Lyrics
There's a high-flying bird flying way up in the sky
Describes a bird flying high in the sky, setting the scene for contemplation.
And I wonder if she looks down as she goes on by
Questions whether the bird observes the world below as it continues its flight.
Well, she's flying so freely in the sky
Highlights the bird's freedom and grace in its flight through the sky.
Lord, look at me here
Expresses a sense of self-awareness and reflection in the narrator.
I'm rooted like a tree here
Conveys a feeling of being stuck or immovable, like a rooted tree.
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues
Describes a state of emotional distress, with blues that prevent crying and a feeling of impending doom.
Now, the sun, it comes up and lights up the day
Introduces the sun as a symbol of the passage of time and its cyclical nature.
And when he gets tired, Lord, he goes on down his way
Personifies the sun, suggesting its exhaustion at the end of the day.
To the east and to the west, he meets God every day
Describes the sun's journey, meeting God each day in the east and west.
Lord, look at me here
Reiterates a sense of being rooted and stuck, despite the changing nature of time.
I'm rooted like a tree here
Reflects the narrator's emotional state, still unable to move or cry.
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues
Repeats the theme of the sit-down blues and the impending feeling of death.
Now, I had a woman, Lord, she lived down by the mine
Introduces a past relationship with a woman living by the mine.
She ain't never seen the sun, oh Lord, never stopped crying
Describes the woman's perpetual sadness, never seeing the sun and constantly crying.
Then one day, my woman up and died
Reveals the woman's death, emphasizing her desire to escape her pain.
Lord, she up and died now
Repeats the announcement of the woman's death, intensifying the impact.
Oh Lord, she up and died now
Reiterates the woman's desire for death as a means to find freedom.
And she wanted to die and the only way to fly is die, die, die
Expresses a belief that death is the only way to attain true freedom, emphasizing the inevitability of mortality.
There's a high-flying bird flying way up in the sky
Recalls the high-flying bird, bringing the focus back to the symbolic image.
And I wonder if she looks down as she goes on by
Reiterates the wonder about whether the bird observes the world below during its flight.
Well, she's flying so freely in the sky
Restates the bird's freedom and grace in its flight through the sky.
Lord, look at me here
Reaffirms the narrator's sense of being rooted and stuck in a challenging emotional state.
I'm rooted like a tree here
Repeats the image of being rooted like a tree, emphasizing emotional immobility.
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues
Reiterates the sit-down blues and the impending feeling of death.
Got those sit-down-can't-cry-oh-Lord-gonna-die blues
Repeats the theme of the sit-down blues, emphasizing the narrator's emotional struggle and anticipation of death.
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