Julie Andrews got her big break when her stepfather introduced her to Val Parnell, whose Moss Empires controlled prominent venues in London. Andrews made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome singing the difficult aria "Je Suis Titania" from Mignon as part of a musical revue called "Starlight Roof" on 22 October 1947.
Andrews gained fame at a young age in 1950s Britain by acting and singing on light entertainment radio programmes such as "Educating Archie". She rose to international prominence after starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as musical films like Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).
Andrews had a major revival of her film career in the 2000s, in children's films such as The Princess Diaries (2001), its sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), and the Shrek animated films (2004-2007). In 2005, Andrews made her debut as a stage director with a revival of The Boy Friend, in which she also made her Broadway acting debut in 1954.
She was married with Blake Edwards in 1965 until his death in 2010.
Feed the Birds
Julie Andrews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The little old bird woman comes
In her own special way to the people she calls
Come, buy my bags full of crumbs
Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry
All it takes is tuppence from you
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
"Feed the birds," that's what she cries
While overhead, her birds fill the skies
All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares
Though her words are simple and few
Listen, listen, she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
Though her words are simple and few
Listen, listen, she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
The song "Feed the Birds" by Julie Andrews is a touching and poignant reminder of the importance of kindness and compassion towards our fellow beings. The lyrics describe an elderly woman who comes each day to the steps of Saint Paul's Cathedral, selling bags full of crumbs to feed the little birds. In her own special way, she calls out to the people passing by, urging them to care for the birds and their young ones. The song speaks of the power of small acts of kindness, and how they can make a difference in the world.
The imagery in the song is particularly powerful, as it depicts the birds soaring overhead while the saints and apostles look down from the cathedral, all smiling at the kindness and compassion shown to the little creatures. The simplicity of the lyrics is also striking, yet they carry a powerful message that speaks to the heart.
One interpretation of "Feed the Birds" is that it is a metaphor for the importance of caring for the less fortunate in our society. The elderly bird woman can be seen as representative of those who are marginalized or forgotten by society, while the birds themselves symbolize those in need of care and support. The song reminds us that it is our responsibility to show kindness and compassion towards all living beings, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem.
Line by Line Meaning
Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
Every morning, the little old bird woman goes to Saint Paul's cathedral.
The little old bird woman comes
A woman who is old and small brings bags of crumbs for the birds.
In her own special way to the people she calls
She has a unique way of calling out to people to entice them to buy her bird feed.
Come, buy my bags full of crumbs
She is selling bags full of crumbs to people who are willing to buy them.
Come feed the little birds, show them you care
She is encouraging people to show compassion towards the birds by feeding them.
And you'll be glad if you do
If you feed the little birds, you will feel happy and content.
Their young ones are hungry
The little birds' young ones are starving and in need of food.
Their nests are so bare
The birds' nests are empty and need to be filled with food.
All it takes is tuppence from you
All it takes is a small amount of money from you to help feed the birds.
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
You can feed the birds by buying a bag of crumbs for tuppence.
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
The price of the bag of crumbs is tuppence, and it can be bought repeatedly.
"Feed the birds," that's what she cries
She repeatedly cries out to people, encouraging them to feed the birds.
While overhead, her birds fill the skies
As she calls out to people to feed the birds, the birds fill the sky above her.
All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
The saints and apostles surrounding the cathedral can see what the bird woman is doing.
Look down as she sells her wares.
They watch her as she sells the bags of crumbs to people.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
The saints and apostles are pleased and happy watching the bird woman feed the birds.
Each time someone shows that he cares
Whenever a person feeds the birds, it shows they have compassion for the animals.
Though her words are simple and few
The bird woman's words are simple but powerful.
Listen, listen, she's calling to you
She urges people to listen to her and heed her call to feed the birds.
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
The price of the bag of crumbs is tuppence, and it can be bought repeatedly.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SamuelDJCox
Kindness.
If there's anything this song is about, it's about how much, as we grow older, we also grow to overlook, undervalue and perhaps consider both obvious and naive the simple value of kindness - of doing something for another person, even something oh so small be it giving 'tuppence' or just smiling and asking how someone's day is - just being brave enough to give that tiniest amount of recognition, appreciation and love that we would want to receive for ourselves.
The song is mainly about charity which often has a more active connotation, but I think it also just extends to simple kindness - something which for all we know is always welcomed with open arms - is actually incredibly hard to practice especially in a world where it is neither often enough acknowledged, rewarded nor deemed as highly attractive in a person.
For all its worth, as we all grow older we all become ourselves a version of Mr. Banks - we all think we do well leading a life which is geared towards supporting ourselves and our loved ones - but we only need think a bit deeper to see that somewhere in that "survival of the fittest" attitude we have along the way forgotten the simple universal truths, behaviours and human impulses of kindness and openness.
We all, much like Mr. Banks, need to remember from time to time to 'feed the birds' and recognise it does not take much to make the slightest positive difference to someone else - there's no harm in it to yourself nor to the other person - we just need to remember how much kindness from another can make the hugest difference to our own lives.
@Top10Archive
I'm 32 and can say this is still the best song in any Disney film. The message is so simplistic yet beautiful. We all need to smell the flowers and feed the birds more often.
@mrladnek5858
Top 10 Archive tuppence a bag mate
@BirdsandGhibliFan
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Birdwatching and feeding the birds are two of my favorite hobbies.
@terrybetts7256
Not matter how dirty the local pigeon is, They always are kind cute looking.
@chrissi975
I think it's about helping those in need.
@lindseydejesus1877
this, and God Help the Outcasts from Hunchback. same beauty.
@BlackGryph0n
As a child, I thought this song was about helping the birds.
As an adult, I realize it’s about helping the woman...
Mary Poppins is singing to the child who likes pigeons, and the adult who understands. Bravo Disney.
@roseponce299
It pulls your heart strings at either stage. To give. I agree with you a hundred percent and in this movie there was multiple scenes of giving lessons to the young and old in such a wonderful way. Glad I'm not the only one who caught this and appreciates it even now.
@Nernbutt
the lessons that can be learned don't stop there, people have done the math on the interest rates of that 2 pence and it turns out Michaels father is as good a banker as he was a father before the end of the film.
Certainly something for those raising children to consider
@jan0201
This is one of the best Disney movie since I was a kid. The latest one I also watched but not as nice as the first one ❤️😷