Snowbird
Chet Atkins Lyrics


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Beneath this snowy mantle cold and clean
The unborn grass lies waiting
For its coat to turn to green
The snowbird sings the song he always sings
And speaks to me of flowers
That will bloom again in spring

When I was young my heart was young then too
Anything that it would tell me
That's the thing that I would do
But now I feel such emptiness within
For the thing that I want most in life's
The thing thing that I can't win

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

The breeze along the river seems to say
That he'll only break me heart again
Should I decide to stay
So little snowbird take me with you
When you go
To that land of gentle breezes
Where the peaceful waters flow

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue




And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

Overall Meaning

The song "Snowbird" by Chet Atkins talks about the transition from winter to spring and how the snowbird sings a song of hope for the coming of spring. In the first verse, Atkins describes the snow-covered land waiting for spring to arrive. The snowbird is a symbol of hope, reminding the singer that the flowers will eventually bloom again in the spring. However, as the song continues, the lyrics show a sense of sadness and heartbreak. The singer reminisces about his youth, where he would do anything his heart desired. Nowadays, there's an emptiness within him as he yearns for something he can't have. The song's chorus calls on the snowbird to "spread your tiny wings and fly away" and to take the snow with it, back to where it came from, and to take the singer with it to a land of peace and gentle breezes where the one he loves forever will not be untrue.


The lyrics in "Snowbird" talk about the beauty and fragility of life. The snowbird, though small, carries a message of hope and serves as a light in the darkness of winter. The song's melody and lyrics are a powerful reminder that no matter how difficult life may get, there's always hope for a new beginning, just like the arrival of spring. The song shows that even the smallest creatures have the potential to bring about change and make the world a better place.


Line by Line Meaning

Beneath this snowy mantle cold and clean
The snow-covered ground lies lifeless and ready for spring.


The unborn grass lies waiting
The grass is waiting for its blanket of snow to melt away.


For its coat to turn to green
Then, the green grass will grow once the snow has melted away.


The snowbird sings the song he always sings
A bird sings and reminds of the beauty of spring and what's to come.


And speaks to me of flowers
The bird reminds the artist of the beautiful flowers that will bloom in spring.


That will bloom again in spring
The flowers will come back in full bloom when spring arrives.


When I was young my heart was young then too
When the singer was young, their heart was alive and full of hope.


Anything that it would tell me
Whatever the heart told the artist, they would do.


That's the thing that I would do
No matter what the heart told the artist, they would do it.


But now I feel such emptiness within
Now, the artist feels empty and lost.


For the thing that I want most in life's
What the singer wants more than anything else in life is


The thing thing that I can't win
something that they cannot have or achieve.


Spread your tiny wings and fly away
The singer is speaking to the bird, asking it to fly away.


And take the snow back with you
The singer wants the bird to take the snow with it back to where it came from.


Where it came from on that day
The singer wants the bird to take the snow back to its place of origin.


The one I love forever is untrue
The artist's loved one is unfaithful.


And if I could you know that I would
The artist would join the bird in its flight away.


Fly away with you
The singer would choose to escape their problems and fly away with the bird.


The breeze along the river seems to say
The singer hears the wind whispering a message to them.


That he'll only break me heart again
The wind warns the artist that their heart may be broken again if they stay.


Should I decide to stay
The artist hasn't yet decided whether to stay or leave.


So little snowbird take me with you
The artist ultimately decides to ask the bird to take them away.


When you go
The singer wants to go with the bird when it departs.


To that land of gentle breezes
The artist wants to go to a place with a peaceful and gentle breeze.


Where the peaceful waters flow
The singer wants to be in a place with tranquil flowing water.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gene Mac Lellan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Ed Driver

I prefer this to Anne Murrays version ... nothing against Her excellent version
but
when CHESTER plays like this ... gotta listen .. he sets me off to slumber land ... the best ever ... E V E R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GREAT MUSICIAN ... BETTER MAN ! ...... IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE ?

i GOT TO MEET HIM ... SOMEwhat SERIPTICIOUSLY IN Edmonton Canada in 1976 .. AFTE THE CONCERT WAS OVER . it still makes my eyes water.
\aT HIS CONCERT there were posters claiming ....AN EVENING WITH CHET ATKINS .
AFter the show , I took pone of those posters and proceeded to the backstage where I brazenly walked past the security to his dressing room ... I walked past one guy that eyed me with suspicion and followed me ... I knocked on his door and Chet turned and said hello . I asked him if he would autograph my poster ... sure he said ... as he stated to sign it ... security man stepped in and said .." what are you doing in here ?. before I could answer . Chet said .. " oh Ihe's an old friend of mine " . . I WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY
SECURITY GUY EXCUSED HIMSELF AND WALKED AWAY ... Chet asked my name ... and signed it to Ed _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I do not remember what was said ... JUST BLANK MIND ....
i WALKED OUT AND MY WIFE WAS WAITING FOR ME ... " Look what I got " I said ... how did you get that ??? I told her what I had done ... she was dumb founded ...
Chet is the greatest ... you want to talk about getting emotional ???
WELL ..... MR BOBAREENIO .....
" he;s an old friend of mine " ! ! ! ... MAKES ME EMOTIONAL ..
WHAT CLASS ... WHAT CLASSIC CLASS .... I JUST ADORE(D) HIM

THE BIG MAN UPSTAIRS HAS NO DOUBT ASKED CHET A FEW TIME FOR TIPS ON PLAYING GUITAR... THAT IS WHEN THE big man upstairs REALIZED THAT > PLAYING GUITAR IS SOMETHING THAT CHET IS WAYYYY BETTER THAN HE IS IS AT GUITAR
YOU'R ONLY GOD ...ONLY CHET IS CHET



All comments from YouTube:

Bobareenio Bobareenio

I always get a lump in my throat (I get emotional ) when I see and hear CHet Atkins. . I can’t completely explain it . Of course, the fact that he was such a sweet, kind and generous man , not to leave out that he was just the greatest guitarist. . . His personality comes out in him playing . I wish he was here today.. We NEED such people on Earth ~ ~ ~

norman teeling

I agree. THERE WAS ONLY ONE CHET ATKINS
HE WAS THE WALT DISNEY OF THE GUITAR. SENSITIVE, INVENTIVE ADVENTUROUS. AND MADE THIS WORLD 🌎 ALMOST MAGICAL..WE NEED PEOPLE LIKE THAT AROUND NOW.

Vernon Ingles

GREATEST GUITARIST THAT WILL EVER PLAY THE GUITAR, PERIOD !!!!!

Ed Driver

Me too ... I live in Edmonton Canada .. I met Chet after the concert HERE in 1976 .
AFer the show I grabbed one of the posters > A Night With CHET ATKINS AND fRIENDS // AND proceeded to walk like I owned the theatre and walked through security to his dressing room !😇 I knocked on his door and he opened it and asked ( with a big smile ) if he could help me ..... we talked a little ... he asked me if I was a player ... I said I was strugling ... and told me to keep working at it ... I asked him if he would autograph my poster ... graciously he said : SURE" ... just then a security guard saw me and told me >> I'm not supposed to be here !
Chet said ... oh it's OK ..he's an old friend of mine ... and signed THE POSTER to " MY FRIEND ED " ... i SHOOK HANDS WITH HIM ... EVER SO GENTLY STRONG . I saw my wife who was looking for me >>> and said >>> look at what Ive got !!! I had to explain how I WALKED THROUGH SECURITY ... ... after that he was >> MY FRIEND CHET >>> THATS MY CHET STORY .. WE ALL MISS HIM SO MUCH

chris rocco

the greatest ever...never heard this one....so many beautiful techniques here!!!!

Lyle Hardman

Best performance of best song ever

thefinalsolutionall

Mr Atkin's Gretsch Country Gentleman Guitar - most beautiful sounding instrument-which bears his name. It was also used regularly by George Harrison

Junior Bazú

Sem palavras.....

edgardo lopez

A real great one!!!!!

George Marsellus

So beautiful one of my mother's favourite song

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