The Bird and The Bee is an indie pop/electronica duo from Los Angeles, Cali… Read Full Bio ↴The Bird and The Bee is an indie pop/electronica duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of Inara George (the Bird) on vocals and Greg Kurstin (the Bee) who does the majority of the producing, engineering and mixing as well as providing all instrumentation apart from Inara's fuzz bass contributions. Their debut EP, Again and Again and Again and Again, was released on October 2006 and their self titled debut album was released January 2007 on Blue Note Records. Since they have released a further 3 EP's followed by the LP, Ray Guns are not Just the Future in January 2009 and Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates in 2010.

According to their Myspace Profile "Greg and Inara met a few years ago. Discovered a common love of jazz standards...nerded out for a couple of hours playing every song they knew...and then wrote and recorded a record together."

The Races
The Bird and the Bee Lyrics

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Gone forever to the races
Pull your money out
Call your mother, tell her something
Never go without

Pause a moment, just a moment
Smoothing down your hair
Gone forever to forever

Feeling like despair

You wanted to, you wanted to
You wanted to be, oh
You wanted to, you wanted to
You wanted to be

You work so hard just to light a little flower
(You wanted to, you wanted to)
Just to make things happen for a reason
(You wanted to be, oh)
Just to get so tired

Just to feel every itty-bitty
(You wanted to, you wanted to)
Goddamn bone in your body
(You wanted to be free)

Wonder at the numbers that you
See upon the wall
Take for granted all you know and
What you can't recall

Call me honey, I don't mind
I guess I feel the same
Pull me under, kiss me hard
Pull me into frame

You wanted to, you wanted to
You wanted to be, oh
You wanted to, you wanted to
You wanted to be

You work so hard just to light a little flower
(You wanted to, you wanted to)
Just to make things happen for a reason
(You wanted to be, oh)
Just to get so tired

Just to feel every itty-bitty
(You wanted to, you wanted to)
Goddamn bone in your body
(You wanted to be free)

You work so hard just to light a little flower
(You wanted to, you wanted to)
Just to make things happen for a reason
(You wanted to be, oh)
Just to get so tired

Just to feel every itty-bitty
(You wanted to, you wanted to)

Goddamn bone in your body
(You wanted to be free)

Overall Meaning

"The Races" by The Bird and the Bee tells the story of a person who is at a crossroads in life and is about to take a leap of faith. The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is tired and wants to escape from his or her current situation. The first two lines, "Gone forever to the races, Pull your money out" suggest that the person is ready to take a risk and make a change for good, instead of staying in a situation that is holding them back.

The line "You work so hard just to light a little flower" highlights how much effort the person has put into their current situation, only to end up feeling drained and unfulfilled. The repetition of "You wanted to be" in the chorus highlights the person's desire for more out of life. The song is a reminder that sometimes it takes a leap of faith to attain true freedom; and that even the tired and weary person can muster up the courage to take such a leap.

Overall, this song is a beautiful ode to taking chances, being brave, and following your inner compass to find true fulfillment.

Line by Line Meaning

Gone forever to the races
Leaving without a trace

Pull your money out
Withdraw your hard-earned currency

Call your mother, tell her something
Contact a loved one to share a message

Never go without
Always have what you need

Pause a moment, just a moment
Take a brief break from life's daily events

Smoothing down your hair
Adjusting personal appearance

Gone forever to forever
Departed indefinitely

Feeling like despair
Frustration akin to hopelessness

You wanted to, you wanted to
You desired to fulfill your aspirations

You wanted to be, oh
You longed to become something