Bird

Joanna

Genre: Ballad

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Description

Last night I saw a fledgling mourning dove sitting on the rail. He was so frightened, yet he didn't move. He's very young, and just learning to use his wings. Even though I had to pass right next to him, he did not fly away. His nest is on an air conditioning unit next to my apartment. It wasn't far from the rail. I think he flew there and didn't know how to get back.

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Lyrics

If you had wings, would you fly?
Never leaving the sky
Go to distant lands
Mountain tops and desert sands
If you had wings

I saw a bird
Sitting alone on a rail
Did his wings fail?
Or did fear keep his wings by his side
Freedom untried

That lonely bird
Too afraid to ride the breeze
Grounded by unease
Through a long and dangerous night
Frozen by fright

If you had wings, would you fly?
Never leaving the sky
Go to distant lands
Mountain tops and desert sands
If you had wings

Am I that bird?
Do my fears keep me from flight?
I think they might
I won't use my wings at all
Cuz I might fall

I'm not that bird!
I cannot live my life aground
Ever earthbound
If I must find my metaphor
Then let it soar

If you had wings, would you fly?
Never leaving the sky
Go to distant lands
Mountain tops and desert sands
If I had wings, I would fly

Song Stats

Hits: 1698
Comments: 37
Fans: 2
Plays: 240
Downloads: 91
Votes: 25
Uploaded: Apr 18, 2005 - 01:51:01 AM
Last Updated: Nov 16, 2005 - 12:26:19 AM Last Played: Oct 27, 2009 - 03:45:46 AM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Hardware:

eMac, Shure SM58

Software:

Jampack 4

Comments

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	Beautifully delivered Aah, takes me back to the musical shows I used to work on in my theatre days. This really sounds like it belongs in a stage show. Your singing is quite tender and delicate on this one, which suits it perfectly. I'm impressed by your orchestral back-up too! No home- made trumpets this time?! Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Joanna	Joanna said 1678 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	Beautifully delivered Thank you, Rebsie! I decided to forego the faux trumpet on this one, but that doesn't mean it won't pop up again in the future. I loved being in musicals in my younger days, too. So much fun! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)

Visual and birdlike orchestral arrangement
Very cool arrangement, great use of wings/bird-like
orchestral runs and figures, especially harp and flute/
piccolo. Nice use of your vocal range, altho some pitchy
notes. Wouldn't have minded at least a few stanzas that
carried along with more rhythmic sense, like your final
stanza, cuz the feeling of suspension in mid air seemed
longish. But a wonderfully visual track with your music
supporting your lyrics in a thoughtful and care-filled way.

Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

Joanna	Joanna said 1678 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Visual and birdlike orchestral arrangement Thank you, Tobin. You know, I kept trying to put some rhythm in various sections, because I agree with your assessment, but nothing really worked for me. Chalk it up to my own limitations. Anyway, I decided to release it as is. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Tom Atwood	Tom Atwood said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	delicate orchestration perfect for this piece. Very well done. Is the photo of 'the' bird? Check out my latest song called Keep Looking for Jesus (MJRF)

Joanna	Joanna said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	delicate orchestration Thank you! And yes, that is THE bird. In fact, I can hear his mom calling as I type this. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

EMP	EMP said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	Very Nice Great lyrics with very good production. Very professional. Check out my latest song called FP Tour

Joanna	Joanna said 1678 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Very Nice Thank you, emp_garyp! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

	said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	Another "cool" one! Love the orchestral arrangement. Your voice is dripping with "Oo, La La"!

Joanna	Joanna said 1678 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Another "cool" one! Thank you, Alimar! Gotta love that Jampack 4. It's so lush! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Mystified	Mystified said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	Very Nice!! Now when is opening night....? Joanna! Brava! What a lovely song. Great use of JP4, and of course, you're wonderful voice. Wonderful all around! Check out my latest song called Father Time

Joanna	Joanna said 1678 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Very Nice!! Thank you, Mystie! Now all I have to do is write the rest of the musical and I'm all set! I wonder if the world is ready for a musical version of The Birdman of Alcatraz? Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Doadars Uncle	Doadars Uncle said 1679 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	Beautiful voice Well chosen instrumentation. Great mix. Check out my latest song called Capitalist's Drag

Joanna	Joanna said 1678 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Beautiful voice Thank you, Uncle! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

jennylee	jennylee said 1678 days ago (April 18th, 2005)
	Fantastic! I loved the lyrics, music, and the little anectote of your dove stuck on the rail. Your song reminded me of one from a musical, just before courage builds and the bird takes flight. I'm certain that he'll be flying away soon.

Joanna	Joanna said 1678 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Fantastic! Thank you, jennylee! I saw the bird again and he was flying much more easily, so this one has a happy ending. One of the thrills for me was being able to take a picture of the bird with my new digital camera. It's so fun to have around! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

mandolinquent	mandolinquent said 1677 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Lovely arrangement... ... very impressive. Very spacious. I don't have a single constructive thing to say, dammit. Check out my latest song called Had We But World Enough

Joanna	Joanna said 1675 days ago (April 21st, 2005)
	Lovely arrangement... Thank you, Mando! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

snowdragon	snowdragon said 1677 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	Could go anywhere I have wings. But I rarely fly. Nice tune. I agree with Rebsie, it does belong in a musical somewhere. The beauty of this one is, though, you could plug it into just about any story without too much trouble. (Well, maybe not the Rocky Horror Show, but just about anything else. I could, however, see one cat singing it to another.) Check out my latest song called The Wolf 7

Joanna	Joanna said 1675 days ago (April 21st, 2005)
	Could go anywhere I agree, Snow -- it has a theatrical feel to it. Guess I'd better get writing, huh? Thank you! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

alley-oop	alley-oop said 1677 days ago (April 19th, 2005)
	I hear Ella! Wow! When I heard your song, it brought me back to summers at my garndparents, listening to Ella Fitzgerald records with my grandmother! I love how you bend all those notes and blues it all up. Sooo sweeet! Thank you. I also love your Betty water gun tune! Check out my latest song called anymore

Joanna	Joanna said 1675 days ago (April 21st, 2005)
	I hear Ella! Wow, thank you, alley-oop! Ella Fitzgerald is my all-time favorite singer, so that's an enormous compliment to me. I'll cop to that influence any time! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

thetiler	thetiler said 1677 days ago (April 20th, 2005)
	hey - good going This is the best one i've heard you do. I think this tune fits your voice perfectly. I hear Ella in there, nice. I like how you used Jam Pack 4 alot. Glad you posted this. Thanks for sharing ! Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)

Joanna	Joanna said 1675 days ago (April 21st, 2005)
	hey - good going Thank you, Tiler! I love Jampack 4. Such a rich variety of orchestral sounds and loops. And thank you for the Ella nod, as well! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

_nderscore	_nderscore said 1675 days ago (April 21st, 2005)
	this is lovely wonderful blend of lyrics, music & vocals-beautiful. Check out my latest song called glyd

Joanna	Joanna said 1675 days ago (April 22nd, 2005)
	this is lovely Thank you, _nder! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Magritte	Magritte said 1674 days ago (April 22nd, 2005)
	Where's Nina Simone? This so reminds me of her. Not to say that she could do it better. Brava all around! Check out my latest song called Tango Macabre

Joanna	Joanna said 1674 days ago (April 22nd, 2005)
	Where's Nina Simone? Wow, thank you, Magritte! I love Nina Simone. Such a gorgeous voice. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Heidi_E	Heidi_E said 1624 days ago (June 12th, 2005)
	cool it definetely sounds like it should be in a musical. You have that sorta voice that suits that style of music. very nicely done! Check out my latest song called 'More than Enough'

Joanna	Joanna said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	cool Thank you, Heidi! I think it's the sweeping strings that makes it sound like a showtune. Since I love showtunes, I'm very happy that you think my voice suits them! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Moco	Moco said 1554 days ago (August 21st, 2005)
	Great Voice I am very impressed by the full orchestration used on this track. The singer has a very beautiful and polished voice. I enjoyed it very much.

Joanna	Joanna said 1553 days ago (August 21st, 2005)
	Great Voice Thank you, Moco! GarageBand has to be the coolest program ever written. It allows people like me to sing with an orchestra! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

tgannon	tgannon said 1550 days ago (August 25th, 2005)
	Great Music, Okay Metaphor?! Very nice music, and superior vocals--in sum, a fine example of the "genre." As both a music and "lit" person, I'd have to say that the song's extended bird/flight metaphor has "been done"; but I really like the original spin in the following lines: If I must find my metaphor Then let it soar Well done.

Joanna	Joanna said 1548 days ago (August 27th, 2005)
	Great Music, Okay Metaphor?! Thank you, tg. I'll admit that finding the bird led me to most of the lyrics. He was so frightened, and yet he couldn't bring himself to move. I've felt that way at times, so that's where the lyrics came from. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

	Agent Stewie said 1082 days ago (December 5th, 2006)
	Love the lyrics! Another nice one. Well done!

DJ Squirrel

DJ Squirrel said 725 days ago (November 28th, 2007)

Helen Reddy?
The first thing that popped into my mind was just the sound of those old Disney musicals I watched as a kid, specifically Pete's Dragon. Just a great late 60's, early 70's sound to it. A confident, gentle voice, taking your imagination through the eyes of a winged feathery flight.

Incidentally, MacJams had this on the front page when I hopped on, but man, it's a pain to actually find the artist when you want to comment. Lots of "bird" songs, but fortunately, only a few with Joanna. ^^

Check out my latest song called Lose Your Headbone by Midnight

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Artist Info

If you want to know anything about me, check out my website, my personal blog and my "comic books revisited" blog.... [see more]

Check out some of my other songs:

Genre Info

A ballad is a story in a song, usually a narrative song or poem. It is a rhythmic saga of a past affair, which may be heroic, romantic or satirical, political (affected by the previous three types mentioned, refers to either glorifying the exploits o

More songs in Ballad:

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