“Paul often sites ‘Blackbird’ as evidence that the best of his songs come spontaneously” (Turner, 154).
Blackbird
(Lennon/McCartney)
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
I believe this song to be one of the most beautiful Beatles songs. It has
some kind of deep simplicity. While writing this song Paul “was partly
thinking about the racial situation in America and wrote it for the typical
black woman facing oppression” (Turner, 154).
The main writing technique used in this song has to be imagery.
When I hear the opening lines “Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take
these broken wings and learn to fly” a series of images pop into my head:
darkness, a singing bird with broken wings. As you listen to the rest of
the song you get the feeling that this song could relate to a person. I can
see how it could be about oppression of women. The part about
“take these sunken eyes and learn to see” very much makes me invision a tired woman,
struggling to see or better yet get through life. In away the song is
telling the woman to be “Blackbird fly, into the light of the dark black
night” In a way this does not seem possible. How could there be a light in
the dark black night? Maybe it represents the light at the end of the
tunnel or distress. It all has to with what you see in your mind.
The lyrics are very simple, but also very meaningful. On a more
personal note, this song is important to me because it’s one my mom sings
to me on the guitar.
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