Song by
Irish band
The Frames, from their fourth album, '
For The Birds'. This song is one of the few loud and brash songs on their latest album, and yet it flows along at a relaxed pace. The vocals are especially noteworthy for their showcasing of the crystal-clear
arpeggiation in singer
Glen Hansard's voice, and they are clearly audible despite the raging guitars in the background.
The song has been likened to "early Flaming Lips-style weirdness", and it certainly has its strange moments. At the end of the song, there are several repetitions of the principal (and fairly unusual) chord progression, before the song ends by crash-landing into a confused, distorted, space-age sounding heap. Apparently, towards the end of the recording of the song, singer Glen Hansard took the reel of tape and slowly turned it backwards. The rest of the band were horrified, shouting "Glen... no!". And of course, the result remained on the album as a startling surprise to all first-time listeners.
The early bird - he slips away
And he lives to fly another day
He only serves - to point the way
That you should or should not ever take
Two simple birds - that never stray
When the lights go out on us
Just before when we were found
Chorus:
We'll not rush... it
We'll enjoy... it
We'll not touch... it
We'll rejoice... it
The early bird - he knows his place
And he'll stay all day there if he has to
He never hides - or runs away
When the voices crowd on his
Cry so loud that you will die