Bird On A Wire Chords Guitar Tab

Songs From A Room Tabs:

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#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
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From uunet!stanford.edu!Csli!bjorn Tue Aug 18 15:32:33 PDT 1992
Article: 1652 of alt.guitar.tab
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.tab
Path: nevada.edu!uunet!stanford.edu!Csli!bjorn
From: bjorn@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Bjorn Strand)
Subject: Re: REQUEST: Bird on a Wire (Leonard Cohen?)
Message-ID:
Organization: Stanford University CSLI
References:
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 09:26:42 GMT
Lines: 41

>Would someone please post the words and chords to "Bird on a Wire"?  I believe
>it is by Leonard Cohen.  Thanks in advance.
>
>Terry Bruns    terry_bruns@stortek.com

Bird on the Wire by Leonard Cohen
(from the CD Songs from a Room)

A           E             A                   D
Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir
A          E              Asus4  A
I have tried in my way to be free
A         E             A                             D
Like a worm on a hook, like a knight from some old-fashioned book
A            E               Asus4  A
I have saved all my ribbons for thee
D                         A
If I, if I have been unkind
Bm                                    A
I hope that you can just let it go by
D                          A
If I, if I have been untrue,
Bm                                 E
I hope you know it was never to you.

Like a baby stillborn, like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me.
But I swear by this song and by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch
He said to me, "You must not ask for so much."
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
She cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"

A           E             A                   D
Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir
A          E             D A
I have tried in my way to be free

Source: GuitarMasta.net
http://www.guitarmasta.net/c/cohen,_leonard/.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture aleXeXeX Rhythm Player	#1 by aleXeXeX at Sep 26, 2007 at 9:37 PM EST
	Not much to say about the meaning, I just really love this song. It's especially brilliant when you're slightly stoned late at night in someone else's arms. I particularly like the part, "I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch, he said to me, 'You must not ask for so much.' And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door, she cried to me, 'Hey, why not ask for more?' " which I wrote on my wall with a purple pencil.

No Picture kevin Rhythm Player	#2 by kevin jeung at Sep 28, 2007 at 6:48 AM EST
	I think this song is about the kind of small rebellions that we all attempt in life- 'like a drunk in a midnight choir' - nobody notices the drunk is there amongst all the other singers, but he's getting a kick out of his small rebellion - 'Like a bird on the wire' - the bird is free and above and apart from the world but still connected to it. It's about how we would all love to be free (from reality), but we have to live with the fact that it is impossible.

No Picture Adam Average	#3 by Adam Favro at Oct 6, 2007 at 11:53 PM EST
	and not so much noble as humble. knights in old-fashioned books considered themselves servants to their ladies.

No Picture Rich Average	#4 by Rich Frazer at Oct 7, 2007 at 12:40 PM EST
	I have always thought the verse "Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free." to be very poignant in it's imagery. The bird on the wire is helpless and flutters about desperately in an attempt to shake itself free, likewise the drunk, helpless and reaching for something that will release him. Our lives can seem as narrow and meaningless as that of the caged bird, so we turn to the bottle, religion or whatever to seek release. Love can be the ultimate release, but even here the singer feels caught on the wire and torn everyone who reached out to him. He seems forever like the bird fluttering on the wire trying to shake itself free and his plea to his love seems another instance of the drunk in the choir offering prayers for release........a beautiful but sad song.

No Picture JJ Average	#5 by JJ at Oct 7, 2007 at 3:23 PM EST
	The only line that seems out of place is "like a knight from some old-fashioned book". Does he mean that he imagines himself as a great, noble lover?

No Picture jamie Lead Player	#6 by jamie soad at Oct 9, 2007 at 10:37 AM EST
	something along those lines--the next line after that is "i have saved all my ribbons for thee." it's a prayer or a love song, or both, depending on how you look at it.

No Picture julius Average	#7 by julius vaisanen at Oct 13, 2007 at 1:23 AM EST
	Beautiful song. Here's my take on it: Being free is being you. By being so, you risk hurting people, but you also stnd to become who you act like - see the beggar and the pretty woman. The hurt that results from attempting to follow your heart, is not intended to cause pain to others, it's only doing what you believe to be right at the time. The bird on the wire is like the person above said, it's connected but at the same time apart - a necessity in any life, which limits but also affirms - the wire soon becomes something you are dependent upon.