Bird in the cage
Hello, new LJ friends! *waves* And hello to all of you not quite as new but still sort of new friends! And to all old friends, and also to the lurkers! ;)
I've been thinking that perhaps it would be a good idea to have an intro post in this journal. But then I'll have to write it first! While waiting for that one, let me share some thoughts. :)
I was thinking about songs I used to sing long ago, when I was in the children’s choir in the old church close to where we lived at that time.
One of the songs was called “Bird in the cage”, and it went like this:
- Bird in the cage, bird in the cage,
Don’t you ever want to break free?
- Oh, since you ask, I might as well tell;
Yes, I often want to break free.
- But how can you, then, sing like that,
Your beautiful endless tunes?
- Because my cage, my little cage,
Is my whole world after all.
(My own translation from Swedish, made to fit in [more or less] with the melody. Maybe there is a real English version of it, or other languages? I have no idea who wrote it or where it comes from.)
The thought that hit me now was that as a child, I always thought it was a sad song ("poor little bird"), but is it truly? How are we to understand this song?
Are we really supposed to feel sorry for the bird, kept locked in like that for our amusement, so that we want to help it and let it out of the cage? Is the cage to be understood as only a small part of the world, which we are really supposed to explore to the limit (fly to the sky)? As if the cage represents everything that holds us back, locks us in - fear of the unknown, unwillingless to let go of the familiar, shyness, insecurity... Is it a false belief that it's okay to sing when we're safely locked in; are we settling for less than we deserve if we do this?
Or are we supposed to admire the bird for its ability to adapt? Is the bird’s inner world perhaps bigger and richer than what the stupid human being, the one who asks the questions in the song, can understand? Is it a good thing that the bird can accept life as it is without trying to break free? Are we supposed to feel that the message is that anyone can and should do the best with what she’s got, and not ask for too much, and that is truly our greatest happiness?
Am I just over thinking it way too much?
I've been thinking that perhaps it would be a good idea to have an intro post in this journal. But then I'll have to write it first! While waiting for that one, let me share some thoughts. :)
I was thinking about songs I used to sing long ago, when I was in the children’s choir in the old church close to where we lived at that time.
One of the songs was called “Bird in the cage”, and it went like this:
- Bird in the cage, bird in the cage,
Don’t you ever want to break free?
- Oh, since you ask, I might as well tell;
Yes, I often want to break free.
- But how can you, then, sing like that,
Your beautiful endless tunes?
- Because my cage, my little cage,
Is my whole world after all.
(My own translation from Swedish, made to fit in [more or less] with the melody. Maybe there is a real English version of it, or other languages? I have no idea who wrote it or where it comes from.)
The thought that hit me now was that as a child, I always thought it was a sad song ("poor little bird"), but is it truly? How are we to understand this song?
Are we really supposed to feel sorry for the bird, kept locked in like that for our amusement, so that we want to help it and let it out of the cage? Is the cage to be understood as only a small part of the world, which we are really supposed to explore to the limit (fly to the sky)? As if the cage represents everything that holds us back, locks us in - fear of the unknown, unwillingless to let go of the familiar, shyness, insecurity... Is it a false belief that it's okay to sing when we're safely locked in; are we settling for less than we deserve if we do this?
Or are we supposed to admire the bird for its ability to adapt? Is the bird’s inner world perhaps bigger and richer than what the stupid human being, the one who asks the questions in the song, can understand? Is it a good thing that the bird can accept life as it is without trying to break free? Are we supposed to feel that the message is that anyone can and should do the best with what she’s got, and not ask for too much, and that is truly our greatest happiness?
Am I just over thinking it way too much?