Beautiful South – Blackbird On The Wire lyrics

Beautiful South – Blackbird On The Wire lyrics

Eyes to take you dancing
Mouth to leave your wife
Legs to run away with
And you wonder why?
Heart that makes you bypass
Every other girl
Smile that keeps you grinning
At the madness of this world
But like the blackbird on the wire
I will not take prey on you
You wouldn't want me to
For I am too soft for such a thing
And like the blackbird on the wire
I just watch you by
The tears I knew I'd cry
Fall unnoticed down below
Front to make you happy
Back to make you weep
Lips to keep you kissing
Whilst everyone's asleep
Tears to break a backbone
Laughs to win a war
And people come and ask me
What I love you for
But like the blackbird on the wire
I will not take prey on you
You wouldn't want me to
For I am too soft for such a thing
And like the blackbird on the wire
I just watch you by
The tears I knew I'd cry
Fall unnoticed down below
And with a tongue built from quicksilver
And a character of steel
They actually come and ask me
How I feel
But like the blackbird on the wire
I will not take prey on you
You wouldn't want me to
For I am too soft for such a thing
And like the blackbird on the wire
I just watch you by
The tears I knew I'd cry
Fall unnoticed down below

Lyrics taken from /lyrics/b/beautiful_south/blackbird_on_the_wire.html

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Blackbird On The Wire meanings

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Unregistered 2012-04-23 21:33:20

The songwriter uses the third person to describe how people should perceive the girl (mouth to leave your wife; heart to make you bypass; lips to keep you kissing etc) but speaks in the first person to say how the writer feels directly (people come and ask me what I love you for). The lines "tears to break a backbone, laughs to win a war" are in strong contrast to the attractive qualities of the girl and are very powerful, suggesting the girl is a person of strong contradictions. This love is unconsummated (i just watch you by) and the writer is very sad that this love is not realised but the writer is explicit that to encourage this would be predatory.
The last verse is omitted from some recordings. Its meaning depends on interpretation and whether the tongue of quicksilver and character of steel are describing the writer or the girl or those asking "how i feel".
To me it makes sense that loving a vulnerable person full of contradictions and refraining from taking advantage might take a strong character but involves living a lie.

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