Blood Red Bird
Smog Lyrics
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Nor by the crow's tough song
But the midnight cry of a blood red bird
Brought this sleeplessness on
Threw open the window
Moonlight on a black garden of thorns
And the cool wind on my sweat
What cries home
Where cries from
A blood red bird lies in the woods
Weeping into dead leaves
With wing torn and jutting bone
What hand bent it to bust
To be ueseless
What hand I could have done it
With two fingers
A blood red bird
A blood red bird
We can continually sink into each other
Just deep enough to rip out a bit more flesh
When we move away
A scarf of skin trailing out behind
Like an arrow
I was only passing through
A blood red bird
A blood red bird
In Smog's song "Blood Red Bird," the singer is awakened in the middle of the night by the cry of a blood red bird. The lyrics suggest that this event has led to his sleeplessness, and he begins to contemplate the meaning of the bird's cry. He looks out the window at the moonlit garden and feels the cool wind on his sweat. His thoughts remain fixed on the blood red bird - it appears to be injured and weeping into dead leaves with a wing torn and jutting bone. The singer wonders what hand could have bent the bird to a state of uselessness, possibly his own, with only two fingers. The final stanza suggests that relationships are like sinking into each other, ripping more flesh as they go, and that the singer is only passing through like an arrow.
The song appears to be a reflection on the fragility of life and the nature of relationships. The blood red bird could be seen as a metaphor for life and the fleeting nature of existence. The garden of thorns could represent the pain and difficulty that is part of life. The final stanza suggests that relationships are often painful and leave scars, but they are an inevitable part of living. The song could also be interpreted as a comment on the destructive nature of human behavior and our tendency to cause harm to others, even those we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I was not woken by the rooster
I didn't wake up to the usual morning sounds of a rooster or a crow
Nor by the crow's tough song
The crow's harsh and rough call also did not wake me up
But the midnight cry of a blood red bird
Instead, it was the strange and unsettling sound of an unknown, red-colored bird that woke me up in the middle of the night
Brought this sleeplessness on
It caused me to lose my sleep and stay awake
Threw open the window
I opened the window suddenly
Moonlight on a black garden of thorns
I saw the light of the moon shining on a dark garden full of thorny bushes
And the cool wind on my sweat
I felt a cold breeze despite having perspired earlier
What cries home
I wonder what distress signals are being given out by the bird and where it is directed towards
Where cries from
I'm trying to locate the source of the bird's cry
A blood red bird lies in the woods
The bird that woke me up is lying in the nearby woods
Weeping into dead leaves
The bird is mourning and shedding tears that fall on the withered leaves
With wing torn and jutting bone
The bird's wing is damaged and the bones are visible, protruding through the skin
What hand bent it to bust
I question who caused this harm to the bird that led to its injury
To be useless
The injury was so severe that it rendered the bird unable to fly, hunt or perform its daily activities
What hand I could have done it
I am also questioning if I could have been responsible for the injury the bird sustained
With two fingers
The injury could have been caused by a simple act and with just two fingers
A blood red bird
The bird that I now feel is a harbinger of something dreadful
A blood red bird
The image of the bird and its unusual cry stayed with me, haunting me
We can continually sink into each other
People can keep engaging in iniquitous and harmful actions against each other
Just deep enough to rip out a bit more flesh
These negative actions might not cause much harm at first but can accumulate over time and cause great harm
When we move away
Even after people move away from each other, the effects of their actions can persist
A scarf of skin trailing out behind
The physical and emotional wounds remain and are a reminder of the harm caused
Like an arrow
I feel like I was intended to be the target of the bird's cry, like an arrow flying towards me
I was only passing through
However, I am aware that the bird's cry is not meant for me but for someone or something else, as I was just passing through their world
A blood red bird
The bird represents the underlying pain and distress in the world, while also acting as a warning of impending danger
A blood red bird
It is a symbol of the darkness in the world, that one day we will have to face, and fight against
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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