Blackbird

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 ...



"It is great to realise so many civil rights issues have been overcome."
Paul McCartney

The Beatles song "Blackbird" (bird refers to girl) was written by Paul McCartney in Scotland. He was inspired by the civil rights movement and the tensions in the US which escalated in spring 1968. The song was released the same year (via). Similarly, Nina Simone's Blackbird is about a black woman's struggles.

I had been doing poetry readings. I had been doing some in the last year or so because I've got a poetry book out called Blackbird Singing, and when I would read "Blackbird", I would always try and think of some explanation to tell the people, 'cause there's not a lot you can do except just read the poem, you know, you read 10 poems that takes about 10 minutes, almost. It's like, you've got to, just, do a bit more than that. So, I was doing explanations, and I actually just remembered why I'd written "Blackbird", you know, that I'd been, I was in Scotland playing on my guitar, and I remembered this whole idea of "you were only waiting for this moment to arise" was about, you know, the black people's struggle in the southern states, and I was using the symbolism of a blackbird. It's not really about a blackbird whose wings are broken, you know, it's a bit more symbolic. 
Paul McCartney, Interview with KCRW's Chris Douridas, 25 May 2002 episode of New Ground

::: Blackbird on YouTube: LISTEN/WATCH



photographs mostly by Linda McCartney via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via