Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: singer-songwriter
Song Meaning of “Bird of Sorrow” by Glen Hansard
The song ‘Bird of Sorrow’ by Glen Hansard expresses a feeling of grief and sadness common among many at one time or another in their lives. The song tells the story of a man who is weighed down by his sorrows, and finds solace in his “bird of sorrow” – a fictional character created by him to symbolize all of his sadness. Through the lyrics, we get a sense of how overwhelming this man’s sadness can be, and how hard it can be to escape it.
The chorus is a refrain of the man expressing to his “bird of sorrow” that he will both be there in the hard times and that the bird should never fear, as the man will be there to take his sorrows away. The man’s sorrow is further expressed through the lines “this pain is so deep, I could lay me down and sleep” and “when the morning comes, I sink deeper still,” both hinting at the never-ending nature of the sorrow in his life.
At the end of the song, however, the man finds a glimmer of hope, which shines through in his repeated requests to his “bird of sorrow” to tell him of a better place. Ultimately, the message of “Bird of Sorrow” is that when life throws its hardships at us, we can find solace in the hope that there will be better days ahead.