Beatles: And Your Bird Can Sing Meaning

Song Released: 1966

And Your Bird Can Sing Lyrics

You tell me that you've got everything you want
And your bird can sing
But you don't get me, you don't get me

You say you've seen seven wonders and your bird is green
But you can't see me, you can't see me

When your prized possessions...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Apr 9th 2007 !⃝

   Like most great songs, this one works on multiple levels.
   
   As a metaphorical phrase, "And your bird can sing," might also be stated "all that and a bag of chips." Lennon is addressing someone who has seen it all, done it all, and has it all. But in the end, it is only personal connections that make you happy, not material possessions, fame, or achievement. So he is saying when you find those things don't make you happy, come look him up. ("I'll be 'round")
   
   But on the literal level, this song is a dig at Mick Jagger. The word bird is English slang for a girl. In the mid 60's, Jagger was dating Marianne Faithful, who had charted with a cover of the Stones' song "As Tears Go By." Faithful is also reputed to be bisexual. So not only could Jagger's bird sing, but also "swing."
   
   The Beatles and the Stones were rivals, but also good friends. Nevertheless, Lennon felt the Beatles were always a creative step ahead of their competitors. So while Jagger was busy patting himself on the back for all the fame and fortune the Stones were achieving, Lennon is reminding Jagger that he's still chasing the Beatles' tail.
2. anonymous

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   Nov 21st 2022 !⃝

   Although Lennon never addressed directly of what was the main inspiration behind the song, it has been proposed that the song is about the rivalty between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. That is plausible, indeed. But I will offer another possible explanation to the lyrics of the song.
   
   Lennon had been increasingly interested in Christianity during the early years of The Beatles. For example, "Please Please Me" (1963) is a kind of pseudo-gospel with noticeable elements from gospel music in the arrangement. In the song "I'm a Loser" (1964) Lennon used a famous biblical proverb "– – pride comes before a fall" (compare Proverbs 16:18). Also, "The Word" mentions "spread the word" (compare Matthew 28:19).
   
   Here, the song could refer to another proverb from the Bible: "Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say." (see Ecclesiastes 10:20).
   
   In this sense, the song is about three people: a man (main character), a woman (you) and a third person who knows both, "the bird" who can spread rumours of the woman to the man. It seems that the the bird uses this possibility, and the man seems to be interested in the woman, too.
   
   On the first verse, the man hears the bird singing that the woman already has everything she wants. The man feels hurt from jealousy and states that the woman will not get him.
   
   On the second verse, the man has heard the woman seen the seven wonders, so the woman has possibly tripped around the world a lot. The bird is now green from jealousy. The man strikes that the woman can not see him.
   
   On the first bridge, the man expresses that when the woman sees herself to be overwhelmed by her possessions, it is worth looking at the man's direction and he will be around.
   
   On the second bridge, the man quite seems to point out that he does not like hearing the rumours. He asks the woman that if the bird is broken (injured or in another way unable to spread the rumours), will it bring the woman down? Then, the man states that she might be awoken on the situation and the man will be around.
   
   On the third verse, the man seems to be more doubtful again. Now the woman tells that she has heard all the sounds there are, which might imply that the woman is quite active listener of the music, and the bird can swing, too. In the end, the man acknowledges that the woman can not hear him.
   
   My interpretation is similar than already pointed out: the song has similar teaching than "I'm a Loser": "Pride comes before a fall." But now, the song is indirectly pointing out that the possessions and experiences will not bring happiness in the end. Instead, the true happiness can be found from love, if one is able to show it and work for it.
   
   The song is also baroquesque and the composition keeps the bright major tone all the way through the song. This can be interpreted as some kind of irony from Lennon's side. Even though the man seems ambivalent about the woman's feelings, he seems to be confident even though the woman may not work for the possible relationship. So, she is not definitely the only woman for the man in the world. The man keeps the hope going on that a true love he is looking for, can be found elsewhere. He can fly away like a bird.
3. anonymous

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   Apr 26th 2020 !⃝

   That's what is so cool about music is you get to interpret it so that it gives meaning to you or your situation.
   
   To me, this song reminds me of a girl that really loved me like crazy but ended up with some rich, alcoholic guy even though she was seriously miserable with him. It's like hey, you got everything in your life that you think will make you happy, but, you don't got me. When you finally figure it out and this big prized possession of yours inevitably lets you down, ring me up, I might be around.
   
   I can 100% guarantee you that's not what John Lennon had in mind when he wrote this. I was 0 years old at the time, but I like to pretend that I wrote it for the one that got away LOL.
4. anonymous

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   Mar 23rd 2019 !⃝

   I always thought it was John talking to Paul. Paul talked about seeing 7 heavens when stoned.
5. BEATLESFAN1989

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   Jun 27th 2018 !⃝

   This is john lennon talking to whoevers idea it was to cover up paul mccartneys death. Paul's replacement is the bird.
6. anonymous

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   Mar 19th 2017 !⃝

   In Cynthia Lennon book A twist of Lennon she writes that she gave John a mechanical wind up bird. I believe he took this situation to write a song directly to her, asking her to see him at his level , intellectually and medically ( if you know what I mean) He write " you don't get me" , " you don't see me ". When your worldly possession get you down , I'll be around, I'll be here waiting.
7. anonymous

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   Apr 22nd 2015 !⃝

   I like the first guys interpretation....Lennon was not concerned with Castro.....more like the taxman
   he was about love which doesn't require socialism
8. anonymous

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   Feb 11th 2011 !⃝

   It's also about Lennon's superiority complex in terms of his intellectual prowess compared to everyone else..stepping outside the circus of the stones and celebrity and in his own cryptic way asserting his creative individuality without even trying to sound clever. Lennon is so big in his own mind that he can quite easily juxtapose his sardonic self with his visionary self 'You say you've seen seven wonders but you can't see me' a forerunner to strawberry fields about returning to the seeds of his imaginary worlds as a boy where is 'real self' lies..This is something he returns to on 'rain' can you hear me?.. and back on 'And your Bird can sing' you can't hear me ..Lennon wants to be discovered and undiscovered at the same time. He has become trapped in a three dimensional world. Well he's not trapped now I can report to you now that he wants you all to stop dissecting his lyrics and can't believe that you have to categorize and quantify every fucking thought that goes through your fucking heads.fucking get some exercise. EVOLVER
9. Winnipegger

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   Sep 14th 2009 !⃝

   It's obviously addressed to a materialistic person, reminding them that possessions aren't all there is to life.
10. Cster

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    Jun 25th 2009 !⃝

    I think it's about not being with the one you really love. Maybe having them but them not being able to notice until they're having a bad time. "You can't see me. When your prize possessions start to wear you down...I'll be round."
11. dcs5991

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    Apr 1st 2009 !⃝

    This song is about how when you get down to it all of our material possessions and our egos can block love and real relationships and if you give them up you have nothing but love
12. Anon.

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    Jul 14th 2008 !⃝

    Lennon had just read an article on Sinatra, who discussed his disgust at the whole Beatles phenomenon. The article noted that Sinatra used the phrase "your bird" in various ways (e.g. "How's your bird?" = "how are you"?)
13. anonymous

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    May 27th 2007 !⃝

    About some self boasting broad......
    
    Can't you just image Lennon listening to some bird (girl) yapping on and on,
    And Lennon saying, Yeah, yeah and I bet your bird can sing too!
14. anonymous

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    Sep 25th 2006 !⃝

    Castro! Are you serious? You need to lay off the quaaludes, buddy. You are an asshole, and lovely rita claims you have a small penis.
    
    Anyway, this song is about...Whatever the listener wishes it to be about
15. anonymous

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    Sep 23rd 2006 !⃝

    Pure and simple, this is a love song meant for Fidel Castro. Johnny finds the state of basic human rights in cuba deplorable, yet he most certainly identifies with Fidel's basic vision of utopia, an idealist to the core.

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