A Feather's Not A Bird
Journey of Resilience: Exploring Life's Layers in Rosanne Cash's 'A Feather's Not A Bird'
Lyrics
I'm going down to Florence, gonna wear a pretty dress
I'm going down to Florence, planning to wear an attractive dress
I'll sit atop the magic wall with the voices in my head
I'll sit on a magical wall, engaging with the voices in my head
Then we'll drive on through to Memphis, past the strongest shoals
Continuing the journey to Memphis, passing strong shoals
Then on to Arkansas just to touch the gumbo soul
Heading to Arkansas, aiming to connect with the soul of gumbo
A feather's not a bird
A feather is not just a bird
The rain is not the sea
Rain is not equivalent to the sea
A stone is not a mountain
A stone is distinct from a mountain
But a river runs through me
Emphasizing the metaphorical presence of a river within the speaker
There's never any highway when you're looking for the past
Highlighting the absence of a clear path when searching for the past
The land becomes a memory and it happens way too fast
The land transforms into memories, and the process is too rapid
The money's all in Nashville but the light's inside my head
Money may be in Nashville, but the true enlightenment is internal
So I'm going down to Florence just to learn to love the thread
Expressing the intention to go to Florence to learn to appreciate the intricacies of life
A feather's not a bird
Reiteration that a feather holds significance beyond just being part of a bird
The rain is not the sea
Comparing rain to the sea, emphasizing their distinctiveness
A stone is not a mountain
Drawing a parallel between a stone and a mountain as separate entities
But a river runs through me
Emphasizing the metaphorical river running through the speaker
I burned up seven lives and I used up all my charms
Reflecting on past experiences, acknowledging the use of luck
I took the long way home just to end up in your arms
Choosing a longer route home to ultimately find comfort in someone's embrace
That's why I'm going down to Florence, now I got my pretty dress
Returning to Florence with a pretty dress after enduring hardships
I'm gonna let the magic wall put the voices in my head
Intending to absorb the magic of the wall and the voices in the speaker's head
A feather's not a bird
Reemphasizing the symbolic meaning of a feather in the speaker's life
The rain is not the sea
Reiterating the distinction between rain and the vastness of the sea
A stone is not a mountain
Stressing the difference between a stone and the grandeur of a mountain
But a river runs through me
Underlining the presence of a metaphorical river running through the speaker's being
A feather's not a bird
Continuing the theme of a feather's symbolic significance in the speaker's life
The rain is not the sea
Reiterating the distinction between rain and the expansive sea
A stone is not a mountain
Emphasizing the difference between a stone and the majesty of a mountain
A feather's not a bird
Reemphasizing the symbolic importance of a feather in the speaker's journey
The rain is not the sea
Reiterating the contrast between rain and the boundless sea
A stone is not a mountain
Stressing the distinction between a stone and the grand scale of a mountain
But a river runs through me
Concluding with the metaphorical river running through the speaker
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