Adams dropped out of high school at age 16 to work in a shoe shop and make music. He formed a band named Whiskeytown in 1994; they disbanded in 1999 having released two full albums, Faithless Street and Strangers Almanac. Adams went on to put out his first solo record, Heartbreaker, in 2000. After a long delay, in 2001 Whiskeytown's third album Pneumonia was finally issued.
In 2002, Ryan contributed backing vocals on Butterfly in Reverse, from the Counting Crows album, Hard Candy; after Adam Duritz (Counting Crows lead singer) appeared on the album Gold.
Ryan is highly prolific, and in 2005 released one double album and two regular albums: Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29, respectively. His album, 29, was produced by friend Ethan Johns (who also produced his first two albums, Heartbreaker and Gold). In between those two releases and his 2005 triple-header, Ryan released Demolition (a collection of out-takes), Love Is Hell and Rock N Roll. Unreleased studio albums include 48 Hours, Exile On Franklin Street and Suicide Handbook.
In addition, Adams worked with Jesse Malin to form the punk-rock group The Finger (under the pseudonyms, "Warren Peace" and "Irving Plaza" respectively), who released two E.P.s which were collected together to form We Are Fuck You, released on One Little Indian Records in 2003.
In 2006 Ryan went on a minor UK-tour and a minor US-tour along the west-coast and has streamed 11+ mini albums on his website, under numerous jokey pseudonyms (DJ Reggie, Werewolph, The Shit, Rhoda Ro, Ghetto Birds).
The following solo record, entitled Easy Tiger, was released on June 26, 2007. The newest and last record with his backing band The Cardinals, Cardinology, was released in October 2008 and followed by extensive touring through the UK, US and Australia.
In January 2009 he announced that he would be going on an indefinite hiatus from music. The Kindness Songfacts reports that the major reason for Adams’ temporary retirement was his struggles with Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that wrecks havoc on hearing and balance. Adams resumed performing in October 2010, and released his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 11, 2011. His now ex-wife, pop singer and actress Mandy Moore, contributed some backing vocals.
Night Birds
Ryan Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dodging them night cars baby
'Cause when you gotta move, you gotta move
Whatever that it was
You were thinking of lady
You're certainly not thinking of it now
And night birds sing you
In an empty house
In an empty room
In an empty moment
All the night birds sing
We were suppose to rise above
But we sink into the ocean
I feel like a body stuffed into a trunk
From a million years
Of lying and getting drunk
The people here inside me
They are loud and in the night
They scream and smash the windows
When they fight
And night birds sing you
An empty tune
In an empty house
In an empty room
With empty feelings
When it comes too soon
We're supposed to rise above
We were supposed to rise above
But we sink
Into the ocean
Into the ocean
Into the ocean
The lyrics to Ryan Adams's song "Night Birds" delve into themes of escapism, loneliness, and the futility of trying to rise above our problems. The first verse talks about being out under the stars, trying to escape the noise of the city and whatever troubles or thoughts the singer might have had. The next verse takes on a more introspective tone - the singer compares himself to a body that has been stuffed into a trunk, weighed down by years of drinking and feeling like he's carrying around the baggage of all the people he has been. The chorus then repeats the motif of "night birds", who sing an empty tune in an empty house in the midst of an empty moment. Finally, the song ends with the foreboding image of sinking into the ocean, symbolizing giving up and succumbing to the darkness.
Throughout the song, Ryan Adams is quite effective in creating a sense of bleak, melancholy mood. The "empty house" and "empty tune" in the chorus create a real sense of desolation, and the line "we were supposed to rise above, but we sink into the ocean" is a poignant and despairing one. The song touches upon themes that will be familiar to many - the longing to escape from the noise and chaos of the world, as well as the sense of being weighed down by one's past choices and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Out under the stars
I am outside, beneath the stars
Dodging them night cars baby
I am avoiding cars that are driving at night
'Cause when you gotta move, you gotta move
When there is a need to move, you have to move
Whatever that it was
Whatever it was that happened earlier
You were thinking of lady
You were thinking of someone special
You're certainly not thinking of it now
You are not thinking about it anymore
And night birds sing you
The birds sing for you in the nighttime
An empty tune
Their songs are meaningless
In an empty house
The house is vacant
In an empty room
The room is devoid of furnishings
In an empty moment
Nothing is happening right now
All the night birds sing
The birds continue to sing
We were supposed to rise above
We should have overcome our struggles
But we sink into the ocean
Instead, we are overwhelmed by our troubles
I feel like a body stuffed into a trunk
I feel trapped and confined
From a million years
For an impossibly long time
Of lying and getting drunk
Of living a reckless and unfulfilling life
The people here inside me
The struggles within me
They are loud and in the night
They are especially prominent in the darkness
They scream and smash the windows
They cause mayhem and destruction
When they fight
When they are in conflict
With empty feelings
I feel empty inside
When it comes too soon
When things happen too quickly or unexpectedly
We sink into the ocean
We struggle to stay afloat and overcome our troubles
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daedrmr2dae
Glad this song makes people feel happy, but one look at the lyrics and I don't think this is about a particularly happy topic:
Out under the stars
Dodging them night cars baby
'Cause when you gotta move, you gotta move
Whatever that it was
You were thinking of lady
You're certainly not thinking of it now
And night birds sing you
An empty tune
In an empty house
In an empty room
In an empty moment
All the night birds sing
We were suppose to rise above
But we sink into the ocean
I feel like a body stuffed into a trunk
From a million years
Of lying and getting drunk
The people here inside me
They are loud and in the night
They scream and smash the windows
When they fight
And night birds sing you
An empty tune
In an empty house
In an empty room
With empty feelings
When it comes too soon
We're supposed to rise above
We were supposed to rise above
But we sink
Into the ocean
Into the ocean
Into the ocean
@jeffreytruckenmiller2284
Makes me feel like I’m in a bar in Manhattan sipping on a martini at night looking into the Atlantic Ocean as the world changes
@blaqkroseimmortal
That's a fantastic atmospheric description :D
@lunascarlet3156
this songs makes what i love come to life, being in a forest especially under night sky with a full moon and if i could be surrounded by fireflies, i don't think there another place i would want to be.
@missinformation5451
sounds really cliche
@chrislangston6235
This song makes my soul happy :)
@DeepShade
absolute legend this chap x
@adammaddox2383
Listening to this on my last night of being 29, only and hour and a half and I’ll be 30 😥
@AvenueNights
that's a lovely lovely voice
@caioalbuquerque4574
Amazing!
@craigborland4383
Into the ocean ,,,, conjures up sunset surf session as dusk sets in. Birds diving for fish and flying along the wav faces. Glass off with that string arrangement soaring. Doesn’t get any better.