Jackson Browne – BIRDS OF ST. MARKS lyrics

Jackson Browne – BIRDS OF ST. MARKS lyrics

(from the Jackson Browne: Going Home video)

Oh how sadly sound the songs the queen must sing of dying
A prisoner upon her throne of melancholy sighing
If she could see her mirror now
She would be free of those who bow and
Scrape the ground beneath her feet

Silently she walks among her dying midnight roses
Watches as each moment goes that never really know us
And so it seems she doesn't care
If she has dreams of no one there
Within the shadows of her room

But all my frozen words agree, and say it's time to
Call back, all the birds I sent to
Fly behind her castle walls, and I'm
Weary of the nights I've seen
Inside these empty halls

Wooden lady turn and turn among my weary secrets
And wave within the hours past and other empty pockets
Maybe we've found what we have lost
When we've unwound so many crossed entangling
Misunderstandings; but

All my frozen words agree and say it's time to
Call back all the birds I sent to
Fly behind her castle walls, and I'm
Weary of the nights I've seen
Inside these empty walls

Lyrics taken from /lyrics/j/jackson_browne/birds_of_st_marks.html

Songwriters: JACKSON BROWNE

BIRDS OF ST. MARKS lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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BIRDS OF ST. MARKS meanings

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Unregistered 2021-04-27 13:25:37

I feel that the song is about a story as old as time. The ‘queen’ is a lonely figure who, because of her stubbornness, is maintaining her ‘walls’ against finding happiness with the person in the song. He has tried all he can to get through to her after a long and, initially, sweet courtship. Now something has been said, his ‘weary secrets’, and she has taken it out of context or has gotten the wrong meaning, maybe he has shared too much with her, his ‘empty pockets’ not money, but his honesty. If she could only unwind the many ‘crossed entangling Misunderstandings’ , things he has said that maybe he didn’t mean, she would see that he truly loves her and, if she put aside her fears and allow him to break down those walls they could be happy. He cannot see how to do that anymore and, regretfully, has to ‘call back’ his ‘birds’ that he sent to her.. or his feelings, his efforts, his love. It’s breaking his heart yet he cannot do anything about it. She remains behind her walls, forever, and he flies away.

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