection or amusement
Scrubs horse flies And pinches them on a line
She cleans horse flies and pins them on a line, maybe in order to dry them up and preserve them
She has one friend, he lives next door
She has only one friend who lives nearby
They're listening to the weather
Both of them are sitting together, listening and observing the weather conditions around them
He knows how many freckles she's got
Her friend is fully aware of the exact number of freckles on her skin
She scratches his beard
She scratches the cheeks or chin of her friend who has a beard, maybe out of love or fun
She's painting huge books and glues them together
She creates big books and sticks them together, possibly through her creativity and imagination
They saw a big raven, it glided down the sky
Both of them witnessed a large raven bird flying smoothly in the sky
She touched it
She had an opportunity to feel the bird as it came close to her
Today is a birthday
The present day marks her birthday
They're smoking cigars
They are smoking cigars, presumably to make the celebration special
He's got a chain of flowers
Her friend has a garland made of flowers in his hands
And sews a bird in her knickers
He is stitching or fixing a small bird in her undergarment, possibly as a hidden surprise to make her feel special
They lie in the bathtub
Both of them are lying together in a bathtub, where presumably they are enjoying themselves
A chain of... flowers
The garland of flowers held by her friend signifies something special for the birthday girl
Tam, tam, tam-a-tam-a-tam...
The song ends with a meaningless refrain to create a rhythm or melody
Contributed by Gavin T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
gojiraFan
Lyrics
Hún á heima í húsinu þarna
Þar heim fyrir utan
Grabblar í mild með fingrunum
Og munninum, hún er fimma ára
Þræðir orma upp á bönd
Geymir köngualær í vasanum
Safnar fluguvængjum í krús
Skrúbbar hrossaflugur
Og klemmir þær á snúru
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Hún á einn vin, hann býr í næsta húsi
Þau eru að hlusta á veðrið
Hann veit hvað margar freknur hún er með
Hún klórar í skeggið hans
Hún mála þungar bækur
Og límir þær saman
Hún sá stórann krumma
Hann sveif niður himininn
Hún snerti hann!
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Í dag er afmæli
Þau sjúga vindla
Hann ber blómakeðju
Og hann saumar fugl
Í nærbuxurnar hennar
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Ohhh!
Þau sjúga vindla...
Þau liggja í baðkari...
Í dag er hennar dagur...
Tam, tam, tam-a-tam-a-tam...
Please forgive me if anything is wrong. I got these lyrics from genius
Unknown Unknown
First heard this in its Icelandic form whilst sitting in the departure lounge at Brisbane Airport - my boyfriend of 5 years was escorting me home, and had told me he was letting me go once we got there because of his own personal demons. My mother had just walked out on my father and I was alone in the world. Heard this and the silent tears started hot and fast. Very surreal moment of my life. I still listen to this beautiful song a year and a half on, and it still hits me hard. Bjork, you are something very special, to make people feel this much through your music.
Jay Of The Dead
Dude. This made me cry, I hope you’re okay and as well as you can be. You’re not alone. Much love ❤️
Belfegoreo
Sending <3 to Maisie.
Belfegoreo
On another note. I lost my Father five years ago. I was going to college as a non-traditional student. (That means I was old). Sitting around houses with various family members for days; and I just felt totally forlorn and broken. I felt like my heart had been pulled straight out of my chest. I picked up my phone; saw that Bjork had just released a new single. (This was after Vulnicura). Turned on tye video for “The Gate” and there is Björk; right on time, singing about “My Healing chest wound” has become a Gate; theough which I can receive love from, and through which I give love from and I care for you; care for you”! The synchronicity was unreal. I could see that I may heal, people will love me, and I will love them. Thank you Bjork!
Inside Self
Wow, what a moving story! x
Michael Hoskins
God, the 80s were a great time to be a music fan. Bands just casually dropping amazing singles like this almost every week. The amount of inventiveness, originality, and daring in this music is incredible. There were so many talented and creative musical minds around at that time. I don't think we'll ever see a period in music history like it again.
fish sticks
i would argue music is still like this, you just have to find the artists you appreciate :)
yyz
You ain’t shitting me brother, what a time to be alive. I thought that this would just get better and better.
Dragon Energy
The Icelandic version is as if from another dimension. Another world. Ethereal. Absolutely magical in a true sense. Bjork isn’t human - she’s a magical pixie elf. ❤❤
yyz
It is a shame that we will never have a high quality recording of this magnificent performance. Byork is beyond wonderful in this version and to have her captured in high quality video/ audio would be priceless. What a beautiful talent, just brings tears. Gorgeous voice.