and your bird can sing

it's funny...i was listening to "and your bird can sing"-the beatles song penned by john lennon-today. i've always assumed that it was about a bird, possibly a parakeet, hence the title. of course, assuming that it's about a bird is fairly simplistic, however, lennon sings, "you tell me that you've got everything you want, and your bird can sing...". i realized that i had never gone beyond the surface of the lyrics. there is quite a bit of disparate imagery on that surface. he goes on to state "...but you don't get me". what can he mean? for the word "get", besides its common usuage for a possession, we can plug in the word "understand". "you don't understand me". but what about the use of the word "bird"?

british slang for a girl is bird. now we realize that it is a girl to whom lennon is referring.

the next line of the song goes onto to say to the recipient of lennon's narration "you say you've seen seven wonders and your bird is green, but you can't see me...". perhaps this person has traveled the world yet his girl, or girlfriend, has not. the person, maybe a friend of john's, is so wrapped up in this relationship that lennon feels left out.

the bridge of the song lets the friend know that lennon would like to renew the friendship by stating "when you're prized possessions start to weigh you down, look in my direction, i'll be 'round...". in other words "when you come off this cloud and all of life's little problems start to feel like too much, i will be there for you". this sentiment is echoed by the next line of the bridge, "when your bird is broken, will it bring you down, you may be awoken, i'll be 'round...". again: "when the new wears off with this girl, and she maybe leaves you, perhaps you'll come to and see that i am here and always have been".

the last line states "you tell me that you've heard every sound there is, and your bird can swing, but you can't hear me...". once more in my words, "your girlfriend is really hot and people are talking about you and her but you've not been listening to what i have been telling you."

lennon had a habit of writing about real life situations yet cloaking the meaning in metaphor, as a good writer would. by his own addmission "norwegian wood" is about an affair he had. "sexy sadie" is about the mahareshi mahesh yogi and the mahareshi's advances toward mia farrow's sister prudence. "dear prudence" is about lennon trying to get prudence farrow to come out of her bungalow and talk after the mahareshi came on to her.

"and your bird can sing" makes more sense when viewed as metaphor rather than viewed with a childish simplicity. yet the childish simplicity coupled with the deeper meaning is one of the things that makes the beatles music endure for many generations.