Black Bird
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly

Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night

Blackbird fly

Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

You were only waiting for this moment to arise





You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Overall Meaning

Sarah McLachlan’s song “Blackbird” first appeared on the soundtrack for the 1997 film “The Apostle.” The song is an interpretation of The Beatles’ 1968 song of the same name from their album “The Beatles (White Album).” McLachlan’s version is stripped down and poignant, with a focus on the metaphorical meaning of the blackbird. The opening line “Blackbird singing in the dead of night” sets a somber tone and implies a sense of loneliness or darkness.


The chorus “Take these broken wings and learn to fly” suggests that the blackbird represents someone who has been hurt or broken, possibly emotionally or mentally, and needs to learn to heal and move on. The lyrics “All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise” speak to the idea that this person has been waiting for a moment of clarity or opportunity to reclaim their life and find freedom. The repetition of “Blackbird fly/ into the light of the dark black night” reinforces the idea of overcoming darkness and finding light.


Overall, “Blackbird” is a powerful and emotional song that communicates a message of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.



Line by Line Meaning

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
The blackbird is singing during an uneventful time or when nothing is happening, which is symbolic of hope when things are dark.


Take these broken wings and learn to fly
The singer is asking the blackbird to take its broken wings and learn how to rise above and overcome its limitations.


All your life
This line refers to the entirety of the blackbird's existence, which is indicative of the singer's acknowledgement of enduring struggles over a lifetime.


You were only waiting for this moment to arise
This line suggests the blackbird was waiting for this moment of growth and change to occur, which can relate to an individual's transformation or coming into their own.


Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
Asking the blackbird to learn to see with its sunken eyes implies taking something negative and making the best of it or finding hope in a seemingly lost situation.


You were only waiting for this moment to be free
This line implies that the blackbird, or individual, was waiting for something to happen to break free from a burdensome or oppressive situation.


Blackbird fly Into the light of the dark black night
The singer is urging the blackbird to fly towards hope and light, despite being surrounded by darkness.


You were only waiting for this moment to arise (x3)
Repeating this line emphasizes the idea that the individual was waiting for their moment to take flight and overcome their struggles.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

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

Vivi palmito

Blackbird cantando en la oscuridad de la noche
Toma estas alas rotas y aprende a volar
Toda tu vida
Que sólo estaban esperando este momento para surgir




Blackbird cantando en la oscuridad de la noche
Toma estos ojos hundidos y aprende a ver
Toda tu vida
Que sólo estaban esperando este momento para ser libre



kosong

Blackbird singin' in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singin' in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Blackbird fly
Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark, black night
Blackbird fly
Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark, black night
Blackbird singin' in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise



All comments from YouTube:

Anthony Carriedo

She did a great cover of this song. She has the voice of an angel.

YouCantSeeMe

This is the song you listen to in the afternoon when the sun is about to set outside your balcony where you could either feel the chilly warm feeling when night time is approaching.

Julia H

This song was the in memorandum for the Oscars the year the world lost Leonard Nemoy. His voice at the end brought me to tears and pushed me to find the song

Blackbird is now part of my soul

Nanhty

I learned guitar for two years when I just started high school, I haven’t practiced regularly for years and yet there’s two songs I distinctively remember loving playing, one was Scarborough Fair, and the other was Blackbirds.
I’ve decided to try and pick up the guitar again and is going through my old sheet music, it was like riding a bicycle, rendering how a tune goes and some of the hand positions.
Thank you for giving such a lovely memory

Mountain Locale

this song, originally wrote by John Lennon and Paul McCartney was a protest against racial segregation in the U.S. education systems, is honored timelessly and with infinite grace by Sarah's angelic voice. if you know the history, music becomes so so SO much more beautiful to the listener's ears.
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thanks for reading, it's never too late to change your stars in this world, and may god bless you on your journey through life.

Jonathan Duplantis

Thank.you!@ you're a beacon of knowledge in this barren landscape. BTW

Krysten55

As calm as this song is, it's one of her best! It brings back memories! :)

Li Maria

Como ficou Linda na Voz da Sarah McLachlan...

💙🎶🍃🍂

Sandra Karcher

Magical voice. Her concerts are excellent. Lilith Fairs rocks.

hi

My language arts teacher from last year sent me this video saying that she thought of me when she played this song at the beginning of her class.. this is why you should appreciate your teachers. It doesn't matter who you are you're a special student to them and you should be grateful for that. I told her that when I get older and I start making my own music maybe my songs will be played at the beginning of classes.

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