Sparkbird - Varied Thrush [Official Audio]

A song about staying in relationships or other situations that we'd be better off leaving behind. It includes references to 6 bird species, and a field recording of a Varied Thrush (with additional species heard in the background).
Lyrics:
Hush! hush!
Listen to the Varied Thrush
The freezing rain has
Pushed them down into the valley
With the rest of us
Flushed
From the comfortably lush
Forest floor
They draw their bows across
Serrated edges of
Musical saws and crush
The frigid, sharply pointed hearts
Of icicles like us
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush,
Crush, crush, crush...
Swish! swish!
The Osprey hovers seeking fish
The glassy pond
Displays the menu but won't serve the dish
To birds who wish
To linger when
The air turns cold
Defying pressure
To defer to Cackling Geese
And Western
Gulls, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish,
Wish, wish, wish...
Who doesn't wish they could
Begin
To leave?
Who doesn't wish they could
Believe
In letting something end?
We have these wishes
But we're hung up
On a superstitious
Focus on the family
We see in Collared Doves
With love much stronger
Than we probably
Should ever hope
For ours to be.
Are we a "we are" today?
Will we be a "we will be" tomorrow?
Were we a "we were" already
Long ago?
We don't know
What price makes sense to pay,
So we settle for indebted sorrow,
Never knowing we could dine and
Dash into that nullifying snow.
Thrash! thrash!
The so-called trash birds
Taking baths
Betray their cuteness
In the recklessness with which
They lash
Their lustrous feathers
Petroleum with flecks of ash
In an unseasonable
Puddle
Glaciating fast
Splash, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, freeze,
Splash, splash, splash,
Freeze, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, splash,
Splash, splash, freeze,
Splash, splash, splash...
Hush! hush!
Listen to the Varied Thrush
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
Listen to the Varied Thrush,
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
Hush! hush!
credits
releases August 20, 2021
Music & lyrics by Stephan Nance
Arrangement by Stephan Nance
Piano/vocals/synths/snaps - Stephan Nance
Percussion - Mathias Kunzli
Strings - Yoed Nir
Upright bass - Jeni Magana
Varied Thrush song recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller on 8 Jun 1995. Sung from the top of a dead Port Orford Cedar. Location: SE of Powers; Coquille Falls Coos, Oregon. Licensed through the Macaulay Library. Background species: Pacific Wren, Brown Creeper, Hammond's Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Wilson's Warbler.
Mixing & mastering by Thaddeus Moore, Liquid Mixing & Mastering
Recorded in Portland, Los Angeles, and New York.
Artwork by Rebecca DeMoss
Graphic design by Chad Lowe

[@shuttingdown7147]

I'm trying to figure out how to take the song and inject it into my veins.

[@sparkbirdmusic]

AWWW I'm so excited to see this song getting some attention! :D :D

[@RebeccaETripp]

Hey, this is wonderful! I found this when searching for this bird call. It's very fun and unusual!

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Thank you so much for listening!!

[@leoprince6756]

Recently started listening to your music and i absolutely adore this song. Totally obsessed with the "are we a "we are" today" lines i absolutely love the rhythm it makes

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Aahhh thank you!! Those are some of my favorite lyrics!

[@Luna-ej4mi]

I bet my money the so-called "trash birds" are rock dovesI love these guys!

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Ahhh I DO love rock doves, in my mind the so-called trash birds are European Starlings! "their lustrous feathers, petroleum with flecks of ash" (the iridescent feathers with spots)

[@Luna-ej4mi]

@@sparkbirdmusic Ah, my bad then. I grew up seeing mostly pigeons, and not much european starlings you described, at least in this part of europe. They're winter visitors here, according to wiki. So I kinda associated that line with feral pigeons, which I see cooing and strutting their strut all the time
Thank you for the correction!

[@sparkbirdmusic]

@@Luna-ej4mi Oh, I didn't mean to correct really!! I'm happy to have you associating it with rock doves! :D

[@Luna-ej4mi]

@@sparkbirdmusicAh, okay!
And speaking of rock doves, and to finish this off, who would've known that a once beloved pet would now roam and peck in the streets of a once powerful empire?

[@ExeEspe-by2ct]

You have a beautiful voice! I’m glad UA-cam recommended me one of your shorts!

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Aw! Thank you so much, that’s so nice to hear!

[@ILobSquabs]

I am in love with this songs musical direction

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Thank you, that’s so nice!

[@ashproductions]

Great song, this one also has one of my favorite cover arts and stickers!
I was gonna be like "why arent there more comments" but then i realized I hadnt left a comment before either!

[@sageautumnmacdougall299]

This is now stuck in my head

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Yaaaay thank you for listening to it! 🥰

[@ericb2017]

still lovin on this song!!

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Ahhh thank you so much!!

[@almondthefurret6818]

This shouldn’t be able to slap so hardly

[@sparkbirdmusic]

😂 Thank you!!

[@sageautumnmacdougall299]

Merry Christmas I hope you get lots of great gifts

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Thank you! Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

[@sageautumnmacdougall299]

@@sparkbirdmusic Happy new year its 12 00 here hope you have an amazing year

[@helphelphelphelpmehelphelphelp]

Found this on spotify, this is awesome

[@sparkbirdmusic]

Omg thank you, I’m surprised people are finding this one!!