Terri Lyne Carrington is an NEA Jazz Master, Doris Duke Artist, and three-t… Read Full Bio ↴Terri Lyne Carrington is an NEA Jazz Master, Doris Duke Artist, and three-time Grammy award-winning drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She serves as Founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, as well Artistic Director for both Next Jazz Legacy program (a collaboration with New Music USA) and the Carr Center in Detroit, MI. She has performed on more than 100 recordings over her 40-year career and has toured and recorded with luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Esperanza Spalding, and numerous others. Her artistry and commitment to education has earned her honorary doctorates from York University, Manhattan School of Music and Berklee College of Music, and her curatorial work and music direction has been featured in many prestigious institutions internationally. The critically acclaimed 2019 release, Waiting Game, from Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science earned the esteemed Edison Award for music and a Grammy nomination. In fall of 2022, she authored two books, Three of a Kind (about the forming of the Allen Carrington Spalding trio) and the seminal songbook collection, New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets By Women Composers, accompanied by the album new STANDARDS vol.1 (Candid Records) and installation, New Standards, at Detroit’s Carr Center, as part of the Jazz Without Patriarchy Project.

Blackbird
Terri Lyne Carrington 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

Black bird 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

Terri Lyne Carrington's song "Blackbird" is an interpretation of the Beatles’ classic hit “Blackbird.” The lyrics talk about a blackbird singing in the middle of the night and being free. The blackbird in this song represents African Americans and the struggles they have been through over the years. The lyrics, “Take these broken wings and learn to fly” and “Take these sunken eyes and learn to see” suggests that despite the hardships, they can still learn to rise up and find their place in the world. The lyricist is encouraging the blackbird to break free from the chains that are holding them back and to fly into the light of the dark black night. The words “All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise” remind us that African Americans have been fighting for equal rights for a long time, and that their moment to rise up and claim their freedom is now.

Line by Line Meaning

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
The blackbird is singing when everything is silent and lifeless, perhaps alluding to a message that people should not lose hope when everything seems bleak.

Take these broken wings and learn to fly
The singer is offering a way to get out of a difficult situation, encouraging someone to use their imperfections to fuel their growth and development.

All your life
Referring to the entirety of an individual's life up to this point.

You were only waiting for this moment to arise
The person has been waiting for a chance to shine or make a difference, perhaps indicating that there is great potential within them.

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
The artist is again encouraging someone to make the most of their flaws or hardships and use them as a way to gain insight and understanding.

You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Similar to the previous line, this emphasizes that someone has been longing for a chance to break free from whatever is holding them back and reach their full potential.

Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
This line serves as a sort of a chorus, with the repetition emphasizing the idea of taking flight and embracing change.

Into the light of the dark black night.
This line could be interpreted in a few ways, but it may be talking about the idea of shining in even the darkest moments, or perhaps shedding light on the unknown or uncertain parts of life.

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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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