Florence + the machine

Florence + the machine

“Bird Song”

Well I didn't tell anyone but a bird flew by
he saw what I’d done, he set up a nest outside

 and he sang about what I'd become 

 He sang so loud, sang so clear

I was afraid all the neighbours would hear
so I invited him in just to reason with him
I promised I wouldn't do it again

But he sang louder and louder inside the house
and now I couldn't get him out
so I trapped him under a cardboard box
stood on it to make it stop
I picked up the bird and above the din
I said “that's the last song you'll ever sing!”

Held him down, broke his neck
taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget

But in my dreams began to creep

the old familiar

‘tweet tweet tweet’

I opened my mouth to scream and shout
and I waved my arms and flapped about
but I couldn't scream and I couldn't shout
couldn't scream and I couldn't shout

I opened my mouth to scream and shout
and I waved my arms and flapped about
but I couldn't scream and I couldn't shout
the song was coming from my mouth

from my mouth 

 from my mouth

from my mouth

from my mouth…

Thesis

The song “Bird Song” by the band “Florence and the machine” makes me feel intrigued about the theme of guilt and its suppression/admission because the applied storyline and setting convey the different stages of committing a crime, trying to cover it up and finally admitting to it in a very sober, down-to-earth, and yet poetic way.

The song evokes feelings of empathy and being frightened at the same time. The listener is not lengthily introduced to the story, but thrown right into it. The setting and story itself are sort of unreal and creepy and still have a certain beauty to it.

“Bird Song” illustrates the theme of having a guilty conscience in an unconventional way because of the author’s use of original imagery and alternative songwriting style.

Questions

1. Can you make out a leitmotif in the song? What are the prevailing imageries?

2. Why do you think did the songwriter choose the image of a ‘bird’?

3. Does the song intend to convey a message, or does it just tell a story?

4. Do you think the pace of the song is consistent throughout, or does it change? How does it support the storyline?

5. What do you think about the lack of conventional song features, such as recurring choruses and rhymes? Why was this structure chosen for the song?

6. Can you make out a narrative arc in the song? How does the storyline develop?

7. What sort of tone/mood/atmosphere is created in the song? How?

8. Do you view the speaker as a positive or negative character? Do you think the speaker in the song is relieved or anxious at the end of the song?