Birds as Subjects of Folk Music Narrative

Transcription

1 Mary Husslein 12/14/11 MUS 409 Rosenblum Birds as Subjects of Folk Music Narrative [Folk music is] really about being acceptable to people and trying to sing lyrical content that reflects people's lives. --Catie Curtis 1 Reflecting people s lives is the basis for much of the folk music heard from Jimmy Rodgers through Neil Young. The basis for this reflection is the ability to create a narrative and voice that sounds this story from the artist to the listener. One of the ways in which narrative is portrayed is through objects, animals, or other elements that symbolize and identify with a self- narrative. The use of animals is prevalent in folk songs particularly the use of birds as theme or title of a song. Before we can explore the use of bird as an object of narrative, however, it is important to understand the concept of narrative as it applies to this subject. Looking at the narrative as an object of self-expression, the narrative and the self are inseparable in that narrative is simultaneously born out of experience and gives shape to experience 2. In their article, Narrating the Self, Elinor Ochs and Lisa Capps identify and attempt to define types of narrative as seen in literature. Personal narratives generally comprise of a range of genres in which they are used, including stories, novels, memoirs, bird song to opera, mime to dance, etc. 3. Narratives of this type are often versions of reality, meaning that embodiments of one or more points of view are incorporated. Sometimes self- 1 Catie Curtis Quotes Curtis.htm 2 Ochs and Capps. Narrating the Self, Annual Review of Anthropology, 25 (1996): 20 Accessed December 6, Ibid. 21 1

2 narratives allow the artist to bring light to issues or explore challenging questions through multiple perspectives. These are not always easy life-solutions 4. One way self-narrative is portrayed is through story. Franzonsi defines this narrative as that which captures past experience through a verbal sequence of clauses to match a sequence of clauses to match a sequence of events that (may or may have not) occurred 5. A story refers to the skeletal description of events occurring in their natural order. Character roles in narrative are classified according to their action or what they do within the story. When applying these definitions to birds as subjects of narrative in folk music, the concept of freedom is consistent throughout each song no matter what type of bird. Breaking down the word, freedom has five definitions: 1. The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint 2. Exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. 3. The power to determine action without restraint 4. Political or national independence 5. Personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery These definitions are applicable to different types of birds as seen in folk music examples. The birds for examination include the blackbird, the sparrow, the eagle/hawk and the crow. For this analysis, each bird represented has a musical example distinguishing the specific type of freedom. In the Beatles Blackbird, the blackbird represents freedom as it pertains to independence and liberty. This song is related to the civil rights movement and the blackbird in the lyrics symbolizes the black people looking for revolution and equality. The lyrics are below: 4 Ibid Roberto Franzosi, Narrative Analysis-Or Why (And How) Sociologists Should be Interested in Narrative, Annual Review of Sociology 24 (1998): 519. Accessed December 6,

3 Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise At a little over two minutes in length, this song bares great meaning in a condensed space. Played with guitar and some bird whistles at the bridge, the song itself is representative of character narrative as described earlier. The narrator in this case is not the bird itself; however, it is close in proximity to the narrator because of the connection in pronouns between blackbird and your. The narrative moves from a negative situation to an optimistic future. The line Take these broken wings and learn to fly portrays a broken individual (or group in this case). The last line, however You were only waiting for this moment to arise shows the narrator looking for change, for freedom. Relating to the blackbird in both physical size and interpretive symbolism, the sparrow represents freedom applying to the individual. Peter Paul and Mary s Tiny Sparrow relates personal freedom to a woman s escape from love s oppression. In this case, the narrator is in the first person; she is the sparrow. The first verse is directed at the audience: Come all ye fair and tender ladies, Take warning how you court your men. They're like the stars on a summer's mornin' First they'll appear and then they're gone. The narrator heeds warning against love s hardships and broken hearts. By the middle of the song, the narrator becomes the sparrow: I wish I were a tiny sparrow and I had wings and I could fly. I'd fly away to my own true lover and all he'd ask I would deny. Alas I'm not a tiny sparrow I have not wings nor can I fly And on this earth in grief and sorrow I am bound until I die. 3

4 Unlike the blackbird, the narrative starts negatively and ends negatively. Looking at the small size of a sparrow, it portrays an accurate image of a woman who feels the sense of smallness as related to her power to escape her situation. Again there is the use of wings and flying as pertaining to freedom gained by that ability to fly. She equates herself with the sparrow, but unlike the sparrow, she cannot fly away. So far the bird has been a representative of freedom relating to escape, whether on an individual or group level. This could be related to the size of the birds and how the artist seeks to connect the character s narrative with the physical attributes of the birds themselves. Taking this into account, the opposite is evident in John Denver s Eagle and the Hawk. The eagle and hawk are both large predatory birds, and in this song they represent the freedom of ecstasy and sense of personal achievement. The narrator is the bird from the beginning of the song as seen in the lyrics: And all those who see me, and those who believe in me Share in the freedom I feel when I fly. Unlike the smaller birds that have some element of sadness or imprisonment, the eagle is free and optimistic throughout. Reach for the heavens and hope for the future All that we can be, not what we are. As a character, John Denver s representative eagle/hawk figure appeals to his love of flying as he often wrote about his love of flying planes. Musically, the song showers the listener with large guitar riffs without veering out of the major tonality. Unlike Blackbird and Tiny Sparrow, Eagle and the Hawk creates boisterous, joyous sound; this bird is not afraid to show its feathers. The narrator has already achieved freedom, which also distinguishes it from the other birds. 4

5 Going away from the direct character narrative, the freedom in Bob Dylan s Black Crow Blues can be likened to John Denver s representation of freedom as something already obtained. Unlike the eagle/hawk image, however, the crow s freedom relates to personal relationships and is portrayed as a negative attribute. This song stands out from the other examples for this reason. Dylan does not mention the crows until the final stanza: Black crows in the meadow Sleeping across a broad highway Black crows in the meadow Across a broad highway Though its funny, honey I just don't feel much like a Scarecrow today. 6 Under this point of view, the narrative is talking about the black crows in the meadow, indicating distance from the birds themselves. The line I just don t feel much like a Scarecrow today reflects his instability to be alone, or free. A scarecrow s role is to scare crows, and earlier in the song Dylan sings about his longing for an old love therefore not wanting to scare the crows may represent his desire to be with the birds. The use of birds as symbols and subjects of narrative in folk music has been apparent in many titles. Since narrative can be a personal reflection, one point that could be explored is whether the use of characters masks the artist s identity within the song or enhances the artists identity through vivid imagery and symbolism associated with these characters. As seen above, different birds have various connotations and representations within a narrative; however, the answer to that question deserves further study and contemplation in order to be discussed properly. 6 Lyrics from the songs used in this paper could be found at 5

6 Works Cited Catie Curtis Quotes Folksingers/Catie-Curtis.htm Franzosi, Roberto. Narrative Analysis-Or Why (And How) Sociologists Should be Interested in Narrative, Annual Review of Sociology 24 (1998): Accessed December 6, Ochs, Elinor and Capps, Lisa. Narrating the Self, Annual Review of Anthropology, 25 (1996): Accessed December 6, Song Lyrics 6