Although a vein of social and political humor runs though even his earliest work, Bern's work became more explicitly political during the 2004 US presidential election campaign, with songs such as "Bush Must Be Defeated" and "President" highlighting his sometimes surreal political takes.
Bern is reflexively literate, in the style of his favorite authors, including L.A.'s legendary bohemians Charles Bukowski and John Fante, urbane fantasist James Thurber, and yarn-spinning humorist Ring Lardner. He is in love with the power of words to turn on themselves, to frolic, to bite, and his strong, friendly voice can go from earnest to ferocious within seconds. Being captivated by Dan is the easy part; describing his music to the non-initiated is more difficult. One journalist tried: "topical-poetical-sarcastic-punk-folk." An admirable effort, further elaborated by the New York Times: "He veers from comedy to anger, conjectures to shaggy-dog stories; he takes sidelong approaches to theology, science fiction, consumer culture, art, love and baseball."
Fly Away
Dan Bern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm used to going outside whenever
And something's open, buy some tea
Feel like you could die here
Middle of Main Street, plain as day
And the sun would bake you dry
And the wind blow you away
Some secret's in the air
Half of me wants to crack the code
The other half don't care
I wouldn't bat an eyelid
If right now someone said
Boy, the folks you're talking to
Have been a hundred years dead
Hey, fly away
Hey, sky is gray
I don't understand why I owe anybody anything
I feel like a tightrope walker and they took away my string
Feel like someone squeezed the juice out of my fruit
Like everyone's in sweatpants and I alone still wear a suit
I used to feel like a Mexican bandit when I picked up my guitar
Now it's nuclear winter and I gotta pay for a new car
Hey, fly away
Why is the car still running
Won't someone turn it off
Who's looking in my window
I heard somebody cough
Things so important
A few months back
Now barely catch my interest
I feel I'm losing track
Of people, of names, of places, and of friends
Excuse me for not keeping up with all the latest trends
Hey, fly away
Well excuse me for behaving in a manner that seems rude
Most of my waking moments deal with finding food
Something for my family
Something for my nation
Designer boots for grandma
Designer drugs for my patients
I have been rejected
I have been collected
I have been injected and inspected and infected
Don't be dejected
You will be protected
Send me all your money so that I can get elected
Hey, fly away
Well I lost my sense of balance and I lost my sense of smell
In a car accident near the Liberty Bell
I lost my sense of timing and I lost my sense of touch
From commercials and checking my e-mail too much
I have no taste lots of people tell me that
My eyesight was pretty much shot right off the bat
All that's left is some skewed inner vision
And some obsolete info on nuclear fission
Hey, fly away
Well I got this town to myself finally
Think I'll go and park myself underneath a tree
And sleep off this headache and sleep off this war
Maybe my dreams will tell me what it all was for
I might steal some clothes and get my face all dirty
And hop on the freight train that rolls in around 4:30
Maybe I'll see you up in the sky
If we flap our wings and learn to fly
Hey, fly away
The song "Fly Away" by Dan Bern is a reflective piece that explores the feeling of detachment and isolation. The first verse describes the stillness of the world around the singer, a stillness that is too much for him. He longs to be outside where there is something to do, to feel alive. The second verse delves into the singer's feelings of apathy, the two halves of himself that can't decide whether to pursue something or not caring enough to do so. He feels disconnected from the world around him, as if the people he interacts with could be long dead.
The chorus, "Hey, fly away, Hey, sky is gray" serves as a reprieve from the singer's anxieties. It is a moment of escape where he wants to leave behind everything that weighs him down. The third verse particularly highlights his frustration, dealing with the pressure of society and its expectations. He feels like he is balancing on a tightrope without a safety net. Everything in life that once mattered doesn't seem to keep his attention anymore, causing him to feel like he is losing track of the people and places around him.
In the last verse, the singer finds solace in nature, planning to sleep underneath a tree, escape from the world's hustle and bustle. He dreams of being a bird and flying away, leaving everything behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Awful still out here, too still for me
The stillness outside is unbearable for me.
I'm used to going outside whenever
I'm accustomed to going outside as often as possible.
And something's open, buy some tea
I need to find an open store to buy some tea.
Feel like you could die here
It feels like this place could be deadly.
Middle of Main Street, plain as day
Even in the middle of Main Street, everything is just too quiet.
And the sun would bake you dry
The sun is so hot that it would dry you out.
And the wind blow you away
The winds are so strong that they could sweep you away.
Everybody's shifty
Everyone seems to be behaving suspiciously.
Some secret's in the air
There seems to be an air of mystery around here.
Half of me wants to crack the code
Part of me wants to solve this mystery.
The other half don't care
The other part couldn't care less about finding out what's going on.
I wouldn't bat an eyelid
Nothing is shocking me anymore.
If right now someone said
I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me right now.
Boy, the folks you're talking to
That the people you're interacting with.
Have been a hundred years dead
Have been dead for over a hundred years.
Hey, fly away
Encouraging the listener to fly away from this place.
Hey, sky is gray
The sky's uninviting gray color reinforces the idea of escaping.
I don't understand why I owe anybody anything
I don't see why I should have to owe anyone anything.
I feel like a tightrope walker and they took away my string
I feel like I'm in a precarious situation without the tools I need to succeed.
Feel like someone squeezed the juice out of my fruit
I feel depleted and unable to give more.
Like everyone's in sweatpants and I alone still wear a suit
I feel like an outsider in my own community.
I used to feel like a Mexican bandit when I picked up my guitar
Playing guitar used to make me feel like a rebel.
Now it's nuclear winter and I gotta pay for a new car
Now I feel like I'm in a bleak, apocalyptic world and I have financial responsibilities.
Why is the car still running
I'm wondering why the car hasn't been turned off yet.
Won't someone turn it off
Asking for someone to turn off the car.
Who's looking in my window
I think someone might be peering into my window.
I heard somebody cough
I heard someone cough nearby.
Things so important
Things that seemed important.
A few months back
Only a few months ago.
Now barely catch my interest
Now I hardly care about them at all.
I feel I'm losing track
I feel like I'm losing my grip on reality.
Of people, of names, of places, and of friends
I'm losing track of everything and everyone in my life.
Excuse me for not keeping up with all the latest trends
Please forgive me for not knowing everything that's currently going on in the world.
Well excuse me for behaving in a manner that seems rude
I'm sorry if I'm coming across as rude.
Most of my waking moments deal with finding food
I spend most of my time and energy on basic survival needs.
Something for my family
Providing for my family.
Something for my nation
Contributing to my country.
Designer boots for grandma
Buying fancy boots for my grandma.
Designer drugs for my patients
Prescribing expensive medications for my patients.
I have been rejected
I've faced rejection before.
I have been collected
I've also been celebrated.
I have been injected and inspected and infected
I've been through a lot, including medical procedures and diseases.
Don't be dejected
Don't feel disheartened.
You will be protected
You'll be safe and taken care of.
Send me all your money so that I can get elected
A sarcastic suggestion for those who believe politicians only care about money and power.
Well I lost my sense of balance and I lost my sense of smell
I've lost some of my abilities due to an accident.
In a car accident near the Liberty Bell
I was involved in a car accident close to the Liberty Bell landmark.
I lost my sense of timing and I lost my sense of touch
The accident affected my sense of timing and touch as well.
From commercials and checking my e-mail too much
Constant exposure to technology may have also played a role in my physical and mental state.
I have no taste lots of people tell me that
I've lost my sense of taste.
My eyesight was pretty much shot right off the bat
I've completely lost my eyesight.
All that's left is some skewed inner vision
All I have left is a distorted, internal vision.
And some obsolete info on nuclear fission
The only knowledge I have left is outdated and irrelevant.
Well I got this town to myself finally
I'm alone in this town at last.
Think I'll go and park myself underneath a tree
I'm going to rest under a tree for a while.
And sleep off this headache and sleep off this war
I want to forget everything and sleep off my anxiety.
Maybe my dreams will tell me what it all was for
I hope my subconcious will shed some light on my struggles.
I might steal some clothes and get my face all dirty
I might do something out of the ordinary and rebellious.
And hop on the freight train that rolls in around 4:30
I might board a train and leave town.
Maybe I'll see you up in the sky
Maybe we'll both be free and happy one day.
If we flap our wings and learn to fly
We might learn to soar above our struggles and find happiness.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STACY FERGUSON, WILL ADAMS, RAYMOND E. BRADY III
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind