Any person that fails to see the cruelty in putting a large bird in a small cage, must be egotistically psychotic. Patrick Watson tells the story about visiting a shop in Thailand and removing a cover to reveal - a large bird in a small cage, and being told by the shopkeeper that they sing sweeter songs. How cruel ! Is the immediate response of any normal person. But not Patrick Watson - it is simply the cue for a song.
There was a house halfway 'round the world And I was invited in for a small taste of gin There was a hallway a thousand birds long But the biggest one of all was in a cage too small I asked the caretaker 'cause he was their maker He looked at me and laughed, took another sip from his glass He said, open up your ears and hearts You put a big bird in a small cage and he'll sing you a song That we all love to sing along To the sound of the bird that mourns Well, we rolled into town and the sweet New Orleans To the Apple Barrel bar, it was a hole in the wall The ceilings weren't tall, the floors filled with grime But the sound that you would make would just warm their hearts Well, it was quarter to 12 and the boys walked in They got their black suits on and the songs would begin You open up your ears and hearts You put a big bird in a small cage and it'll sing you a song That we all love to sing along To the sound of the bird that mourns To the sound of the bird that mourns To the sound of the bird that mourns To the sound of the bird that mourns You put a big bird in a small cage and it will sing you a song You put a big bird in a small cage and it will sing you a song You put a big bird in a small cage and it will sing you a song You put a big bird in a small cage and it will sing you a song
