Musical Musings: Three Versions of "Bird on the Wire"
A Little Rainy Saturday Music with Curated Bird Photographs
My little corner of New England is being treated to another Spring rain storm today and I must apologize to readers for being somewhat missing in action of late. I’ve got a lot of life stuff happening right now and I’ve been feeling really run down and quite honestly, not my typical upbeat self.
I’m more than a little weary of this rainy start to April quite honestly and though I have gotten out to walk on the sunny days, I look forward to some sun and warmer temperatures to follow soon. Enough of the rain, I say!
What follows is a re-post from last April. It features a couple three videos of a favorite song written by Leonard Cohen. I have updated the post to add a third version of this great song. Given that, this should be a new post to all of my readers. I hope you all enjoy!
I was going through some photos today and I ran across the photo below of a Red-winged Blackbird on a utility wire. When I saw it, I immediately thought of Leonard Cohen's beautiful song Bird on the Wire.
Bird on a Wire was originally released in 1969 on Cohen’s album Songs from a Room. You can also find the song Bird on the Wire on The Essential Leonard Cohen album. I just love the lyrics of the song, they are pure poetry….
Bird on the Wire, by Leonard Cohen
Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a worm on a hook
Like a knight from some old-fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee
If I, if I have been unkind
I hope that you can just let it go by
If I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you
For like a baby, stillborn
Like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me
But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch
He said to me, "you must not ask for so much"
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door
She cried to me, "hey, why not ask for more?"
Oh, like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
I have to say as much as I love Leonard Cohen, my favorite cover of the song, Bird on the Wire, is by the Tedeschi Trucks Band on their Live from the Fox Oakland album.
Susan Tedeschi and the band's backup singers simply take my breath away when I listen to them sing this song. In fact, I was moved to tears hearing them sing it live at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, in the fall of 2019.
“Give it up for the singers” as Susan Tedeschi says…
When I initially wrote this post in April 2024, I neglected to include Willie Nelson’s awesome cover of Bird on a Wire. Here it is…
I was a Leonard Cohen fan back in the late 60’s and the 70’s. I grew up listening to Cohen and all the folk music greats actually. I also loved that Cohen was a poet. His work always spoke to me. His book, Death of Ladies Man, is faded and dusty but it is still in my collection of favorite poetry books.
A House Finch on a wire fence…
I hope you will like❤️, share and restack this Musical Musing post today with the three music videos. Thank you for reading. Perhaps you might refer a friend! And please, stay tuned for new posts coming soon…
As always the Comments are open for discussion, so please do stop and say hello! Let’s talk about spring and walking, or whatever else strikes you…
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I also have always loved that song. I hear it as a song of redemption.
“If I, if I have been unkind
I hope that you can just let it go by”
Check out the version by Joe Bonamassa.
Pamela, I loved this post. What a poetic song. The lyrics are so beautiful. And your photos of a couple of birds on their prospective wires are stunning.