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
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Blackbird fly
Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night
This song, this two minutes and nineteen seconds of loveliness, was written by Paul McCartney in 1968, although it is credited to Lennon/McCartney. It's on the Beatles masterpiece The Beatles, known as The White Album. It begins with birdsong and tapping (Paul's foot) and features the sweetest melody imaginable. Paul credits the J.S. Bach piece "Bouree" as the inspiration for the guitar accompaniment. The lyrics were inspired by the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. as Black people struggled for the same opportunities afforded whites just by virtue of their skin color. I think of a time even further back in American history, the enslavement of African born men and women brought to this country and sold like livestock.
It was not until 2002 that Paul publicly discussed the meaning of the song and the symbolism of the blackbird. Puff The Magic Dragon was probably not about a fire-breathing beast, and 25 or Six to Four was not about the time of day. The Blackbird is someone held captive in a situation or a place. A fledgling, unable to take flight. The Blackbird is the beaten down, the battered, the hopeless.
This song inspires a lot of artwork, especially in tattoos. Maria has a beautiful backpiece picturing a blackbird and a part of the lyrics. She broke free from an untenable situation, the betrayal of a few lifelong friends. She never looked back. The tattoo is more than pretty ink, it's commemorative of a life changing event, a pivotal point in her life.
The light of the dark black night is freedom. From oppression, from the prison of our own making, from what we will no longer bear. We may not be able to see what's ahead, but it's better than staying
where we are.
Blackbird fly. Into the light of the dark black night.
