Bird on a Wire

"Bird on a Wire"
Album track by that dog.
Album	Old LP
Released	2019
Recorded	2016-2019 @ Kingsize Soundlabs; Park Oak Studios; The Boat; The Evergreen Stage; The Whiskey Kitchen
Length	4:27
Label	UME
Writer(s)	Anna Waronker
Producer(s)	Anna Waronker and that dog.
Status	Released
Old LP track listing
"Just the Way" (2) "Bird on a Wire" (3) "Drip Drops" (4)

"Bird on a Wire" is the third track on that dog.'s fourth album Old LP.

Overview

The song is one of the album's more vocal-oriented pieces, with notable sections of multiple-part harmonies.

Band commentary

Anna Waronker: This song is about the struggles of feeling bogged down, undervalued, underestimated and overlooked. For me, it is about being an artist and an adult with adult responsibilities. The verses came to me instantly but then I spent months reworking the chorus. Where I ended upup felt a little raw, but I think that is the purpose of the song so I left what felt a little too exposed. Musically, the song was intended to be very stripped down. The album is so lush with arrangements and I thought it would be nice to have a song with one guitar, bass and drums. Well, that didn’t happen. The arrangement instrument-wise is sparse, maybe two guitars thanks to our old friend Chick Wolverton, but we went wild with vocals. It was impossible to hold back so we dove in and came up with something we had so much fun putting together.

—Consequence of Sound interview with Anna Waronker - October 3, 2019

Personnel

For additional contributors, see here.

• Anna Waronker - Lead vocals, guitar, piano, producer
• Rachel Haden - Bass, backing vocals
• Tony Maxwell - Drums, percussion, piano

Lyrics

Buried alive and about to burst
Why am I surprised when I'm so well rehearsed?
I'm getting tired and I'm dying of thirst
I keep turning the dial but the tape is stuck in reverse
It's taking awhile and it's only getting worse

And I don't know where I fit in
I know how the story goes
I just don't know how it ends
This is all I've ever known and it's all I've ever done
I'm a bird on a wire, just like everyone
A bird on a wire and tired of facing the sun

Leading the blind when the lines are blurred
On borrowed time living word to word
Sometimes it's fine but sometimes it really hurts
It's okay if I want to run
Far away if I want to run
It's okay if I want to run
It's okay, it's okay, it's okay

It's okay if I want to run
Far away if I want to run
It's okay if I want to run
It's okay, it's okay, it's okay

It's all I've ever known
And all I've ever done

See also

• List of that dog. songs