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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Bird on a Wire" by the artist "Willie Nelson"

Willie Nelson's "Bird on a Wire" is a confession of a man trying to find his place in the world, but causing pain to himself and others along the way.

The metaphors of the "bird on a wire" and the "drunk in a midnight choir" convey a sense of restlessness and a yearning for freedom that, however, doesn't bring the protagonist true happiness. He compares himself to a "worm on a hook" and a "knight from some old-fashioned book," showing that he's both vulnerable and bound by obligations, possibly to the person he's addressing in the song.

The protagonist acknowledges his mistakes – he hasn't always been kind and true, he's "torn everyone who reached out for" him. But he asks for forgiveness and promises to "make it up." The images of a "stillborn child" and a "monster with its horn" emphasize the depth of his pain and alienation.

The encounter with a beggar and a "beautiful woman" symbolizes the duality of human experience: on the one hand, striving for simplicity and humility, and on the other, craving passion and fullness of life. The hero is torn between these extremes, trying to find a balance.

The repetition of the "bird on a wire" metaphor at the end of the song emphasizes the cyclical nature of his journey: he has returned to his starting point, but with the burden of experience and awareness of his mistakes.

Like a bird on the wire

Like a drunk in a midnight choir

I have tried in my way to be free

Like a worm on a hook

Like a knight from some old fashioned book

I have saved all my ribbons for thee

If I, if I have been unkind

I hope that you can just let it go by

If I, if I have been untrue

I hope you know it was never to you

Like a baby stillborn

Like a beast with his horn

I have torn everyone who reached out for me

But I swear by this song

And by all that I have done wrong

I will make it all up to thee

I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch

He said to me, "You must not ask for so much"

And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door

She cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"

Oh like a bird on the wire

Like a drunk in a midnight choir

I have tried in my way to be free

— Кавер на композицию в Bird On A Wire в оригинальном исполнении Leonard Cohen

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